As someone who grew up in the North of England, I had only visited the Lake District a *shocking* once in my whole life! That was until recently, when my parents suggested a family holiday to Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat. A dog friendly lodge holiday? Sounds absolutely perfect for me, my husband, and our dog, Honey. Of course, I love to write about all our dog friendly holidays for my blog too.
My parents have stayed at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat countless times and were very excited to take us. It turned out to be the perfect mix of comfort, convenience, and dog-friendly relaxation. There’s a reason they return every year.
Set just outside the bustling town of Keswick, this beautiful lodge park offers a peaceful escape surrounded by stunning countryside, while still being close to plenty of dog-friendly walks, pubs, and attractions. Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a family holiday, or a relaxing break with your four-legged best friend, Keswick Reach is a brilliant base for exploring everything the Lake District has to offer.
In this post, I’m sharing an honest review of our stay — from first impressions and on-site facilities to what our lodge was really like and how dog-friendly it truly is. If you’re considering booking a stay at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat, I hope this guide helps you decide if it’s the right fit for you and your pup. For advice on how to have a great holiday with your dog, check out this blog post – How to have the best holiday in a dog friendly Airbnb.
Where Is Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat?
The Lodge site is located in Cumbria, in the Lake District. It is roughly a 15 minute drive north of Keswick. It is quite secluded so will need to be accessed by car or coach. We were travelling from Leicestershire so it took us about 4 hours to get there by car.
Check-In & First Impressions
When arriving there is a car park outside the main reception building. We parked up and went inside to check in. This building houses all the facilities (shop, gym, spa, restaurant). As you enter there is a small shop for essentials (snacks and a few toiletries mainly) and the ‘Copper Fells’ restaurant. We were given a map of the site, the keys to our lodge, and instructions on how to get there. You need your lodge key to open the barriers leading down to the lodges. Thankfully you can park right outside your lodge for the duration of your stay. This meant for easy unloading of the car, and much more convenient for getting out and about on rainy days!
Our Lodge – Inside our Keswich Reach Accomodation
Lodge Type
We stayed in a Turner 4 Lodge with a hot tub. This lodge has enough space to sleep 8 people. There is one double room with ensuite shower, another double bedroom, and two twin bedrooms. There is a family bathroom too. The bathrooms were very minimally stocked, so make sure to bring your own hand soap and toilet paper, along with any other toiletries you might need.
As for the living areas, there was a large leather corner sofa and TV. The lodge had a well equipped kitchen, and a dining area to seat 8. There was enough space for us to set up our dog crate in this area. I personally found the leather sofa quite cold and uncomfortable, so I would make sure to bring your own blankets from home to get comfy and cosy for nights in!
We had a deck with an outdoor seating area, and a huge hot tub. The hot tub was fantastic, it had adjustable temperature settings and was serviced by a member of staff every day. It isn’t under any cover though, so it’s up to you whether you’d use it in bad weather.
Overall the lodge felt clean and modern, and was great for our 4 night stay. There was enough space for 5 adults and a dog to enjoy our holiday comfortably. I’ve seen other reviews mention when minor issues occurred during their stay mention how helpful and quick the maintenance staff are to support.
Overview of Facilities
There is a small selection of facilities on this site, but it had everything we needed for our stay.
- Shop – There is a very small shop in the main reception. I highly recommend doing a food shop at a proper supermarket before arriving, and don’t rely on this shop for your dinner. I think I only bought some shower gel here as I had forgotten to pack any.
- Copper Fells Restaurant – There is a bar & restaurant which serves standard pub food and drinks. We never ended up eating here, only getting a drink. It was smart and clean, and dogs were allowed inside. It’s very helpful to have on site for those nights you might not want to cook!
- Gym – There is a small gym with a few essential machines, to keep up your fitness routine. There is a sauna and hot tub as well, although I didn’t use these as we had a hot tub with our lodge.
- Spa – The spa was one of the highlights of my trip! I was 6 months pregnant when we visited Keswick Reach. I treated myself to a pregnancy massage, which was absolutely perfect. My husband booked a massage at the same time, and they treated us in the same room. All the staff were so kind and helpful, and even gave us an extra 20 minutes free added on to our treatments as they didn’t have any other bookings. I highly recommend a visit to the spa.
The Dog Friendly Details
How dog friendly is Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat?
This holiday park is very dog friendly. There are a range of dog friendly lodges available for you book. The Copper Fells restaurant is dog friendly, so you can take your dog to dinner or for a drink. They have a ‘dog wash’ station to hose your dog down after a muddy walk, which was incredibly handy! The map of the site indicated a great dog walk, which takes you off the lodge site, through a farm and across some fields. It was a great circular loop which takes about 45 minutes, we did this most days.
The main downside is that although our lodge had a gated deck outside, there was no gated grassy area for her to go to the toilet. This meant she needed to be taken on a lead to any of the grassy areas surrounding our lodge for every toilet trip. It would be much better to have an enclosed grass garden for dogs to easily let them out.
How do I book a dog friendly lodge?
Not every lodge is dog friendly, so it’s important when booking to ensure you have booked a dog friendly lodge if you plan to bring your pup. This is very clear on the Hoseasons website. When scrolling the different available lodges, there is a paw print icon to show how many pets are allowed in each lodge. In the same way they indicate how many bedrooms and bathrooms each lodge has. Simple!
What should I pack for my dog?
Here is everything we brought with us to make our stay with our dog as smooth as possible.
- Blankets – If your dog is one to jump up on the sofa or the bed, bring some blankets from home to cover the furniture with. This just ensures you keep the property as clean as possible.
- Towels – I would bring a towel for drying wet paws to keep by the front door, and a second towel for after you dog has been showered at the dog wash station.
- Dog bowls – for food and water
- Collar/lead/harness – to ensure you keep your dog under control around the lodge site.
- Poo bags – to clean up after your dog
- Dog bed or crate – we always take a crate on holiday with us, just in case we need to leave our dog in the lodge alone we have peace of mind she isn’t causing any damage.
Things to do Nearby
Visiting Keswick
There are plenty of options for entertainment near Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat. The most obvious answer is to go and explore Keswick. Keswick has a wonderful town centre full of shops, pubs and cafes. Many of these are dog friendly, so don’t be afraid to pop your head in and ask if you can bring your dog in. Keswick is right on the banks of Derwentwater, so you can easily venture from the town centre down to the lake for a lovely easy walk. As we were staying in rainy November, we had a night out to the small cinema in Keswick too. We parked at the ‘Central Car Park’ for each visit into Keswick with no issues (Postcode: CA12 5DF).
Boat Rides
We drove down to Bowness on Windermere for a day out, which was just under an hour away. We took a boat ride out onto Windermere, with the dog of course. This was so much fun! We didn’t book this in advance, just walked down to the pier at Bowness Bay, and there were boat rides heading out at least every hour.
Walking & Hiking
Another super obvious suggestion, but this is the main attraction of the Lake District. The beautiful surroundings can’t be missed! As we visited in November, and I was heavily pregnant, I sadly didn’t venture out on any hikes. Here are some suggestions of walks & hikes you could look into doing during your stay (and I will be doing next time!).
- Binsey Fell – A short Hike very close to the lodge park.
- Dodd Wood – Family friendly woodland trails a short drive from the lodge park.
- Ling Fell Circular Walk – A gentle hike with great views.
- Bassenthwaite Lake Edge Walk – A moderate walk through farmland and woodland, as well as lake side.
- Catbells – This is a small mountain (or ‘fell’) near to Keswick. A popular Lake District hike with fantastic views of Derwentwater!
Final Verdict – Would we stay again?
Yes I would LOVE to return soon. I would return at a warmer time of year (and not pregnant) so we can get out and explore some of the amazing hikes the local area has to offer. The lodge was everything we needed for a relaxing break and I would highly recommend staying at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat for your next visit to Keswick.
Check out my other dog friendly hotel reviews!
- Knockderry house – Scotland
- The Tawny – Staffordshire
- Feldon Valley Lodges – The Cotswolds
- Una St Ives – Cornwall
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