The Ryelands

Note: I only give out 5 stars to surprisingly EXCEPTIONAL, best-​in-​class establishments.
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.