Mellrigg Cottage, Ullswater, Lake District

During our week's holiday at Ullswater earlier this month we stayed at Mellrigg - a  most delightful, old cottage sitting on a quiet country lane, about 10 minute drive from the lake. Except for a house to the left of the cottage there were no other properties nearby. I absolutely loved the piece and quiet of the isolated location surrounded by nothing other then glorious nature. And the cottage itself is a bit of a dream home to me.

I was so looking forward to spending a week at Mellrigg that, as we drove up and it finally came into view, I squealed with excitement. Just loved its white washed walls and the stone barn attached to it. This is the front view you see from the road but I took the photo from the property's large side lawn. There are also big lawns to the front and the back of the cottage making for an amazing amount of land.

The back of the cottage -  just as pretty as the front. We loved popping out through the back door to enjoy the outdoors.

A bouquet of pink stocks - some of my favourite flowers - the owners left for us in the jug on the dining table. There was also a bottle of red wine, cake and card to welcome us with. We were really touched by this; it is not what you normally get when you hire a holiday cottage, and we appreciated it very much.

The dining area with a window seat. We had a few tasty full English breakfasts here to keep us going on our daily ramblings, and some simple but scrummy evening meals, all made so much more enjoyable by the lovely ambience.

 

A charming side window to the right of the dining table. It is the third window in the room. Always thought it so nice to have more than one window in the same room.

The sitting area opposite the dining area with another window seat. If I ever move from where I am now, and I definitely would like to, one of the musts would be to have a window seat in the new home. It is an ideal place for reading or, at Mellrigg....

.......for just sitting and watching the birds on the feeder outside......

There were many beautiful antique/vintage ornaments around the cottage like this old davy lamp hanging off one of the ceiling beams in the sitting room.

The kitchen has been modernised, and much as I would have loved to cook on an aga I understand that in this day and age an electric cooker is a much more appealing choice for majority of people. What I'd also like to say is that the kitchen was very well stocked up with everything you need in the kitchen, more evidence of generosity on the part of the owners.

The hall inside the back door with the kitchen to the right, sitting room/dining area to the left and the staircase to the first floor.

The staircase, the front door and a lovely vintage two-seater in the front door area of the hall.

Beautiful interior detail captured with my back to the front door.....

My favourite ornament of all - a bronze statue of a hare on the staircase window sill. It had instantly become a must have for me and now I am searching for a similar one for my house.

Upstairs landing and hall with its lovely wooden banister and a small bookcase.

Pretty little bathroom window. The bathroom as well as downstairs toilet are inside the barn building.

The master bedroom with its charming country cottage decor.

The view from the back door. Every morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I scampered downstairs to fling the back door open, step out......

.........and drink in the stunning beauty of the view ahead.
Most mornings were sunny but breezy and a bit on the nippy side for August. Later on on some days it became cloudy and it also rained a fair bit, but we managed to realize all our plans regarding walks and visits to the two nearest towns - Penrith and Keswick.

To the right of the view above there are stone steps .......

and a little wooden footbridge.....

.......over a stream. Yes, Mellrigg has even got a stream within its gardens, which is, for me, its most delightful feature of all.

Over the stream sheep were frequent visitors to the garden. We even saw a deer on a couple of occasions. Pure bliss with birdsong, murmur of flowing water and sheep bahs soundtrack to our stay!



This is the view beyond the stream. At the border there is a small pet graveyard with little headstones.

Mellrigg basking in the mellow afternoon sunshine.

My friend Liz enjoyed a cuppa sitting on the bench in front of the cottage while I was taking photos.

The house next door, the only other property in the vicinity. It does not seem to be occupied very often; we did not see anyone there.

The entrance gate to the Mellrigg's drive from the front garden. Love the redcurrant bush to the left.

I found Mellrigg a magical place, and I took quite a few photos before I was satisfied I had caught its magic on the camera.

Mellrigg at dusk, my favourite time of the day.

Would I come back to Mellrigg? I definitely would and dearly hope I will have a chance to do so. There is still so much in the area to discover and explore and I couldn't wish for a better place to stay.
Would I recommend Mellrigg? Certainly so if you are a nature lover like me and enjoy the tranquility of remote and extremely beautiful countryside.