Ambleside Holiday Cottages - Lake District with Kids

When you’re travelling with a family, staying somewhere self catering can often be the most practical option. It can work out cheaper than hotels, especially if you need multiple rooms. If you have babies or younger children it gives a base where they can nap if they need to, and it gives the flexibility of cooking when or if you want to.

There are no shortage of holiday cottages in Ambleside, Cumbria. A very popular tourist spot (for a reason!) the choices are endless. It’s hard to know what to choose!

So here, using our local knowledge combines with our experience as parents, we’ve narrowed it down to give you the very best options of all the Ambleside holiday cottages out there.

Best for Lake Windermere

Ambleside sits at the north end of Lake Windermere, and staying near here means easy kayak or paddleboard launching, or that you can be on a Windermere Lake Cruise in minutes! It’s lovely to be located really near the water, and these cottages are all within a few minutes walk of the lake.

No 7 is just a couple of minutes walk from the lake shore at Waterhead, It sleeps 7, is dog friendly and has a handy garage (with a pool table!) to store bikes.

With views of Lake Windermere from the living room window, Waterside sleeps 3 and is in a great location. The Windermere Lake Cruises are just steps from the front door of this lovely apartment, while Ambleside village centre is only a 10 minute walk.

Best for Stockghyll Falls

Stockghyll Falls are a popular walk in Ambleside – it’s a lovely walk on it’s own and also leads onto some higher walks if you’re keen. The area is popular because of how peaceful it is (with only the noise from the falls) even though it’s only a short walk from Ambleside village centre.

Tree Tops at the Falls sleeps 6 and is dog friendly. Built on the former site of the old Bobbin Mill on the side of the river, this is a lovely duplex apartment that looks directly over the falls.

Also overlooking Stockghyll Falls is Spring Cottage, which sleeps 4 and has a garden at the back. It’s just a 5 minute walk from Ambleside but is in a lovely peaceful area.

Best for Teenagers

You might be planning an active break with your teenagers – this is a great age where they can join in with lots of activities. Or you might be looking for somewhere to stay that they might acknowledge as ‘cool’ (I’m aware they would literally never use that word, but you know what I mean). Here are our pick of the Ambleside holiday cottages that might just get a teenagers seal of approval.

A couple of miles out of Ambleside, Paddock House is an amazing holiday cottage. It sleeps 6, has a hot tub, and views for miles over Lake Windermere and to the Lake District fells beyond. It also has a ping pong table, bike storage, and is dog friendly. You can walk from the house to Brockhole with all the fun to be had there, and Wansfell Pike for a proper Lake District walk.

Herdwick Cottage sleeps 5 and is right in the heart of the village. It has a separate living room/games room with an X-Box 360, a Nintendo Wii and lots of board games.

If you’re planning an active break, Riverside Retreat sleeps 6, and has storage for 6 bikes and a couple of kayaks. It is a short walk from the centre of Ambleside, and also has plenty of walks and bikes right from the door.

Best for a Traditional Cottage

Ambleside has a long history, and is full of traditional Lakeland cottages made from local slate. There are plenty of traditional holiday cottages to choose from, and we’ve found these family friendly ones.

Red Robin Cottage sleeps 4 and is a gorgeous little traditional slate cottage, in walking distance of Ambleside village centre.

Silver How Cottage also sleeps 4. This is a beautiful traditional Lakeland stone house, which is a 10 minute walk from the centre of Ambleside and a 10 minute walk from Waterhead Bay at Lake Windermere.

Best for Large Groups

You might have a large family, you might be staying with extended family, or a few families together. These cottages sleep plenty of people and give loads of room for everyone.

The traditional Iveing House sleeps 16 and has a separate apartment behind it which is also bookable, taking the total number up to 20. It allows 4 dogs, and is 0.25 miles from the heart of Ambleside.

Wynford is on the outskirts of Ambleside and sleeps 12. It is a beautiful house with big lawned gardens, and dogs are welcome. A bonus is secure storage for bikes or canoes, which is perfect during a busy break.

Best for Ambleside Village

Being in the heart of the village can make life easier on a holiday. You can walk everywhere, and head back to the cottage whenever you need to. You can set off for walks straight from your door, and reach Lake Windermere with just a little stroll. Here are our favourites for families.

Just a couple of minutes walk from all the cafes, shops and restaurants of Ambleside is 4 Swiss Villas. This traditional cottage sleeps 6, and has a handy boot room for any wet gear/soggy dog drying which is very helpful in the Lake District!

Penny Red Cottage is in the heart of the village. This traditional stone built cottage sleeps 4, has a garden and off road parking, and can provide a cot if requested.

Best for Views

So if you’re staying in the Lake District, you might as well try and see it at all times, right?! The kids might not appreciate the views but you will, and here are our pick of the bunch.

Located at Waterhead, Romney Grange sleeps 4 and is a penthouse apartment with views right over Lake Windermere. It has parking with electric vehicle charging, although bus connections to Windermere and Grasmere mean you could leave the car behind for some trips.

Luke’s Hoose is a traditional cottage in the centre of Ambleside, with amazing views over the village and to the fells beyond. It sleeps 5, accepts dogs and has a patio garden.

Best for Peace and Quiet

It’s lovely to be in the heart of the action, but sometimes you just want a trip to be about peace and quiet. Luckily, in the Lake District this is pretty easy to find, and we’ve found these cottages a stone’s throw away from Ambleside.

Hart Head Barn is set above Rydal, just 5 minutes drive from Ambleside. The gorgeous barn sleeps 6, and has secure storage for 6 bikes as well as a boot room for all your muddy and wet things. There is also a hot tub and a patio garden with a heater for the chillier nights.

Also near Rydal, Spring Cottage sleeps 8 and is absolutely beautiful. It is dog friendly, has parking for 4 cars and has a separate games room with a table tennis table. Most impressively, it has 10 acres of gardens to explore, so all the peace and quiet you could possibly want!