" Bracken Bank's chef was first class, no wonder he has so many awards. I cannot recommend him highly enough to other visitors."

 " Saturday's evening meal that your staff served was the best meal I've ever had, thank you again."

"Our anniversary meal was wonderful, the food was amazing and the atmosphere simply magical, a big thank you to all your staff."

 " Great food."

" The best porridge I have ever eaten" - from a Scotsman.

"I got into trouble with my wife for telling you that they were the tastiest cooked breakfasts I've had the pleasure to enjoy, but thank you once again, they were wonderful as indeed our whole weekend was."

"On behalf of the company I want to say how much we all enjoyed ourselves at Bracken Bank Lodge over the weekend. Thank you for ensuring the event ran smoothly and for your unwavering hospitality."

 " The best corporate event we've had. A unique country house venue all to ourselves, superb staff, fabulous atmosphere, great activities and food and England's finest private pub!"

"The food was very good and the atmosphere could not have been better for a social gathering of our staff to celebrate our company's 150th anniversary. Thank you from all of us."

"I would just like to say how much we thoroughly enjoyed our break with you. Everything was well organised and we had a great time on each of our activities. Hilary was very accommodating. Bracken Bank is a beautiful place in the most wonderful countryside with breathtaking views. We will return next year for our next team building event."

"Just a note to say thank you very much for all your help in ensuring our Awayday went so smoothly. We all enjoyed our stay in what was a unique property. The standard of the accommodation was excellent as was all the food and service we enjoyed during our stay."

 " Many thanks for all your help in organising."

" Thank you for having us for our visit. It was really good and a new experience for all of us. We are writing up a report for the Cumberland News for 15th June so will be sure to mention Brackenbank and your fabulous hospitality. Thanks again"

"Thank you for the lovely weekend we spent at Bracken Bank, you made our weekend extra special."

 " I didn't think I would enjoy paintball but actually it was the best fun I've had for ages and I would recommend it to anyone of any age."

 " Your paintball site is amazing, we'll be back!"

"Amazing venue, superb food, fantastic hosts and first class shooting. The most perfect weekend from start to finish."

" Many thanks for looking after John and his mates so well on the stag weekend. They clearly all had a great time. John has talked non stop about how wonderful the venue is. I very much look forward to coming up and staying for a relaxing break with you sometime after the wedding."

" Thank you both so much for making the stag weekend a fantastic couple of days to remember. All involved have said how much they enjoyed it - you really are formidable hosts, see you again sometime"

 " I can't believe we did so well at clay pigeon shooting, I think your instructor does you proud. We've had a wonderful weekend, thank you."

" Just wanted to thank you so much for a fabulous "Bracken Bank Experience". We all had such a lovely time and were really impressed with how everything was organised and arranged. I especially enjoyed belly dancing with a veil!! We will be sure to recommend your venue to any who asks and are currently trying to find an excuse to return ourselves! I've attached a couple of photos for you, enjoy!"

 " There are so many things to do or see here it will take many return holidays just to cover some of them. Its a wonderful part of the country for a holiday and staying at Bracken Bank Lodge makes it even more special."

 " Tell your guests they need to bring wellingtons - all year round. We've all enjoyed our amazing stay, the lodge is fantastic and the Estate is incredibly beautiful - but wet under foot in some places!"

 " I wish we'd been more organised and booked some catered meals and activities but we've had a wonderful weekend and would recommend BBL to anyone who wants to Lord it for a weekend."

 " The manor house ( the lodge ) is stunning and the huge Estate is incredible. We loved seeing the red squirrels, deer and birds of prey. At dusk we saw a lot of foxes and owls. Its much better seeing wildlife in its own habitat, unspoiled and as it should be."

" Bracken Bank is such a very special place, but the two of you make it perfect. Thank you once again, look forward to our next stay."

 " Many thanks for all your help in organising our holiday, its been the best family get together we've ever had and nothing could now ever match it. Bracken Bank Lodge will hold such treasured memories for us."

 " I wasn't sure that a holiday with so many children would work but thank you once again Hilary for all that you have done for us in making it a huge success. We all loved each and every place you suggested to us and the spectacular evening meals your chef served made entertaining children all day worthwhile. The children have given pet names to all of your stuffed animals and will miss them for sure."

 " The best weekend of our lives!"

"I am making this booking for my birthday celebrations having attended a wedding at your wonderful venue last summer. I was so taken with the charm and character of the Lodge I have been looking for an excuse to return."

 " Fantastic atmosphere, love the house. Falconry walk amazing. Kids don't want to leave - all 20 of them."

"Thank you very much for the excellent weekend. Everyone enjoyed the wonderful property and food."

 " Brilliant! Beyond our expectations, a beautiful venue with beautiful people - kids did not want to come but now think its great."

" We were made to feel so at home it was heartbreaking to leave."

"Nice accommodation and very pleasant staff, always ready to help"

"Fantastic food & peaceful environment. We hope you enjoyed the costumes."

 " The most awesome Lakes accommodation. We all loved it. Hilary was a welcoming hostess. All events superbly organized."

 " A perfect holiday. But how do we tell the children tomorrow is our last day? They have so enjoyed grooming all (seven) of your dogs, the horses and the long nature walks over your stunning Estate. We are overjoyed that they have enjoyed a proper family holiday, at a relaxed pace doing all the "old fashioned" things we did at their age. They completed several of your puzzles and perfected sliding along the wooden floored corridors in their socks! The children's snooker table was a huge hit. The thing is - none of these activities cost us a penny!"

" We had a fantastic weekend. Thank you very much indeed."

"A lovely situation in which to see one of the best parts of Britain."

"Fantasticly relaxing. Great hosts. Warm & friendly welcome.  A wonderful way to spend a Christmas."

"Thank you again for making our first holiday together such a wonderful experience. You have such a lovely property and the activities you organised for us were fantastic. We enjoyed every minute of our stay and hope to be back again next year."

 " Lovely big house, nice grounds. Enjoyed playing rounders on the field and watching the adults get drunk in the bar. Thank you!!!"

 " On behalf of all of us thank you for your excellent hospitality in your lovely home. Activities were great, food great, drink even better! Will definitely be back!"

 " Hilary and Stuart are the best hosts ever."

 " What an amazing house, like stepping back in time. Having servants for the weekend was brilliant. The men's clay pigeon shoot was hugely successful and the dinner party in the red dining room was spectacular. I could not have enjoyed my birthday more, living like the lord of the manor suits me very well!"

 " I came across BBL by lucky chance. I didn't realise you could hire a country Estate for the weekend. We've all felt very much at home and its been a great success, young and old have enjoyed it equally. We intend to repeat this family get-together here each year and look forward to our next stay.
P.S. Our dogs loved your boarding kennels, their massive pen was wonderful."

 " What can I say - we don't want to leave."

 " We can't thank you enough for giving us the wedding of our dreams. We were looking forward to it knowing you were so capable of arranging everything, but the whole weekend surpassed all our expectations. Our guests marveled at the stunning venue, warm hospitality and fabulous food and thought we must have spent months of hard work to arrange it so perfectly. Thank you once again for doing all the hard work for us and making it so easy. We are so pleased we chose Bracken Bank Lodge, well done!"

 " The most perfect wedding venue, the most perfect wedding! We will never forget your kindness or this wonderful house. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"

" I had always dreamed of a wedding reception in a beautiful marquee but the reality of my wedding day was even better than I had imagined, thank you for making it all so perfect for us."

"Everyone is saying it was the best wedding they have ever been to."

"I can't tell you how grateful we are for you making our daughters wedding so very special, everything went incredibly smoothly, many thanks for all your hard work. "

"We had put off getting married for years thinking it was going to be expensive and a major hassle but you've made it so easy for us giving us all the information and advice we needed that I wish we done it a long time ago. "

"We felt like it was our own home that we were inviting our friends and family to for our wedding- except we didn't have to do any of the work!"

" I am so lucky to have come across your venue. It was very important for us to have a church wedding but it was proving impossible at home. Your wonderful Vicar is making everything easy for us though, he's a really great person and the church is one of the prettiest we've ever seen."

"Thank you for letting us share your beautiful house and for making our wedding day truly special."

" We wanted our wedding on an English summers day in the countryside and Bracken Bank Lodge was exactly what we had hoped for. I couldn't believe how relaxed everything was, the day just flowed gently by and the atmosphere was pure magic."

"We still can't believe our wedding was real, it was just so perfect."

"Just a note to say thank you for making their wedding such a fantastic occasion. We have had so many guests telling us what a lovely venue it was. The buffet has been praised a lot too"

"Last but not least, many thanks for all your kind help, it has been a pleasure planning our day with you. We are both very much looking forward to the day and are confident it will be a great success."

" A BIG thank you to the both of you for the wonderful weekend we had. Ted was very appreciative of Hilary's direction in his duties as best man. Bracken Bank is a beautiful home and any couple getting married with you are extremely lucky. Our best wishes to you both."

"Thank you for keeping me sane in the run up to the wedding, I couldn't have coped without you".

"Thank you so very very much for making a wonderful day that more wonderful and special, you are truly fantastic. The best advice I could give to anyone wanting a fantastic, well organised, special, flexible, beautiful wedding is to have a Hilary."

" It was such a comfort to know that you were there not only in the forefront but also in the background, you have a talent for being in the right place at the right time and you spread yourself in the right way to ensure all is ok."

" Many thanks for helping us with the wedding arrangements and making it such a lovely occasion."

Thank you so much for a wonderful wedding day. Our guests are still talking about the great food, venue, fun day and a wonderful time they had. We had a ball - it was beyond our expectations and you were a perfect hostess".

"Married life is wonderful .....thanks for a great start. Much appreciation for everything you did."

"Our weekend at the Lodge was fantastic. You made us feel so welcome and special - everybody said it felt like we got married at home. Everything ran so smoothly and we couldn't have dreamt of a more perfect day."

"Thank you so much for all your help and effort for our wedding. It really was the most special day for us and we will never forget it. P.S Jimbo misses the kennels and Darren."

"The whole weekend was fantastic. You were so calm and patient. A thousand apologies if I turned into a bridezilla from time to time!"

"Just a short note to say a big thank you for making our wedding such a perfect day, we just want to do it all again. It was fantastic from start to finish and all your extra touches made all the difference. Even the dogs didn't want to leave. Pass on all our thanks to your staff for all their hard work too".

" Thank you so much for our wonderful day. I wouldn't have changed it for anything, it was so amazing."

"As you can see we have made it to Barbados! We can never thank you enough for making our day so special. Can't wait to see the photos".

"Although our wedding was over a year ago our relatives cannot stop talking about Bracken Bank Lodge. Thanks again for the best wedding ever."

"A fabulous place, will be back soon".

" I loved my bedroom so much, it had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in."

"Excellent value for money".

" We arrived home today having had such a great trip. We will remember Bracken Bank Lodge very fondly".

" Thank you for looking after us and being a great hostess, we hope to come again soon as we enjoyed it a lot".

"Our third visit, will be back again next year".

"A good few years ago my husband and I had our first holiday together at Bracken Bank and we would like to have our last holiday there again before we move to New Zealand."

" Surely this has to be the most romantic venue in the Lake District".  

"Thank you for my idyllic long weekend, for the floor shows given by the red squirrels and the bonus wildlife encounter with the roebuck"

"Thank you for your kind hospitality at bracken bank".

"Two days of sheer bliss".

"We would just like to say how much we enjoyed our night at the lodge. The breakfast was wonderful. The bedroom and bathroom were beautiful and the little extras tastefully done. Thank you for looking after Ben & Meg at the kennels. They always expect their bedtime treat now. We will certainly recommend you and hope we will be in a position to stay again someday, thank you again."

"Just a quick email to thank you and all your team for giving us such a great day yesterday, everybody has said how much they enjoyed themselves. Would also like to thank the chef for putting on a fantastic lunch and tea. many thanks once again for your help in organising this, will definitely recommend to others".

"Very friendly owners".

" Just want to say how much we enjoyed your hospitality at the weekend and to say a big thank you for our delicious breakfast. Look forward to coming again one day."

"Hilary you are a star, we can't thank you enough for all your help and support".

"You should double your prices" - hotel inspector, 16th December 2009