Name: Rydal Lodge
Address: Rydal Ambleside,, Ambleside, Ambleside, Ambleside, LA22 9LR, United Kingdom
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Packed Lunches

Meals

Internet access

Internet

English

French

Languages Spoken

Hiking

Fishing

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Cycling

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Dora's Field

Rydal Water

Rothay Park

Walney Aerodrome

Carlisle Lake District Airport

Rydal Lodge

Great location for walking from the gardens of this hotel.  Lovely wildlife in the gardens with a river running through the grounds.  Iain the owner is a fab host who gave us some great informative walks and provided us with fresh milk for our teas and coffee.  I stayed for 2 nights with my daughter and her dog as they accept well behaved dogs.  Iain cooked a very tasty cooked breakfast each morning.  We would definitely recommend this place and look forward to returning to here to explore more of the area.

My husband and I have visited the Lake District and stayed in Rydal Lodge at Rydal just outside the Ambleside town for a week and a half.  I highly recommend Rydal Lodge for all hikers, birders, photographers and other artists as this is a perfect place for re-charge and contemplation fuelled by the surrounding natural beauty and a wonderful host, Iain Smith. 

The Lodge is surrounded by River Rothay and fells (or mountains).  On the evening of our arrival, a grey heron welcomed us with a majestic flight along the river as we were strolling in the lodge garden. Iain Smith himself is the marvellous host at Rydal Lodge. He gives each guest on arrival a talk about the best walks that can be taken at the doorstep of the lodge, using seven very helpful guides that he has himself compiled with a very good photographer. They include a clear route for each set of walks, photos for visual identification of key spots among the hiking route and an indication of the hiking level (from easy, moderate to hard). 

We have checked out on Rydal Water as well as the waterfall at the famous quiet garden of Rydal Hall, a mere 10-15 min walk from the Lodge every morning before the daily hike to one of the fells.  Naturally we have taken up the challenges of several walks up the various fells such as Loughrigg Fell.  We have also visited several  magnificent lakes including Windermere (only a door-to-door bus ride as the bus stop is just outside the Lodge’s front door). 

Iain is the best cook that I have ever met at B&Bs. He loves food so he is only prepared to use the best materials and ingredients, e.g. dry curd bacons, locally produced butter or Cumbrian sausages made locally.  He also makes the best guacamole using a secret recipe. Indeed he is vegetarian and vegan friendly.  He takes his guests’ dietary   requirements seriously, and is happy to provide, for example, a choice of vegetarian breakfasts. He is dog friendly and very generous in catering for the breakfast needs of his dog visitors. 

Iain has a marvellous garden. Every morning I have been greeted by melodious songs of thrushes, both song and mistle thrushes. Blackbirds, a variety of finches including chaffinches and greenfinches, robins, collared doves, chiffchaffs, wrens, treecreepers etc. provide their choral performances without fail every time I sit in the garden for a quick read or reflection.  I have also encountered an amazing group of buzzards flying high up in the sky.  It is truly a birder paradise, comfortably comparable to the abundant and diverse bird populations around the lakes and fells that are all within easy reach from the lodge. 

We have had a lovely holiday, thanks to Iain, Carol on Iain’s team, his good food and wildbirds as well as the surrounding unique landscape. We hope to return as soon as we can.

Superb Ian thank you! Room was nice and warm. Breakfast was lovely. Very personable experience.

We chose this place because we did the Fairfield Horseshoe hike. Best location.

Pub down the road is not far and this is great too. Parking is good.

Will come again. Atb Bob and Matt.

We stayed here for two nights and Iain was a great host, The breakfast was superb and set us up for our day exploring, our two spaniels were made very welcome & were even offered doggi breakfast too, absolute gem of a place with instant access to Rydal Cave from the rear garden and up to Loughrigg Fell, will definitely return.

We had an a great experience at this Lodge. Perfect location beside Rydal Water and the Loughrigg Fell which are amazing walks around the Lakes. Ian was a wonderful, good natured host who makes the best full English breakfast. He offered us  useful information that helped us decide what walks to do in the area. I highly recommend Rydal lodge if you are looking for an 18th century style lodge with a beautiful garden and a very nice dinning room. It felt like home.

My friend and I stayed in the Old Cafe Bunkroom at Rydal Lodge. It is like a mini apartment with bunk beds, ideal for two friends to go hiking in the area. The room has kettle, toaster, fridge for supplies. On our second morning we opted for a cooked breakfast which was delicious, you can make your own tea and toast in the room as well, ideal for us. Like most bunk rooms you make your own beds and strip them when leaving, the bedding is supplied, which is a bonus. The B&B is situated midway between Grasmere and Ambleside, and they are very easily accessible by local bus. We done the Fairfield horshoe and finished in Ambleside for a drink before getting the bus back which stops outside the B&B, perfect. The Badger Bar is less than 100 meters away and serves great food. What more can you ask for! A big thank you to Iain for making us most welcome.

I have had the most wonderful first stay at Rydal Lodge, it definitely won't be my last.

I was given a warm, professional welcome by the host Iain on arrival.  After a 6 hour drive I was made to feel at home immediately.  The log burner was on making the place feel warm and cosy.

I was staying in the Loughrigg Suite which is a beautiful 16th century bedroom/sitting room which was clean, warm and well appointed.  Fluffy towels and toiletries in the bathroom, a good supply of drinks/biscuits on the refreshment tray.  The bed was very comfortable and I slept well.  The views out over the grounds and river are stunning.  Breakfast was delicious and served when I asked for it.  Iain gave me tips on how to make the best of my stay and where to go in the local area.

As you head out of the hotel grounds you are right on Rydal Water which is a stunning smaller lake and the autumn colours were quite breathtaking.

5 minutes walk up the road opposite takes you to a spectacular waterfall. 

Buses run regularly from opposite the hotel.

I look forward to returning in the Spring. 


Ian is a most charming host and was able to provide us with a lovely cosy room when me and my husband needed to extend our stay in the Lakes. If you’re looking for rustic, oldie worldie charm and a great cooked breakfast, then this is the place. Ian was also able to provide us with a packed lunch so that we could start out onto the fells early without looking for a sandwich shop first. Altogether, great value for money. 

Returned to a warm welcome from Helena & Mark, & a super
Easter Week 2023 in the Bunk-room at Rydal Lodge in April. The room is en-suite with toiletries provided & also comfortably & thoughtfully equipped with amenities ie; fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster & hairdryer. As always it was spotlessly clean.
Breakfast is available as an option. There is a library & snug with a Honesty Bar. Parking is available on site. The beautiful gardens slope down to River Rothay & is a few minutes walk to Rydal Water, The Cave & Rydal Mount & Hall. There is plenty of advice & maps provided by the hosts. Thank you to Mark & Helena who made sure I had a great stay... not least providing advice, support & diagnosing car troubles when Green Flag let me down badly! Looking forward to a return soon.
Proximity to Ambleside & Grasmere & a super bus service (Stagecoach) enables one to get to areas of interest, superb walks, restaurants, Art & Craft Galleries, Cinema & also to the outlying towns & lakes. Several popular walks for all abilities are available. The Badger Bar opposite provides evening meals & in fact also has a Badger feeding & viewing area!

We stayed here for 2 nights for our ‘mini-moon’ recently and had a wonderful time. Mark and Helena the owners are so lovely and friendly, we felt welcome straight away. We stayed in the Rothay Suite which was beautiful. Lovely decor, comfy bed, very spacious with all the facilities we needed. There was even a complimentary bottle of Prosecco in our room on arrival which was a lovely touch. The breakfast was delicious and very generous. We loved that we were able to select which items we wanted each day rather than just being given a standard full English like most places. We were able to just choose the bits we wanted which prevented waste which is great. The food was piping hot and tasted very fresh. The snug and library areas were lovely and so cosy. There were plenty of books and board games to choose from. There is also excellent WiFi throughout the whole place. We would definitely recommend and will return next time we visit the Lakes!

Ambleside

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wi-fi

park access

Great location and lovely breakfast

Amazing Adventure at  Rydal Lodge & Surrounding Natural Beauty

Gem of a place

Home away from home.

Weekend in Rydal Lodge.

Amazing week, didn't want to leave.

Charming host and cosy room

A return to a super Easter Week 2023 at Rydal Lodge Bunkroom

Perfect

1st time visit to Rydal Lodge and will definitely be back. Location is splendid and hospitality 1st class. Mark & Helena were very welcoming, full of useful knowledge of the surrounding areas and even provided maps for local scenic walks. Lovely cooked breakfast each morning and the honesty bar is a lovely touch for guests. Can not recommend this place enough. Room 3 was spotless with everything needed for a comfortable stay. Mark & Helena really can not be any nicer and will go above and beyond to ensure your stay with them will be remembered for all the right reasons. Thank you both for a wonderful 3 days

Rydal Lodge

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