Name: Wheelgate Bed & Breakfast
Address: Little Arrow, Torver, LA21 8AU, United Kingdom, Coniston, Coniston, Coniston, LA21 8AU, United Kingdom
Rating: 9

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

General

Bridal suite

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Car rental

Transfer services

Transfer

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Conference Hall

Business

Kids' TV Networks

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Wheelgate Bed & Breakfast

Coniston

Sandy and Stuart provide a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and share their home with 3 beautiful Golden Retrievers and a cat named Thomas.  A generous breakfast will set you on the right track is offered with informal dining in the main house.  This 16/17th Century Farm house offers B+B, either in the house or in several stone out-buildings, if you like a little more autonomy.  After September, it is accommodation only.

Conveniently situated in Southern Lakeland, between Torver and Coniston there are several traditional pubs and eating places.   There are many walks/cycling to be had, such as the Old Man of Coniston, lakeland walks to Grizedale Forest and excursions on the lake.  Its in easy reach of many other places to visit too, including Hawkshead from where you can travel to Ambleside and connect to the A591 for Windermere, Grasmere, Kendal (south) and Keswick to the north.



Southern Lakes Retreat

On the booking site this looked like a nice 4* place to stay, and the location is in fact ideal for visiting Coniston.  The scenery across the road was beautiful and the view from the window of the Hideaway is lovely – although if you don’t like cows you might not be so keen.  Coniston is within walking distance and it’s a nice walk there and back.

I arrived around 6pm on a very wet and dull day and visibility wasn’t the best but I found Little Arrow and turned into it but unfortunately this wasn’t correct.  I tried a couple of times to locate the B&B but I had to phone to ask and was told the sign was currently missing.  I was met at the gate which was a nice touch, but it was a trek outside to my separate cottage and I was soaked by the time I got to it.  Driving on my own made it impossible to refer to any directions on the web-site and the signal in the area is hit and miss.

As soon as I stepped inside The Hideaway I could instantly smell damp and it was quite chilly considering it wasn’t a cold day just very wet.  The windows were all open which had done nothing to hide the smell and neither had the numerous air fresheners dotted throughout.  There are some small patches of mold throughout and actually there were some on the bottom sheet.  The valance sheet on the base of the bed looks as if it has never been cleaned.

The duvet cover was littered with the bodies of dead insects and the carpets could have done with a hoover.  The pillows and duvet felt cold and damp to the touch and the pillows were lumpy and in need of replacement.  There were live spiders in most corners, dead insects, live snails and a caterpillar were on the curtains and the windowsills.  

The shower was unfortunately either freezing cold or scalding hot.  You had about a 3 second window where you could dip in and out, plus it turned itself off after a short time.

I got very little sleep because even though I had the heating on, I was cold and felt damp and the smell of damp was awful, it also affected my asthma.  As soon as I lay down, I started coughing and my lungs were painful, this in fact lasted several days after I left.

Breakfast was a mixed affair.  The cereals etc didn’t look appetising and the crockery, cutlery and general area, looked a bit grubby.  However, the food was well cooked and pleasant.  I waited until everyone had left and then addressed the issues with the owner.  Before I’d even explained fully, he took the stance of ‘the customer is wrong’ and became quite aggressive!  Although I managed to remain calm, he did try to intimidate and bully me.  I suggested that they need to update the photos of the room and to fix the shower, which according to him was just an air-lock.  Basically his response was, that the room is booked out solid and he’s not had any other complaints.  I was due to stay for a few nights and he agreed to refund the final night.  I see that since my discussion with him, the pictures remain the same but the price has actually increased by £15!

Parking at the property isn’t the best and is limited.  I managed to park outside the gate but somehow my boot hatch got scratched during my stay.

This property is actually on the market and needs a lot of TLC to bring it up to it’s full potential.  The Hideaway, could in fact hold a double bed which would be a big improvement.  It’s a shame that it has been allowed to fall into this state as this could be a great get-away!


No way is this a 4* accommodation

A charming old cottage aptly placed for walks on the Furness Fells of the Lake District. A footpath right next to the B&B will take you to the top of Coniston Old Man. 

The B&B is on a main road but it is quiet at night and doesn't impact on sleep.

Parking is easy and off road.

Breakfast was a little disappointing as rather bland and the tasteless. Sharing a table with a stranger was a little odd and not something I have had to contend with before. It was fine but some might prefer their privacy and own space. 

I have to rate this based on the room rate which is really good value for money. 

If you want a luxury B&B with a little more attention to detail and pampering then you need to look elsewhere. This isn't it.

If you want a no fuss, crack on with it and bed for a night then this is hard to beat.

Other positives:

> TV in room (and works)
> Power shower with good flow rate and temp.
> Plenty of storage.
> Newly fitted bathroom.
> Small fridge
> Tea and coffee (loads of free biscuits)
> Friendly house cat keeping the mice away.
> Nice hosts (real people).

Great value B&B


Great location close to Coniston Village, Coniston water and Old Man of Coniston. 

The B and B is very clean and cosy, owners are extremely helpful and freindly and overall very good value for money.

I would highly recommend especially for solo travellers like myself.

Great location and value

The Old BakeHouse (next to the bed & breakfast) at Little Arrow.
Can’t wait to come back and stay again.
The cottage was lovely. You walk through the door to a large bedroom with en-suite bathroom (bath & shower). Up the stairs is the spacious living room and open planned kitchen (which is well equipped). Clean and welcoming and Stuart and Sandra are perfect hosts. The house has a small outdoor seating area perfect for reading a book and a barbecue (we used deposable ones). The area is perfect to explore The Lakes and on the walking trail to The Old Man of Coniston. There are pubs and the town with shops very close by.

The Old Bakehouse - loved it

We returned to Wheelgate after a 33 year hiatus since our first holiday together. The room was spotless and the bed very comfortable, the cooked breakfast set us both up for the day. Jackie and I were made very welcome by Sandy and Stuart (and the dogs!). 

Follow up visit (33 years later)

Stuart was very friendly and was always on hand. This is a 400 year cottage style guest house with al, the traditional features you would expect. We stayed in the Derwent room, which was lively and had a really comfortable extra large bed. This was a great location, as Coniston Water was just a ten minute walk away. Also, the village of Torver was also, just a lovely, ten minute walk away. You could also walk directly from the rear of the guesthouse up to Banishead Quarry and waterfall, which is worth the 30 minute walk. Overall, we are really glad we picked Wheelgate, and we would definately return.

Great location for Coniston Water

Reasonably priced self-catering studio, close to Coniston, which was just what I needed for some local walks. Great bathroom. Kitchen very small and not much the owners could do about that; but no dishwasher, in covid conditions, and one of the glasses had lipstick on it, so I thoroughly washed a few dishes on arrival and just used those the whole time. There was also no dishwashing liquid so I had to provide my own. Also, the communal washing machine was not available because of covid, but this wasn’t communicated beforehand on the website or the emailed letter. Very inconvenient, as walkers will know! The wifi, which I was only using for emails and websites, dropped out when busy.

The Buttery Self-Catering

Stayed in one the outbuilding in a very clean room. Breakfast was brought out to me at the time of my choosing.  I was one of the first guests after lockdown and I felt that they were certainly adhering to social distancing. The layout of their buildings allows for it.
  Path to Old Man leaves from lane next door. Also easy to walk to Conistion avoiding the road (less than 2 miles)

Great for Coniston Old Man

I stayed here for 2 nights while walking in the area. I was in the little brick out-house and it was lovely. It is private with nice views to the rear. The bed was comfy and the shower was great. Tea and coffe provided and a TV. Breakfast was good and they were happy to accomodate my slightly earlier timings. My only very small gripe was they did not service the room, so after a long day in the hills I wanted a cuppa and I had run out in the room so had to go and find the owners to get more.

Wheelgate Bed & Breakfast

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