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Halloween in a 400 year old Lake District cottage

Posted by Gav Grayston.
First Published Oct 2013; updated May 2023.

The Lake District is a beautiful place to visit. We decided to rent a cottage for a few days in the October half term, right through Halloween. We had heard great things from friends about Sykes Cottages, so we booked through them and weren't disappointed. The cottage was an excellent


The Lake District is a wonderful place to visit.

We decided to rent a cottage for a few days in the October half term, right through Halloween.

We had heard great things from friends about Sykes Cottages, and so we booked through them and weren't disappointed.

The cottage was an excellent standard and included a welcome pack (that had a few things for the kids too).

We booked Sykehouse Cottage, which is located in the beautiful village of Broughton-in-Furness in the southern part of the Lake District in Cumbria.

Broughton-in-Furness - Things to See and Do

Broughton-in-Furness is a great village with a good bakery and shops and makes an excellent base for exploring the southern side of the Lake District, which is somewhere most people don't explore.

Up the road (A593) is Coniston Water, and Grizedale Forest Park is not too far from Coniston.

If you are adventurous, try the Go Ape in Grizedale Forest Park.

Barrow-in-Furness is not too far away if your kids need a modern-day treat. There's a small multiplex cinema there, along with a Pizza Hut.

BTW, if you have kids going through school, you may have come across the excellent CGP Books. Broughton-in-Furness is the village where they are based, and there's even a CGP petrol station!

When we visited during Halloween, there were pumpkins all around the village (and a nighttime walk down to the Church graveyard added to the 'spookiness'!)

Sykehouse Cottage

Here are some photos of the place we stayed at.

The cottage

Sykehouse Cottage had been beautifully restored. The old part of the house is a 400-year-old Grade II building with a lot of history. The owners added a fantastic extension, so you have all the charm of 'ye olde worlde' with mod-cons like underfloor heating and WiFi.

Even though it wasn't too cold outside, we loved firing up the wood-burning stove in the living room.

Sykehouse Cottage, with woodburner in the living room

There are 2 double bedrooms in the refurbished part of the house and a twin bedroom in the old part.

One large bathroom has a bath with shower over, basin, and WC. There's also a downstairs toilet and sink.

Sykehouse Cottage Kitchen - great for family meals

The kitchen is fantastic, with lovely underfloor heating.

It is large enough for a big family meal in the kitchen - farmhouse style - and in the living room is a wood-burning stove that puts out a great amount of heat, making it very cosy.