Walkers Rest, Windermere

Walkers Rest is a four-star cottage in an excellent central position in Windermere, just a minute from the Main Street yet genuinely quiet, and it has real appeal as a spacious base for a family holiday. For dog owners, though, it comes with some important caveats that are worth understanding before you book.

On the positive side, the location is hard to beat: everything you need is on the doorstep, the cottage is spacious enough for a family with a large dog, and several guests travelling with dogs have enjoyed their stay and would return. The property welcomes one well-behaved dog.

The recurring concern from dog owners is the outdoor space. While photos suggest an enclosed courtyard, multiple guests have reported that it is not securely closed off, with a broken gate mentioned more than once, so you cannot rely on it as a safe, contained area to let a dog out unsupervised. There is also a flight of concrete steps up to the main door to keep an eye on with dogs, no grass for dogs that prefer it, and some guests have flagged cleanliness issues such as stains and pet hair on soft furnishings. Feedback on how complaints were handled has been mixed.

Overall Walkers Rest can work well for a settled, road-savvy dog whose owners are happy to keep them on the lead in the courtyard and do their walking out in Windermere and around the lake. It is less suited to dogs that need a securely enclosed garden or grass at the property. If a safe, fenced outdoor space is a priority for you, one of the many Windermere cottages with a proper enclosed garden may be a better fit.