To be wary of moving next to a holiday cottage?

[Sallygoround631]

I’m due to move soon, I rent and live in the Lake District. Have lived/worked here for past 5 years and am very happy in general. My partner lives in Lancaster although we stay at my place mostly when his work allows.

I am self employed, work from home. Mid forties, no kiddies. Major priorities for me where I live are usually peace and quiet and not in a flat block.
Been to view and been offered a gorgeous place in Ambleside, close to the museum. It is a lovely period property, not overlooked, mountain view and access to great walks (I’m a keen fell walker) a great price and has only one joined on neighbour - a couple who stay in summer only.

Since putting down a holding deposit I have done a bit more research. There are a couple of nice holiday cottages adjacent to my property, which looked quiet and empty when viewing. Since doing a bit of web research it seems the one right next to me is a 4 bed family friendly cottage allowing 3 pets.

It is not attached to my property, but about 6 steps away from my door/side.

I love kids, and dogs, and Im fairly cool with most of the touristy stuff in the lakes - am used to it now. But this worries me a bit as we’d share the side patio (our outdoor sheds are in it, so their comings and going would be close to my front door). The place sleeps 7 and is permanently fully booked, according to the agents who let it out.

Would I be mad to take this?
Their parking is also close to my door but I don’t use a vehicle so not too worried about that.
If I back out I loose the £100 deposit, so just not sure.

And yes I ought to have researched prior to slapping the money down but hey ho, it’s been a funny few weeks.

My place would overlook the road, then beyond that just hills really. I’m not too fussed about traffic noise.

I’m probably weird but guests asking me for info wouldn’t bother me at all. In fact the owner/agent could pay me to do it, then I’d be happy haha.

Sorry, pets was in multiple/plural. Turns out it’s 2 max. 🐕🐕

No I wouldn’t do it if peace and quiet is important to you. Ambleside is horrifically busy in the summer and it sounds like you’ll be right in the middle of it all.

Also, one of my uni friends hired a cottage for her hen do in the Lake District, so it won’t just be lovely, quiet walkers!

Really, Tatiana? That’s good to know. I always rent at least one more bedroom than we need, sometimes 2, because I like the space downstairs and the extra toilets/bathrooms, plus I like a choice of rooms for traffic noise/views etc. I sometimes wonder if the owners think that’s weird.

Ah sorry @Sallygoround631. I took your post to mean you HAD been renting and how you were buying.

Doh.

Well I guess with renting you can always move- it's presumably a minimum 6 months' contract and after that it's a 1-month rolling one?

Can't see the risk really if there are plenty of other rentals you might like if this doesn't work out.

@Sallygoround631 up the hill, on route to high or low Scandinavian country bridge? I still have friends who are there; 16 years on and the worse weekend is light switch on in November.

@TatianaLarina I know. Some places I’ve stayed in lakes we took a 4-6 bed place when there was only 2 of us as it was available, cheap, and my partner snores.

Most reviews on this were families or small groups of adults.

What I can’t get my head around is how can it be fully booked from now to next year? Website says it’s popular, fine, but how likely is it?

When I had two dogs I went to cottages like that, either alone or with one other person. You often get retired people with a dog going to self-catering, and they're very quiet, and usually out all day.

Hi @sunshinesupermum, I am entirely aware of the difference in demographics.

I was merely advising the OP on the effects of working from home and having your working space disrupted. Where you live is an important consideration, and moving is tiresome.

I live in Ambleside not far from the museum. I do not have problems with holiday cottages near where I live. The only problems are with parking when they bring more than one car.

It is a nice quiet place to live except in the centre around the shops during the school holidays. Then it can get busy during the day when the traffic is constant. However it empties out in the Evenings. Where you are planning to live is quiet.

We rented a lovely cottage in Cornwall, no neighbours. We had our 3 dogs with us and the rules stated that you had to take them with you at all times. So on the third day we wanted to go to a stately home and left them behind with a camera to keep an eye on them . Hoping they would settle down. They did not, just barked and howled until we hurriedly returned. Lesson learnt for us but you might find that others aren't so considerate and leave them anyway !
It's a bit of an unknown really so I wouldn't buy it 🤷‍♀️

Based on all your info, I'd go for it.

Ambleside is a tourist honeypot in its entirety but it is mostly walking tourism, so people out in the day and keeping civilized hours.

Families can be noisy but mostly during reasonable hours. They're unlikely to be out clubbing and stumbling home at 1am.

Any chance you can display your art in your front window and make a few sales? People love seeing artists at work and their studios. (Especially the kind of tourists who visit Ambleside).

My place would overlook the road, then beyond that just hills really. I’m not too fussed about traffic noise.

Personally I can’t stand traffic noise. To me somewhere on a busy road is not ‘peace and quiet’. It’s much more continuous and intrusive than occasional muffled sounds from next door. It would put me off 100%.

If that doesn’t bother you I’d say you’d get similarly used to holiday makers.

OP - just do it - I really think you're overthinking it. I live in a terrace of holiday cottages - surrounded by them - and I'm amazed how quiet they all are. Much quieter than us with our frequent family arguments and yelling at the kids to get ready for school/bed etc! Also, just because it sleeps five doesn't meant it will always be full. I clean a holiday cottage which sleeps four and it's usually just couples using it.

Lovely diagram by the way and I'm now trying to work out where your possible new home is...

The being booked up thing - yes it could. In somewhere as popular as Ambleside. And if it's a desirable cottage. Also, the owner might have blocked off a bit of low season to maintenance work, plus some less popular times to stay themselves, or let family stay.

We book holiday cottages a year ahead in an equally desirable part of the country. You can leave it later but you don't get as much choice. The most popular ones go even further ahead, for school holidays.

In Ambleside, depending exactly where, I would be more concerned about the tourist hordes endlessly clattering and chattering their way past my front door all day, while trying to work.

If you're renting and possibly moving twice in 6 months doesn't bother you then I'd go for it. You'll be seeing the holiday let & the area in the summer season so you can then decide if you want to renew your tenancy in the autumn.

Can't help with any wise advice (other than give it a go, you're not tied long term if its not right for you) but it's brightened my day thinking about those arsey swans hanging around Tesco for a croissant!

@Whyismycatanasshat ah. slightly different location, I’m nearing the golden rule.

Thanks again everyone, it does help to see so many different perspectives.

So far I’ve discovered :

I’m not opposed to traffic, or people knocking for info.
I’m happy with dogs, especially opportunities to play with them.
I’m still jumpy about people who open -close-open-close their car doors loudly for 15 mins. (Outside of unpacking)
Traffic passing by, no problem.

I would put up with a bit of disruption for a chance of a house in Ambleside.

I take it back about the swans, sounds like they are starving rather than have a croissant habit. Found a news story saying somone has put up an unofficial sign at the lake saying not to feed them so they are going into town looking for food (not sure why the sign just isnt taken down though). Sorry OP, back to your moving dilemma...

@Sallygoround631 I’ve lived on North Road, Kirkstone road, Nook Lane and smithy brow; plus one or two deeper into Ambleside. Honestly the touristy stuff is bearable to live there!!

@HuggedTheRedwoods, I hadn’t heard that, although I didn’t see any of the Tesco swans this winter. Only last year.
We visit bowness often, most of the birds look fairly big and happy as far as I’ve noticed. People definitely do feed them bird food by the lake, I think they just advise not to feed them bread?

They’re pretty good at knocking the other birds out of the way to get first dibs!

One of our pics from a little while ago -

They’re not starving, Hugged, feeding makes them aggressive as it’s the easier option to menace food out of tourists than go looking for the food they would naturally eat. This puts the swans in danger as well as people at risk of a bruising peck from one of them.
If everyone stopped feeding them (and the food they are given is not suitable) they would be safer.

@Whyismycatanasshat that’s good to know, thanks 😁