Pepper House, Sawrey

Paul and Fran Townsend welcome you to this 16th Century Yeoman’s Farmhouse, set on a south facing hillside on the edge of the peaceful village of Satterthwaite in the Lake District, some four miles south of Hawkshead.

Pepper House, named after William Pepper who farmed here in the early 1600’s, is a Cruck-Frame building dating from 1570, with big oak beams and thick stone walls. Here we offer comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation for up to six guests in this characterful house.

Satterthwaite is close enough to central Lakeland for ease of access to the more famous fells, whilst maintaining its ‘off the beaten track’ appeal for the discerning visitor in search of genuine peace and quiet.

Your hosts Paul and Fran are keen Lakeland enthusiasts and will be happy to suggest walks or places to visit. We have a good range of local maps, as well as pictorial histories of the Lakeland buildings and traditions that you may come across during a stay here.

Satterthwaite derives its name from the old Norse words ‘saetr’ and ‘thveit’ meaning ‘the clearing for the summer pastures’. It is a village of about 50 houses, the Church of All Saints and the Eagle’s Head pub.

It is set in a wide valley amid the Grizedale Forest Park, the Forestry Commission’s flagship leisure and amenity forest in the heart of the Lakes. There are eight thousand acres of mixed woodlands, criss-crossed by footpaths, bridle paths, mountain bike trails, sculpture trails and forest tracks.

These offer wonderful opportunities for walking, riding, cycling and bird-watching, all directly from the door of Pepper House. From many points there are superb views of the Coniston Fells, the Langdales and the south lakes ranges. Via the forest trails there are walks to Coniston Water, Tarn Hows and Esthwaite Water; to John Ruskins’ Brantwood on Coniston’s East Shore, and Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top at Near Sawrey; to the open fells of Parkamoor and Bethecar Moor.

To the south is the beautiful and largely undiscovered Rusland Valley, quiet all year and offering pleasant rambles to find treasures such as Rusland Church with the grave of Arthur Ransome, and the woods of Stony Hazel and Rusland Beeches.

Pepper House offers three guest bedrooms – one twin and two doubles – all with en-suite facilities (shower, WC and one or two hand-basins). All rooms are centrally-heated, and have hairdryers and tea/coffee making facilities. There are plenty of books in all the rooms, and guests are most welcome to borrow them.

Downstairs are two comfortable lounges, one with television, and both with real fires in cooler weather. The dining room has one large table around which we all sit, so guests can enjoy convivial conversation over breakfast or dinner, or merely gaze at the wonderful view over the valley.

Outside are terraces all around the house, overlooking the gardens, orchard and paddock in which we often have pet lambs. There are tables and chairs in various locations which guests are welcome to use.

In the farmhouse tradition, we serve generous home-cooked meals, including home-baked bread and local produce (some garden grown) where possible. The breakfast bar offers a range of cereals, juices, yoghourts and fruit, to be followed by a full cooked English breakfast. Evening meals are available if pre-booked and we do have a residents’ drinks licence, so can offer our guests a good range of wines and spirits. Afternoon tea with home-made cakes is often available, as are packed lunches.