Alvamere Cottage - Self-Catering Keswick

Alvamere is a lovely self-catering cottage situated in the St John’s area of Keswick. It stands in a row of picturesque cottages in a quiet residential location, which is nevertheless close to Keswick town centre. The Tourist Information Centre, restaurants, pubs, shops, market place and other amenities are about 5 minutes’ walk away from the cottage. The cottage comprises 3 storeys, and accommoda

tes 2 to 4 people in one double and one twin-bedded rooms. A cot is also provided. Downstairs there is a kitchen/diner and living room. On the first floor is the tastefully furnished double room and a recently modernised bathroom, equipped with a large bath with shower over, toilet and wash basin. On the top storey is the twin room and a spacious landing, from which there is a view of Walla Crag. This landing can be used for storage, or as a relaxation area for older children, or similar. The stairs – especially those leading to the second storey – are steep and turn through 90 degree angles, so some care is needed and young children should be supervised. A stairgate is provided. If you enjoy the freedom of self-catering accommodation, but do not wish to self-cater for every meal, a wide variety of pubs and restaurants can easily be reached on foot from the cottage (Casa Bella, the George Hotel, the Dog and Gun, the Square Orange, the Packhorse Inn, to name but a few), so everyone can relax and enjoy a drink if they choose without worrying about the return drive. A number of walks of varying degrees of challenge and duration are accessible directly from the cottage, which comes complete with a revised set of Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, as well as O.S. maps and plenty of information about the activities and attractions available in the area. For those interested in history, the terrace of cottages which includes Alvamere was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century, and is faced with traditional Lakeland slate. When built, before the attic was converted into a bedroom, the cottage would have accommodated a family in just 4 rooms, 2 on the ground floor, and 2 on the first floor. There would have been no bathroom or inside toilet at that time. Despite modernisation of Alvamere’s interior, some original features still remain; for example, large metal hooks still hang from the kitchen ceiling, and ornamental fireplaces survive in the living room and main bedroom (though, as central heating has now been installed throughout, the chimneys have been blocked, and the fireplaces are therefore no longer usable). At one time there would have been a shared laundry to the rear, shared with the other cottages and the big house at the end, now Goodwin House Guest House; to this day there is still a right for the occupants of Alvamere to dry clothes in the rear garden of the guest house (clothes line and pegs are provided, for use in conjunction with posts situated in the guest house garden).