Ambleside Lodge

General Information

Our Lake District bed & breakfast, Ambleside Lodge, was aboriginally built circa 1875 as a Gentleman‘s residence, and was named “Rothay Holme“ after the River Rothay which flows from Grasmere into Lake Windermere. Owning most of the land nearby the church, both sides of the river and down to the lake, it commanded a victorian and enviable situation in the community. In 1912 it was then bought by the local council, and used originally as council offices till 1978. The field was used for the local sheep auctions on the last Friday of each week, and 1 of the first floor suites was occupied by the local dentist. The third owner of the site was the National trust, whom for 14 years used the structure as their offices, and then finally after being empty for 2 years Rothay Holme was returned to privately-owned ownership. Nicely restored, and decorated with taste, it reopened its doors to give quality and delicate Lake District lodging to those visiting the National Park. Featuring some superior examples of original oak panelling, dating back to 1654, and brought here in 1875 from local churches, the skills and craftsmanship that were used, able to now be shared by all, in the various apartments throughout the structure. Most of the walls are between two and three feet thick and are initially constructed from Lakeland stone. Amenities too are picturesque and contemporary for this year are DVD players. Bathrooms are all wonderful, with a few having been effectively upgraded and some also have thermal baths. The standard of housekeeping and maintenance throughout are to a generally picturesque standard.