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Reviews of Ouse Bridge House

4 out of 5
Ouse Bridge House
Bassenthwaite Lake, Nr Keswick, Cockermouth, England

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 67 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 24 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 8 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 102 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Lesley

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable and friendly accommodation
We had a very comfortable stay, in a family room with a six year old. More than enough room for our bags and hiking extras. Beds, pillows and quality of linen - excellent. Breakfasts - 10/10.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Tina

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely family....good breakfast....bus stop easy reach for keswick...short walk to lake.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Positioned in a lovely peaceful location at the north end of the lakes well away from the madding growds
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

dilan

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Zara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023

4/10 Poor

Malcolm

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
On the first night we were locked out of our room and there was no one on reception and the out of hours number was not being answered and we had to sleep in the lounge this was totally unacceptable despite being offered a free night

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from V on 8 Jul 2022
Thank you so much for your feedback.

10/10 Excellent

Jacqui

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Virginia on 31 Mar 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us some feedback. We really loved having you stay with us and are looking forward to seeing you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exactly as a guest house should be!
We were incredibly lucky to be the only guests for the time we stayed. I am sure the service would have been great with more people there too but, with only us it would have been easy to let it slip. Instead, we were literally waited on at breakfast, chatted with, had the guest lounge to ourselves and our 2 year old daughter even went off and played with the family's children. The room was clearly newly decorated, had plenty of space and was a nice place to be. O ly downsides were it was a little cold at times and for me, the bed was soft but that is more my problem than theirs! Overall, a fabulous stay, a lovely part of the world a d we will definitely look to use them again when we are back in that neck of the woods!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2021
Response from V on 19 Jan 2022
Thank you so much for your lovely comments. We really enjoyed having you all to stay and hope to see you again. Best wishes Virginia

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay
We had a lovely two nights here. We were offered (and accepted) tea and felt welcomed into a family home - almost like friends. The packed lunch (for a small fee) was also really useful to have and saved us having to go looking for a cafe/shop. The accommodation is so close to the water and you get great views of the hills round about - when it's clear enough to see them, of course! ;)
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Keith

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Zaheer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you for your feedback.

10/10 Excellent

Shirley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would stay again highly recommend
Lovely place to stay breakfast was delicious Hosts very friendly
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from V on 3 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. It was really great to meet you and we hope to see you again soon. Best wishes Virginia

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Business traveller, Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Hotel is in a lovely setting, across the road from the lake. Our room was at the front so we had a lovely view. We had a very comfy bed so slept well. The breakfast was very good, with plenty of choice. There is a lovely lounge area, It has a honesty bar which is reasonably priced. Ben and Virginia Haven't had the hotel long, but they were very good hosts. Ben even offered to take us to the pub, as it was too far for us to walk (aged 74 ). Nothing was too much trouble for them, ask and you received. We wish them all the best for the future.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback, we really appreciate your comments. Thank you also for staying with us, we really enjoyed meeting you.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great relaxing stay, nicely tucked away
A fantastic warm welcome from the owner. She told us if there was anything we needed just ask.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback, it is really appreciated.

10/10 Excellent

Carol

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant stay with friends.
Ben and V are very pleasant and helpful. The guest house is in a great position for walks. Wish we had taken our swimming costumes as there are plenty of places to swim in Bassenthwaite Lake, great for children to swim. The breakfast choices are wide, tasty and well cooked.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback, it was lovely having you all stay with us. Hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This little b&b was a lovely place to stay after long days of walking with the dogs. Rooms are quiet, clean and comfortable and the dining / family rooms were cute and homely with a fireplace and games. The couple running the place were really lovely and accommodating. We were made to feel comfortable traipsing through with our muddy dogs and the breakfasts were extra special. Lots of effort has gone into making you feel welcome and we felt well taken care of for our whole stay. Highly recommend for anyone with dogs and kids too.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. Hope to see you again.

6/10 Okay

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Disappointing. Claustrophobic. Adequate at Best
Booked a standard double room - which according to pictures online was basic but small double room - found ourselves in the attic!! Double bed pushed under eaves where ceiling was so low the headboard couldn't be attached. this room is a single at best as half the bed was under ceilings so low, it was head bash territory - on sharp corners - very painful and health and safety nightmare. Couldn't stand upright in 50% of the room - again, ceilings too low. Due to trying to put lights on bedside tables,and due to the low ceiling again, the said tables were too low - about a foot below the bed - useless. Toiletries were not individually packed as stated, so no shower as don't know if general toiletries sanitised or not. Full English?? Up to 5 items pre-ordered night before - I had toast so that my husband could order a decent meal. Was considering a family visit, but this is no return. Claustrophobic, charmless, tired - no internet either as despite trying passcode it would not connect and all the reply we got was to keep trying. Not an experience we wish to repeat
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. On arrival, we did mention that another guests child had literally just managed to cut through our main internet cable and the only solution we had been able to create in the time frame given was temporary 3G internet. This was explained to you as our usual super speedy internet is via satellite and it was going to take 3 days for another one to be shipped from the US. Unfortunately if you were coming for the WIFI on that day it bad timing and there wasn't anything else we could do. For breakfast, the gmail form is for one person - you need to complete the form again for a second person. If requesting a print our, you simply indicate whatever you both would like. You have 5 items each to choose from for a cooked breakfast (not including toast) PLUS you can also choose from cereal, Greek Yoghurt, Berries, porridge, homemade granola and more from the cold section as well as juice, coffee and tea. If this is still not enough food then it is only a conversation away and we are more than happy to oblige. We, of course, make sure to always sanitise the entire room and bathroom, this includes everything even all door handles, hand wash and our Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioner bottles. I'm sorry you didn't like our lovely top floor lakeview room. This room is often requested by many other guests, again a conversation to let us know when you are here will always help as we want to make sure everyone enjoys their stay. We also have family rooms which are obviously much larger to accommodate more people. Best wishes

10/10 Excellent

Daryl

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much.

10/10 Excellent

Vicki

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Large comfortable room and dog friendly. Owners very helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 14 Aug 2021
Thank you for your feedback and for staying with us. Hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a very nice, comfortable family run business with a personal touch where the owners were very accommodating to my needs as a motorcyclist and new vbisitor to the area.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 14 Aug 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback and for visiting us. It was lovely to meet you.

10/10 Excellent

Miao

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely owners, very friendly family. Beautiful lake view from the window. Delicious breakfast as well. Excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback, it is really appreciated. We hope to see you again.

8/10 Good

michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
birthday
nice b /b, lovely couple,room was a bit smaller than expected but adequate .The owners had a couple of issues to deal with (outwith there control ) and dealt with it very professionally. Breakfast was fine but I don't like the idea of limiting food too five items which included toast.For A four star b /b this was unnecessary and a bit mean.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Virginia on 7 Aug 2021
Thank you so much for your comments and for staying with us. If you'd have let us know you wanted more breakfast I would have very happily given you as much as you liked. The breakfast form suggests up to 5 items because we were getting a lot of food waste previously. You can also select toast separately within the continental section so doesn't have to be one of the 5 items. It was really lovely to meet you both and hope to do so again. Best wishes.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 14 Aug 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Great views of the lake and super hosts
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 5 Aug 2021
Thank you so much for your feedback and for choosing to stay with us. Best wishes Virginia

10/10 Excellent

Louise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All that you want for a holiday in paradise.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 5 Aug 2021
We are so happy you enjoyed your stay. Thank you.

8/10 Good

Colin

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great views and lovely breakfasts.
Super friendly and helpful hosts who have recently taken the business over. Great views from the bay window in our room (number 6) and good breakfasts. Only negative was the lack of housekeeping during our three day stay (possibly a Covid precaution) meaning the coffee/tea etc used in the room was not replaced, bins not emptied and bed not made. Overall, though, pretty good.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 30 Jul 2021
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, we do not go into people's rooms during their stay but we are happy to change bins / replenish coffees etc if you let us know / leave them outside your room. Hope to see you again. Best wishes

10/10 Excellent

Rosie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic place to stay for a relaxing trip
I had a really enjoyable stay at Ouse Bridge House and would highly recommend staying here. The owners were lovely and welcoming, as was the room. Breakfast was well presented and delicious (especially the homemade granola!). I also ordered a packed lunch, which I was really pleased with. It is also in a great location, overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake and a short drive from lots of desirable areas including Dodd Wood, Keswick, Ullswater, and Buttermere. Thank you to the owners for a lovely, relaxing stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jul 2021
It was so lovely to meet you Rosie, i'm so pleased you enjoyed your stay. Thank you for your lovely comments. Hope to see you again. Virginia

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean and cosy, good location and very friendly family running it 👍
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jul 2021
Thank you for your kind comments.

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing Little Guest House. Perfect get away.
Stayed at this hidden gem on a Saturday and Sunday night while visiting family in Cumbria. Excellent location with 5 minute walk to Bassenthwaite Lake before a lovely breakfast served outside in the sun. Indie our Springer Spaniel says 'thank you for the sausage at breakfast'. Lovely family Guest House efficiently run by Virginia and Ben and their lovely young family. Very dog friendly. Rooms comfortable with a view to the hills. Perfect little get away local to Keswick . Thank you all for a lovely stay and we will definitely see you all again in the future. Mark, Camilla and Indie the Springer Spaniel.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Caroline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent place to stay
Really lovely stay Would definitely return
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jul 2021
Thank you, we hope to see you again. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ben and Virginia (and their lovely children!) were excellent hosts. The guest house was clean and cosy, and the atmosphere was relaxed and felt very much home from home. The favourite part of the stay for us (and the puppy!) was the delicious breakfast. I highly recommend this guest house for couples, families and those with furry friends. Overall, a very pleasant stay and look forward to my next visit!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jul 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely comments. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay and are looking forward to seeing you again.

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden gem with amazing breakfast
This guest house has recently been taken over by new owners and it was exceptional. The guest house is located a very short walk from lake Bassenthwaite. The family who now run the guest house are very welcoming and helpful with knowledge on the local area. The breakfast was phenomenal, catering for vegan options such as scrambled tofu, avocado and homemade granola. The guest house and room were spotlessly clean and bed was very comfortable too. Overall, we can’t recommend this place enough.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jul 2021
Wow, thank you so much for your wonderful comments. So kind of you. We really enjoyed meeting you. Hope to see you both again. Thank you.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Wouldn't stay again
Hosts were friendly and lovely breakfast Paid extra for "superior" room but nothing superior about it...small room, tiny television and always flys in the room, bitten several times. Bed was very hard and pillows really poor quality...take your own! Had to order breakfast night before via link sent from hosts. Didn't receive on final night, emailed to request why but didn't receive a response until the following afternoon when already checked out and arrived home. Resulted in no breakfast that day Would not stay again
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 13 Jul 2021
Thank you for your comments. I'm so sorry you feel that way, we really enjoyed meeting you both. The room is one of our largest and has a seating area and a beautiful view of the lake, it is only £10 more expensive that our other rooms. As we are directly opposite the lake, midges and flies can be an issue in the summer months, it's just something we have to put up with for our wonderful location. Closing windows or turning off lights when windows are open can help. I agree about the pillows, as we have only just taken over Ouse Bridge we are slowly starting to improve different areas, pillows are on our list next. I do wish you had come and spoken to us directly about your breakfast rather than an email, which we don't always get straight away, especially if emailing through an agent. We do love chatting face to face with our guests and helping where we can. We hadn't received notification from you but we had cooked some breakfast for you both anyway just in case you wanted some. We didn't see you in the morning to clarify what you wanted. Please don't be afraid to talk to your hosts as we / they will always be willing to help you and make sure you have everything you need.

10/10 Excellent

Tim

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fab place
Spotlessly clean, fantastic breakfast and lovely hosts. Great location too. Highly recommend
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 12 Jul 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely words. It was fantastic to me you both (and Henry). Hope to see you again.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Service was very friendly & it was dog friendly which was good. A little bit remote & the nearest local pub & restaurant was closed for refurb. Had to use the car most of the time to get around. Rooms were very pleasant however we did not receive housekeeping though it says you do on the website. Breakfast was excellent & the little touch of giving our dog a sausage was very welcome😊. The Honesty bar in the Lounge was a nice touch & prices were very reasonable. Overall a good stay was had by all three of us😊
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent in every way
Excellent service from start to finish, beautiful location, lovely place
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Philip

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ouse Bridge House - highly recommended
A beautiful Victorian/ Edwardian property, full of character and charm, situated alongside the lake. Lovely views. Ben and Virginia couldn’t do enough to make us welcome, and to make our stay comfortable. If you’re travelling to the Lake District put this property at the top of your list.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Virginia on 6 Jul 2021
Thank you so much for your lovely comments. It was fantastic to meet you both. We're looking forward to your next stay already. Take care, Ben and Virginia

10/10 Excellent

Daniele

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect Location
Very nice friendly Family running the place
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Virginia on 1 Jul 2021
Thank you! It was really lovely to meet you both and Simba!

8/10 Good

Karl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Weekend in Ouse Bridge House
The family running Ouse Bridge house made us extremely welcome and ran around for us. We had a great stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Virginia on 29 Jun 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to right your review. We really enjoyed meeting you both. Hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and very friendly hosts. Very nice views from the room we had. Would go back again if visiting the area. Everything worked well, and the room for clean. No complaints at all.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Virginia on 21 Jun 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your lovely comments. We hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful property. Excellent views. Friendly hosts. Great breakfast. No masks or cov-idiot stupidities. What more to ask? A big thanks!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Virginia on 19 Jun 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your lovely review.

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gorgeous Inn on the lake
Gorgeous views from this classic victorian country guest house. Very quiet and comfortable and the hosts couldn't do enough for us! Highly recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Virginia on 19 Jun 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. It was really lovely to meet you both.

8/10 Good

Lisa, Northeast

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely view from the breakfast room of the lake and surroundings.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Su, Stokenchurch

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We stayed at Ouse Bridge House for 4 nights and were impessed by the friendly welcome on checking in, the delicious breakfasts, our comfortable and clean room. There is ample parking and wonderful views from every window. Our hostess, Claire was kind,helpful and made our stay a very happy one.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Arthur

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brilliant
The host was fantastic very accommodating. The meals were made to our specific diet for example gluten free meals. As this was our first visit the staff provided us with where to visit, for example the historical places and towns of interest. The people working in this hotel are the most friendly almost family. The stay was certainly out most enjoyable
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2020
Response from CS on 19 Sept 2020
We are so delighted you enjoyed your stay with us at Ouse Bridge Guesthouse and that you managed to explore some of the hidden gems of the North Lakes. It was so nice hosting a fellow South African Expat and we do hope that you will both visit again one day. Keep safe. Claire & Team @ Ouse Bridge Guesthouse

10/10 Excellent

Gill, Burbage Wiltshire

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My partner and I stayed for a week in this lovely property, the proprietor and staff were friendly and welcoming while also being very professional, it is dog friendly and the Covid measures put in place were more than adequate, the rooms and the house itself were spotlessly clean an important factor to most of us, we would not hesitate to rebook this charming place again. One caveat to mention is when booking anywhere in the Lake District it is advisable to book restaurants and hotels for evening meals in advance as they get booked up quickly. Our recommendation for our best meal is The Wheatsheaf pub at Embleton. Enjoy.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020
Response from CS on 16 Sept 2020
We are delighted that you both enjoyed your stay with us at Ouse Bridge Guesthouse. We love having 4 legged friends to visit and they all seem to enjoy a wee sausage at breakfast - it is their holiday as well!! We are pleased that you felt the measures we have put in place to make your stay with us were Covid Safe it is much appreciated and we are doing our best to make the experience with us enjoyable and safe. We did take your advise and have since added local restaurants to the booking confirmation, as September is proving to be as busy with guests as both July & August 2020 so booking restaurants prior is very much recommended. We do hope to see you all visit us again soon in The North Lakes.