LUXURIOUS TRADITIONAL LAKE DISTRICT COTTAGE
About Stair Cottage
Luxurious Stair Cottage sits in the little community of Stair, near the foot of the beautiful Newlands Valley, beneath the distinctive peaks of Catbells and Causey Pike. Built in traditional Lake District slate and offering the soft indulgence of velvet cushions, wool blankets and a cosy wood-burning stove, it also boasts a modern kitchen with all the equipment you could need, offering gorgeous views of the garden, so you can cook your favourite holiday food while enjoying the company of loved ones. In short, everything you could want for a romantic break for two or family holiday.
A hot soak in the copper and zinc freestanding tub in the master bedroom or an amazing waterfall shower or relaxing whirlpool bath will revive you after your walks on the fells, or along the cascading becks and twinkling tarns. Dramatic Derwentwater nearby offers paddle-boarding, kayaking, canoeing and wild swimming – or what about an adrenalin-pumping climb up the crags on the via ferrata at nearby Honister Pass?
You’ll soon build up an appetite for a hearty supper and a satisfying pint or glass of wine and Stair Cottage is just a ten-minute walk from the Swinside Inn and less than two miles from other pubs at Braithwaite or Portinscale. You’ll be less than three miles from bustling Keswick, with its wide choice of excellent dining, twice-weekly rustic food market, art and craft shops, the recently restored art-deco Alhambra Cinema and the marvellous Theatre by the Lake, with its repertory company, music and literary festival.
Step onto the fells straight from the front door or just let your stresses melt away, gazing at the ever-tumbling and gurgling sparkling Newlands Beck at the bottom of the garden.
Sumptuous Stair Cottage offers a super king size master suite and double bedroom with private bathroom. Underfloor heating in the kitchen and bathrooms and the toasty log-burner give a deeply peaceful ambience to relax your soul. Newly refurbished, the cottage offers deep comfort with lovely furnishings and all modern facilities for cooking, eating and enjoying your precious time away. Drying spaces for boots and outdoor gear make sure each excursion begins in comfort whatever the day may bring.
Play your favourite music on the Sonos sound system in the kitchen and dining area. Fine Egyptian cotton bed-linen will aid your restful sleep and deep fluffy towels ensure your comfort. Watch the tumbling beck from the freestanding bath, or massage your aching muscles in the lovely whirlpool bath while watching TV.
Satellite Sky TV and both washing and drying machines make this a complete home from home. The Lakes garden edging Newlands Beck gives a flavour of the National Park on your doorstep. Wildlife and birds, including woodpeckers and nuthatches, are abundant in the garden and you may catch a glimpse of a precious red squirrel, or perhaps a stoat or weasel.
Besides the sitting room and main bathroom, there are also TVs in each bedroom and super-fast fibre-to-house broadband throughout the house. Books, games, DVDs, music, walks, walking maps, and ideas for many local days out and visits are all provided.
Cottage Amenities
TAKE A BREAK
STAIR COTTAGE
Our History
Stair Cottage was built in the 19th century as an extension to Stair House, the Grade II Listed former coaching house next door, which dates from the 17th century.
Stair Cottage has been separated from its neighbour for several years: in contrast to rendered Stair House, its external appearance is that of a traditional Lakes slate-built cottage, but this belies its interior, which features unexpectedly large rooms, especially the living room and master bedroom.
In renovating Stair Cottage, we’ve set out to retain its original character, while making the most of the light through the big south-facing windows to the rear.
We wanted to create a home-from-home for ourselves and other holidaymakers, with all the modern appliances and little luxuries you would expect to relax with at the end of a day outdoors.
We own half of Newlands Beck, at the bottom of the garden and you may well find trout in the pools, though be sure you have a licence.
At one time Stair boasted two mills, both rather confusingly called Stair Mill. What is now the Adventure Centre began life around 1700 as a woollen mill, later a graphite mill and went on to become one of the first outdoor “activity centres” in the country in the early 20th century, under the auspices of Holiday Fellowship.
The other former mill is on the hairpin and was most likely also a wool carding and spinning mill. Other buildings on our side of Newlands Beck include the converted traditional Westmorland barn, opposite, while Fairfax cottage, also opposite may have been built on the foundations of a Viking longhouse.
Many place names in Newlands Valley echo Viking times, such as Uzzicar, Keskadale, Skelgill and Birk Rigg.
The valley also has its literary connections: William Wordsworth wrote his poem, To May, when inspired by the small church above Littletown in 1826. Beatrix Potter spent many holidays Lingholm, near Portinscale, and the kitchen garden there is said to have inspired Mr McGregor’s Garden in Peter Rabbit.
The old mines above Littletown inspired the same author in Mrs Tiggy-winkle, while Derwentwater provided some locations for the film, Swallows and Amazons, although Arthur Ransome’s original inspiration was Coniston Water.
Just up the dale on the way to Buttermere, you’ll see the former location of the Purple House, which for years provided lodgings for itinerant actors and other performers when visiting Keswick. The modern stone-built house on the site retains a purple door in recognition of its history.
