Cottages near High Stott Park

The two hamlets share a name and sit at different points along the same lane. If you are looking for cottages near High Stott Park, we are a short way along the same lane at Low Stott Park, LA12 8AX, with the mill chimney as our landmark.

For the sat nav, use postcode LA12 8AX and follow the signs for the Bobbin Mill, as on our location page.

The name comes from the Cumbrian dialect word stott, meaning a young ox or bullock. It probably points to land enclosed as a park for young cattle or draught animals, in the Middle Ages when this part of High Furness belonged to Furness Abbey.

The area is best known for Stott Park Bobbin Mill. A local landowner, John Harrison, built the earliest part of it in 1835 on Low Stott Park Farm, which he had inherited, to make wooden bobbins for the Lancashire and Yorkshire textile mills. It is now a working museum run by English Heritage, and it was made a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1973.

The mill ran on water. High Dam and Low Dam, the man-made tarns in the woods above Finsthwaite, were created to supply it, and the original water wheel was later replaced by a turbine. Today High Dam is a favourite walk from the cottage door, so you can follow the water that once powered the mill.

We sleep six in three bedrooms, welcome up to two dogs, and have a wood burner and six spa passes for the Swan Hotel. The home page and the stay page have the full details.

It is a friendly base for the woods, the lake and the steam railway.

Lakeside pier is about 0.6 miles (1 km), a 12 to 15 minute walk from the cottage along the lane, and it is where the cruises, the aquarium and the steam railway all begin. The lane carries Lakeside traffic by day and is quieter at night, so if you walk to the pier, take a torch for the way back in winter.

Finsthwaite lies further along the valley, and the Bobbin Mill is right next door. In between are woods and old stone walls, and it is a peaceful stretch for a stroll.

There are good places to eat and drink within easy reach, whatever the weather. At Lakeside there is a café on the pier with a view over the water, and the Lakeside Hotel next door also serves refreshments. At Haverthwaite, the station café is a pleasant place for lunch while the steam trains come and go.

For an evening drink, the Swan Inn at Newby Bridge is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away and welcomes dogs when you dine. The Huntsman, at the Newby Bridge Hotel overlooking the foot of the lake, has a garden and a real fire, and the Anglers Arms at Haverthwaite, just off the A590 near the railway, is a friendly local with a garden. It is worth a quick call to check opening times and dog rules before you set out.

Our dog-friendly guide has a little more on which pubs welcome dogs.

Your six Swan Hotel spa passes cover the pool, gym, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room at the hotel's health club. It is open 7am–9pm Monday to Friday and 8am–8pm Saturday and Sunday, and from 7pm the pool is adults only, which makes it a lovely way to end a day on the fells. A swim followed by a pint or supper at the Swan Inn is how a lot of our guests finish their evenings.

High Dam and Great Knott Wood both start from the front door. Lakeside pier and the steam railway are about 0.6 miles (1 km) away, and our things to do page covers the rest of the area.