Note: I only give out 5 stars to surprisingly EXCEPTIONAL, best-in-class establishments…read more John & Lyn Kirkbride own and operate this lovely bed and breakfast. My wife and I vacationed here for our honeymoon, and we were absolutely thrilled with The Ryelands. Lyn is personable and very professional. She exudes a genuine concern and care for her guests. The rooms are fantastically comfortable, and extremely well situated within walking distance of "downtown" Grasmere. Our room, the Silver Howe, has a lovely view with an ever so faint glimpse of Grasmere Lake. The "negative" aspects of this property are actually what makes it wonderful as well. The flat screen television is VERY small with a limited channel selection, and is not easily visible while lying down on the bed (it should be mounted on the wall for better viewing). This is actually a positive, since one shouldn't expect to spend much time in the room, and time would be better spent reading Wordsworth than watching a rerun of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The staircase leading up to the bedrooms is moderately steep and narrow--a daunting gauntlet for large suitcases or obese rear ends. And don't expect to wheel a suitcase or anything up the gravel driveway to the property. It makes a lovely crunching sound as you walk, but it's impossible to drag anything with wheels smaller than a moving dolly or hand truck. Still, the property is utterly gorgeous. The owners/operators are personable, helpful and inviting. Their breakfasts are delicious. The towels are surprisingly soft, and smell of soothing lavender. It's easy to get "caught up" in the romantic feel of Grasmere from The Ryelands. I HIGHLY recommend The Ryelands over ANY other property in Grasmere, including the famous Wordsworth Hotel. I would award The Ryelands a 5-star rating if: 1. The flat screen television was wall-mounted and maybe connected to a simple DVD player. It's a seemingly silly request, but it's what I would expect from a 5-star establishment. 2. Breakfast service ends slightly too early (around 9 or 10 AM). I would expect a 5-star establishment to provide a simple, continental breakfast option for guests who choose to dine after those hours. 3. The downstairs office uses a secured wireless internet connection, but no access is provided for guests. I would expect a 5-star establishment to provide or charge for in-room internet access. With the relatively low cost of wireless-N routers, I do not believe this to be an unreasonable request.

We walked from the center of Masham to the Swinton Estate (about 1.5 miles) to have tea…read more Here we had a tasting menu of savory and sweet food and different options of tea. We were able to walk around the grounds afterwards. Food was great!

We stayed here two nights for a destination wedding. Everything was absolutely top-notch for the…read moreservice, food, spa and accommodations. The town of Masham is a quick 20-minute walk with plenty of pubs and a couple of breweries, there are miles of walking/running trails, you can watch the herds of deer from your windows, and the rolling hills dotted with sheep and horses is oh so peaceful. We put Swinton Park on our "let's go back there someday" list - a very peaceful and relaxing get away.

The Waves has become my new measure of all B&Bs. "Well, it's okay ... but it's not The Waves ... "…read more Run by writer and juke box enthusiast Kevern Stafford and his wife Ruth, The Waves is up on the cliffs above the south end of Scarborough - one of the nicest areas of town, from what we saw. It's a beautiful house, stylishly decorated, spotlessly clean, and really just a lovely place to be. There's a funky guest sitting room with a juke box and a record player, breakfast is served on locally handmade furniture and pottery ... and wait till you see the breakfast menu. There's about a dozen choices, ranging from a full fry up made with local, quality produce to vegan kedgeree. Or maybe you fancy kippers, or a superfoods smoothie ... or soft boiled eggs with marmite soldiers? And then there's the wifi, and the helpful information on good pubs and restaurants, and just Kevern's overall effort to make your stay as pleasant and comfortable as he can. All this for a reasonable price - our room was only £64. Really, I'd move in if I could. Go there!

Very warm and welcoming b&b. You are made to feel right at home by the owner Amanda. The rooms are…read morespacious, clean and really cosy. The choice of breakfast is great! I'd recommed the crumpets or the full english :). It's a nice walk in to both Windermere and Bowness from the b&b and there are lots of good places to eat and drink near by.

What a wonderfully charming stay. Fiona is a delight! She is warm, friendly and hospitable . She…read moregave us a run down of home navigation, how to get around outside, as it's about 3/4 mile outside to the York wall entry. The rooms are beautiful, sizable, quaint, cozy , warm and beautifully decorated. The beds are very comfortable. The rooms are provided with a serving area of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. Really nice to come back to after a full day out and about. The living room and dinning room is also inviting and playfully and warmly decorated. Fiona left menu cards of with a large selection of breakfast options. Breakfast was fantastic. I don't want to leave. I can't say enough about this lovely inn.

A very lovely bed and breakfast…read more We found this B&B on line and were not disappointed. It is near the train station and the old town of York. We were greeted by staff who showed us our room for four. It was spacious. Also, we had let them know our daughter was celebrating her birthday and when we arrived, there were balloons on her bed and a cake to share. We had a wonderful stay and would stay here again.

This charming B&B was our home away from home for three nights in York. We adored everything about…read moreit. I'd requested a window view room, and our second story view looked down on the River Ouse. The Guest House's location in town is great, being a five minute walk from the York Train Station via the new pedestrian bridge and within easy walking of everything else in town. The nearby Abbey's gorgeous gardens provided an especially pleasant shortcut into town, rain or shine. Then there were the accommodations. After staying in a cramped London hotel, we felt as if we could breathe! The bed was spacious, and the room and toilet facilities were great. I think the only criticism I can offer at all is that the shower drain was slow. The human element was wonderful, too. The owners of the Guest House were actually away, leaving us in the care of a professional B&B sitter. She was a kind, attentive hostess, happy to help us with anything we needed. We were greeted upon arrival with Yorkshire tea and warmed brownies! Our breakfasts were wonderful, too. She worked with our schedule so that we could eat there before doing a day tour and before our train departed. The default breakfast is a Full English, which we didn't do. My husband was happy with just the meat portion of the breakfast (those Yorkshire sausages...! don't expect teeny tiny American-style breakfast sausages) while I tried both of the lighter options, salmon with scrambled eggs and then Eggs Benedict. All accompanied by Yorkshire tea, of course, along with fresh toast. The breakfast bar included yogurt, a really good muesli, fresh fruit, and three excellent local jams and marmalades. We felt well-fortified for the day's adventures. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

Rob is a truly outstanding host and made our visit so easy. I was suffering from a back injury that…read moreprevented me from walking too far, and he graciously shared his parking area with me and found us restaurants in the nearby neighborhood that were outstanding. Noise sensitive sleepers may want a room away from the rail line, but we slept through it just fine.

Lovely B&B offering a number of rooms. I stayed in a single room which shares a lovely modern…read morebathroom with another single room. The room I stayed in was very flowery (flowers everywhere) and small, but light and friendly. Each room has towels matching its colour scheme! TV in the room, along with biscuits and coffee making facilities and an alarm clock / radio. The owner couple are very friendly. Plenty of breakfast choices, served in a lounge decorated in blue and white. Very willing to accommodate your needs, and attentive.

I made my reservation several months ago when invited to a Wedding nearby…read more Before reserving, I read the web site thoroughly and was pleased with what I read hence my booking. On arrival the alarm bells rang and that was just looking at this place from the outside. I was greeted by the very pleasant John and shown to my room. Although clean enough, the room was in a really bad state of repair and the decor was extremely tired to say the least. When I go away, I expect a decent standard of accomodation and this fell way short. I was really annoyed as I had travelled a long way to get here. The Kirk Lea Guest House website is extremely misleading and there are lots of issues within the room I was due to stay in. The window would not close, there was a burn on the polystyrene light fitting and the floor was very uneven. The furniture was very worn and damaged and nothing matched at all, not an attempt to look "shabby chic" I can promise. There have been some attempts to decorate by the current staff who are well aware of the appearance of the place and were very apologetic when I approached them with my impression of the place. They were helpful and could not have done more to assist me in finding a suitable alternative. This review in no way reflects on John and Val who are lovely people and I wish them well for the future!.

From the owner: Budget weekend breaks, beat the credit crunch, save money by staying in a B&B Guest House instead…read moreof a hotel. Stay with us at Kirk Lea Guest House, see what you are missing! Relax, have fun, take some time out, have some space to yourself for a few days, enjoy the countryside. Make a saving on your accommodation budget, stay in a Bed & Breakfast Guest House. Kirk Lea Guest House is a spacious and comfortable Victorian house built in 1800's, with modern facilities and the warmth of traditional English hospitality with easy access to Halifax, Elland, Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge and Brighouse. We are just off the M62, convenient if visiting the Royal Calderdale hospital opposite or HBOS Halifax Bank of Scotland head office, 1 mile up the road ....Read More You are promised a warm and a friendly welcome whether it is a pleasure or a business visit. We are confident you will have a very pleasant stay. Our staff are always on hand to make your stay at Kirk Lea Guest House, a happy and enjo