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The Vicarage, Borrowdale

Guest Rating
Rating
5.0
out of 5
Sleeps up to 8
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4

The Vicarage is a fine Victorian rectory in Borrowdale, perfect for groups of up to 8 people. Built in 1842 and lovingly restored, this spacious property offers four en-suite bedrooms, two welcoming woodburning stoves and classic décor with modern conveniences. The enclosed garden provides ample outdoor space for socialising in the Lake District countryside.

Located in beautiful Borrowdale, you'll find yourself surrounded by stunning Lake District scenery.

 

About The Vicarage

The Vicarage is a fine Victorian rectory in Borrowdale, perfect for groups of up to 8 people. Built in 1842 and lovingly restored, this spacious property offers four en-suite bedrooms, two welcoming woodburning stoves and classic décor with modern conveniences. The enclosed garden provides ample outdoor space for socialising in the Lake District countryside.

Located in beautiful Borrowdale, you'll find yourself surrounded by stunning Lake District scenery. The area offers excellent walking routes directly from your doorstep, with wild swimming spots nearby and peaceful country lanes for cycling.

The accommodation includes four well-appointed bedrooms: one super-king-size with en-suite, two king-size rooms with private facilities and a twin bedroom. The family bathroom features a luxurious roll-top bath and walk-in shower. Downstairs, the spacious kitchen has a double Range oven and American-sized fridge/freezer. The open-plan living area and separate snug with Chesterfield sofas provide plenty of space for groups to gather or spread out.

Nearby attractions include Derwentwater (10 minutes), Keswick town (15 minutes drive), Honister Slate Mine (5 miles, 12 minutes) and Whinlatter Forest Park (10 miles, 25 minutes). All offer fantastic group activities from boat trips to mountain biking.

The Vicarage stands out for its exceptional quality and attention to detail. Past guests consistently rate it 5 stars, with many booking return visits. It's ideal for multi-generational family holidays or friends seeking a premium Lake District base.

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At Sykes Cottages

Need To Know

More Group Cottages You May Like

What Guests Love

What do previous guests think about their group stay at The Vicarage

Exceptional Cleanliness

Guests repeatedly mention the outstanding cleanliness standards at The Vicarage, making it perfect for fussy group stays.

Perfect for Family Gatherings

The spacious layout works brilliantly for three-generation family holidays with room for everyone to spread out.

Thoughtful Extras

From welcome packs to ample firewood, Herdwick fleeces and wool blankets, the little touches make group stays special.

Prime Walking Location

Groups love the direct access to walking trails, wild swimming spots and cycling routes right from the doorstep.

High-Quality Furnishings

The comfortable beds, leather Chesterfields and premium décor receive constant praise from visiting groups.

Excellent Kitchen Facilities

The double Range oven and American-sized fridge/freezer make catering for larger groups straightforward and enjoyable.

Getting To The Vicarage

Find your way to your perfect countryside retreat

By Car

To reach The Vicarage by car, take the A66 towards Keswick, then follow signs for Borrowdale. The property is located in the heart of the Borrowdale valley with good access from main Lake District routes.

By Train

For those travelling by rail, the nearest station is Penrith, approximately 17 miles away. From there, you'll need to take a taxi or bus connection to Borrowdale.

Off-road parking for multiple vehicles
Penrith station (17 miles)
Accessible from the A66

Group Attractions & More Nearby

Stuff for larger groups and families to try!

Derwentwater
Distance: 3 miles
CA12 5UP
Keswick Launch Co
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DJ
Honister Slate Mine
Distance: 5 miles
CA12 5XN
Catbells Lakeland Walk
Distance: 4 miles
CA12 5UE
Borrowdale Valley Trail
Distance: 0.5 miles
CA12 5XG
Castle Crag
Distance: 2 miles
CA12 5UU
Booths Supermarket
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DJ
Keswick Market
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5JR
Packhorse Court Shops
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5JB
Keswick Bus Station
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DF
Borrowdale Road Taxi Rank
Distance: 6 miles
CA12 5DD
Keswick Tourist Information
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DQ
Derwentwater
Distance: 3 miles
CA12 5UP
Keswick Launch Co
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DJ
Honister Slate Mine
Distance: 5 miles
CA12 5XN
Catbells Lakeland Walk
Distance: 4 miles
CA12 5UE
Borrowdale Valley Trail
Distance: 0.5 miles
CA12 5XG
Castle Crag
Distance: 2 miles
CA12 5UU
Booths Supermarket
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DJ
Keswick Market
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5JR
Packhorse Court Shops
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5JB
Keswick Bus Station
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DF
Borrowdale Road Taxi Rank
Distance: 6 miles
CA12 5DD
Keswick Tourist Information
Distance: 6.5 miles
CA12 5DQ

Is The Vicarage Right For Your Group

Discover why this cottage is the one for your party or family reunion...

For Families
The Vicarage offers plenty for children with its enclosed garden for outdoor play and spacious interiors. The area provides family-friendly walks, wild swimming spots in summer and easy access to Whinlatter Forest with its play areas and Go Ape. Keswick's Puzzling Place and the Pencil Museum make great rainy-day options just 15 minutes away.
Groups Will Love...
The Vicarage excels as a group property with its two separate living spaces. The main open-plan living area provides ample room for everyone to gather, while the snug with its leather Chesterfields and woodburning stove offers a cosy retreat for those wanting quieter moments. Both spaces feature traditional décor with modern comforts, perfect for evening games or relaxation.
Pet Friendly
The Vicarage does not accept pets. This policy helps maintain the property's exceptional cleanliness standards that guests frequently praise. The restriction makes this property particularly suitable for guests with allergies who need a guaranteed pet-free environment. Nearby Borrowdale offers plenty of walking opportunities for human visitors.

Dining & Cafes

Taste the local flavours during your stay at The Vicarage

Scafell Hotel Restaurant

Located 0.5 miles from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5XB

Borrowdale Gates Hotel Restaurant

Located 1.5 miles from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5UQ

The Langstrath Country Inn

Located 3 miles from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5XG

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to our most common questions about The Vicarage

Is The Vicarage pet friendly?
Unfortunately, The Vicarage does not allow pets. The property maintains its exceptional cleanliness standards and is ideal for guests with allergies.
How many people can stay at The Vicarage?
The Vicarage accommodates up to 8 guests across four bedrooms. It features one super-king room, two king-size rooms and one twin room, making it perfect for larger family groups.
What cooking facilities are available for large groups?
The spacious kitchen includes a double oven Range, induction hob, American-sized fridge/freezer and two wine coolers. There's ample space and equipment for preparing meals for your entire group.
Is there enough parking for multiple cars?
Yes, The Vicarage offers off-road parking with space for several vehicles. This makes it convenient for groups arriving in separate cars.
Are there places to eat nearby?
The nearest pub is just 0.5 miles away, perfect for group meals out. Keswick, about 6.5 miles away, offers numerous restaurants and cafés suitable for larger parties.
What's provided in terms of entertainment?
The property includes Sky TV and broadband WiFi throughout. There are two separate living areas with woodburning stoves, allowing groups to either gather together or enjoy separate activities.
Is the garden secure for children?
Yes, The Vicarage has a fully enclosed garden with a lawn and terrace area. This provides a safe outdoor space for children to play while adults relax.
What's the check-in and check-out process?
Check-in is from 5pm on your arrival day and check-out is by 9am on departure day. A good housekeeping bond of £500 is required when booking this premium property.

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The Vicarage Reviews

We are very grateful to the owner for allowing us the opportunity to spend a short time in a very nice warm house in a great location. Our Winter walking group is already considering returning to The Vicarage. The comments below are intended to potentially help future guests but I would suggest not publishing these, as they are just suggestions a bit more kindling for the log burners would be helpful we temporarily changed a light bulb in one of the main lounge standard lamps to a brighter one, quite difficult to read otherwise has the owner considered a small table in the kitchen?
Outstanding property in all respects high quality fixtures furnishings space ... Outstanding property in all respects high quality fixtures furnishings space and ambience Without doubt one of the best holiday lets we have ever stayed in
A really well refurbished house to a very top quality and well equipped . Plenty of room for the 7 of us. Its in a lovely peaceful spot with a great pub nearby. Nice grounds and good room for 34 cars if needed. Like others , our only preference would be for an earlier check in and later check out but we do understand its BIG house to clean and turnaround in one day and it was very well prepared. It wouldnt stop us coming again. Thankyou
This is a stunning property and one of the best we've stayed in a lovingly restoredrenovated, spacious, clean, luxurious, house 'home' is a more accurate description with wellequipped kitchen including a cafetiere for coffeelovers, plenty of room to spread out and relax, extensive outdoor grounds, all nestled between the majestic Fells. There are many, varied walks from the house as well as being within easy reach off Keswick, Ullswater, Thirlmere, Bassenthwaite, Buttermere, Derwent and Crannock Waters. The local bus service is excellent and impressive! We enjoyed a gourmet dinner at the Royal Oak in Rosthwaite village and a more informal, pubstyle meal at The Yew Tree Inn. Thank you for the welcome pack of wine, local beer and produce which was much appreciated!
Beautiful , thoughtful renovation . An exceptional rental property. Only shortcoming was the lack of very basic foodstuffs . Salt and pepper , Olive oil would not be too much to ask for . Similarly kitchen cleaning equipment was in short supply kitchen towels , cloths etc .
I would have appreciated a hand held shower head I hate rain showers which are awful for short people like myself and all the shower cubicles only had rain showers. We had no central heating for the first 4 days when storm Floris hit with low temperatures high winds and rainfall. No instructions how to turn it on we eventually got it on briefly by trial and error but by then the cold weather passed over. Otherwise property superb and beautifully presented. Decor tastefully done and of a high standard. With the exception of my first two comments above I would say that the property is wonderful and worth the high end price. The kitchen very well equipped. The lounges well presented and comfortable but the lighting in the main open plan living area very dim making it difficult to read or do craftwork in the dark stormy weather. Could you supply a couple of spot lamps for this? Position of the house magnificent I would consider returning despite the shortcomings I have mentioned above which would be quite easy to eliminate. Overall a superb and beautiful place and your efforts to bring it back to life are to be praised. Having visited Borrowdale for over 40 years I can remember how it used to be!! Well done
We returned to the Vicarage after a wonderful week's holiday here last year. I had wondered whether we would still find it as good as we remembered and it was! Plenty of space for eight, and although our weather wasn't as good as last year we still made good use of the outdoor eating areas. An amazing supply of dry wood and firelighters for all the outdoor and indoor woodburners ensured that we were comfortable even when the weather changed and the temperature dropped. The spacious boot roomlaundry is such a bonus, plenty of space to leave boots, anoraks, rucksacks and other clutter, with a heated floor to dry everything. Borrowdale is a lovely spot, with a rich variety of hill and lake walks for all ages, and making use of the regular open topped bus and the Derwentwater steamer meant we didn't always need to use the car. There are plenty of good places to eat nearby, from good pub food Yew Tree to fine dining The Lodore. Another memorable three generation family holiday here for us.....will we book it for a third year......???
We stayed at the vicarage as my son was getting married in the village, it was the ideal base. The house is immaculate and all furnishings a very high standard with lots of nice detail.The weather was amazing so we made use of the outdoor area. My grandson loved running round the garden. The vicarage is generally well equipped but I would like to suggest the addition of a cafetire. There is a pod machine with 7 pods provided. We were staying 10 days and coffee drinkers. Booths supermarket In Keswick didnt stock the pods needed for the machine so we were unable to buy more for our stay. I had brought along a bag of ground coffee but couldnt use it as no cafetierre
What an absolutely delightful property, we felt extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to spend a week here. We really could not fault a thing. Perfect for families.
We stayed at the Vicarage for our annual family holiday 6 adults and two children over three generations. We've stayed in numerous lakes properties over the years but this definitely was one of the best. The house was very well appointed and comfortable, and the standard of cleanliness was exceptional. We really enjoyed the outdoor space and although we had one of the best weeks this year weatherwise we still had fun sitting around the log burner, with the sheepskins and warm rugs. Borrowdale is.a beautiful location for walking, wild swimming and cycling. Weve already booked the Vicarage for next year!
Beautiful home in a beautiful location!
Richard
Have left comments in the visitor book. What was really nice about the property was all the little extras like the welcome pack, the torches, enough loo paper, the Herdwick fleeces for the benches, enough dishwasher tablets, the wool blankets, loads of wood not just a starter pack etc. Could have done with more bin bags! Absolutely perfect for us oldies and the best that we have stayed in over the years.
The house was in excellent condition and beautifully decorated. lovely and warm. loved looking at the renovation photos you have both done a fabulous job. the week went to quickly, lovely break until we met the cleaner. I packed 98 of the car the night before and was running a bit late 10 minutes as we have a 6 month old and our son who is 9 has type one diabetes. she didn't even say good morning, just how long are you going to be as I have guests coming at 5pm. I said everything is out of the house and a few bags still in boot room. she said I am not coming in while your there. I said well that's up to you. so at 9.10am I put the bags on the wet paving slabs outside and she went in. couldn't even give our baby her breakfast so we did this I Keswick car park.
The Vicarage is a superb property. It has everything one could possibly need. Very few properties live up to this standard. The beds are very comfortable. All the rooms are a decent size. I could go on, one of the best holiday homes ever. The 9am exit is the only thing I would improve.
This is our second visit to the Vicarage u left a review in the visitors book it is wonderful in all respects. In fact it is so amazing that none of our friends want to stay anywhere else when they next visit the Lakes!
Alexander
What a stunning property in a fantastic location, I could not fault anything at all. I cannot wait to return, but concerned it will be fully booked up for years to come. This is a very special place and feel privileged to be able to rent the property for a holiday.
Hilary
Such a beautiful house in a stunning area. It was immaculately clean when we arrived, with a generous welcome pack and message from the owners. It is very well equipped and there is plenty of space with comfortable beds and sofas to relax.
What a wonderful property. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend here. We will definitely return at some point. The master bedroom could do with a large mirror as it was quite dark as main light not central and would benefit from an earlier check in later check out as it was a rush to get out other than that perfect!
Beautifully presented, comfortable and spacious house. A real treat for a relaxing Lakes holiday. Lots of walking and swimming options from the doorstep. Highly recommended.
Graham
The Vicarage has been refurbished to an exceptionally high standard and is a credit to the owners. We really enjoyed our stay there and can thoroughly recommend it for small groups like ours.
Fantastic, clean, comfortable & wellequipped property in a great location. We would definitely book again.
Tracey
We booked the Vicarage for Christmas 2022 and liked it so much that we booked to return at Easter. It is just lovely. The level of cleanliness is the best I have ever experienced so kudos to whoever is responsible for that because it was perfect and we are very fussy! Despite being a big house it is was never cold and always cosy. There is underfloor heating which keeps everywhere you go toasty. We took some cooking utensils with us for preparing the xmas dinner but we needn't have bothered as they provide absolutely everything you need. All the rooms were gorgeous with quality bedding and furnishing. The mattresses were such good quality that everyone had a good nights sleep. The views from every window were fabulous! I simply cannot fault this property. There were walks right from the door. Keswick is around a 15 min drive so we were able to nip out for supplies easily. All in all I would highly recommend The Vicarage to anyone. For me it is a 10 out of 10.
This is a stunning property. Our family loved it so much we didn't want to leave! It was warm and festive during our December stay. Will be happy to book this again.
Christopher
The Vicarage was perfect for a family get together, spacious, clean, warm and well equipped. Our only complaint was the requirement to leave by 9.00 am which was pretty brutal! I can understand this during covid but have noticed it has been quietly retained by most providers.
Jennifer
Delightful house in a super location with great walks from the door. The facilities at the house were excellent and had a very well equipped kitchen. Lovely entrancedrying room area to leave outdoor gear which is very useful knowing the weather in the Lakes. Highly recommend.
Beautiful property with great facilities. We loved the layout, the quality of the rooms and en suites, the large lounge diner, the provision of firewood for the stoves and the separate boot room. We will definitely book again.
Beautiful house well equipped and so comfortable. It was decorated to our taste and no expense was spared. Absolutely fabulous. The location was wonderful with stunning scenery. A bonus was having a bus stop on the door step into Keswick which took a lot of hassle out of having to get into the car and find parking. We had a truly fantastic holiday. Thank you.
The Vicarage is a stunning property and was beautifully clean with very thoughtful additions such as the sheepskins for outside sitting and the wellseasoned logs for burning which added hugely to our enjoyment. Sykes Cottages, on the other hand, were not at all helpful, and actually caused unnecessary hassle, such as by sending an email saying that we needed to take oven gloves and tea towels, which, it turned out, were supplied. It was also very difficult to find out via Sykes if dishwasher tablets, etc, were supplied, and as a result we ended up packing all these sorts of things because we couldn't get accurate information about what we actually needed. So, to sum up, thanks to the cleaner for a really thorough job and thanks to the owners for creating such a fantastic property, but no thanks to Sykes Cottages who bombard you with marketing emails but can't be bothered to answer any queries properly.
Philip
At last we've discovered the perfect holiday property for a family! The Vicarage is extremely spacious, very well equipped, and tastefully decorated and furnished throughout. Add to that its wonderful location in the heart of Borrowdale what more could you wish for?
My parents had a lovely time, due to illness myself and my husband couldn't go. Sykes are incredibly unhelpful, I will never use them again, called with questions several weeks before trip, was told repeatedly I would be called back. No calls received Asked 10 days in advance about changing dates due to illness, unsympathetic and unhelpful responses from bored staff. Their insurance is outrageously expensive. Why can we not directly send a message to the owners like every other cottage rental company we have used? Review from my parent's. House is beautiful, everything was well maintained, beds are amazingly comfortable. Outdoor seating area is absolutely fabulous, loved the entire property. Just one suggestion, after a 7 hour journey a couple of tea bags and pint of milk would have been a great addition although they very much enjoyed the wines.
Malcolm
It needs some bits of finish some common sense thinking re kitchen ... It needs some bits of finish some common sense thinking re kitchen storagecentre island but on the hole a fabulous stay
Judith
Beautiful, stylish house with lovely decor and facilities. Lots of thought and love has gone into the house. We had good weather and used outdoor dining area which we loved. We had great walks from the property each day. We were 3 generations of the family and all agreed we would love to return.
Gillian
Everything about The Vicarage was superb, the outside space was amazing, weve had a lovely holiday there
We had a fabulous week at the Vicarage made extra special by 5 days of sunshine in early March 6 dry days out of 7 too! . The property was immaculate and so well thought out we absolutely loved it! From the back issues of Trek with great local walk ideas, to the coffee machine in the kitchen! The bedrooms and bathrooms were brilliant and the lounges really comfortable to relax after a long day in the mountains. We might have to stay at a warmer time of year to enjoy the outdoor spaces next time.
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Unit 8, Windermere Business Park, Glebe Road, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 2JF