Ridge House

Ridge House An old school house nestled in the Howgill fells, lovingly converted by Jonny and Mary. Now a luxury holiday home sleeping 6

Last autumn we had such a lovely staycation at Ridge House with our friends Ramble Family | Adventure Travel Family It w...
22/08/2026

Last autumn we had such a lovely staycation at Ridge House with our friends Ramble Family | Adventure Travel Family

It was full of the chaos that you’d expect from 4 kids under 5 but also so many lovely moments: sofa den building, autumnal walks, pancake making, slow mornings and cosy evenings by the fire.

I can’t quite believe all the children are nearly a year older now, time really does run away with you (everyone tells you this but you don’t believe it til you experience it!) We had every intention of repeating it this year (as it’ll be Jonny’s 40th!) but I’ll probably be giving birth round about then so might have to do a spring version instead 😅

It’s really easy to put things off ‘til life gets easier’ but I have to remind myself every now and then to just do the thing, chaotic and challenging as it might be, create the memories, they grow up so fast! And when you look back you only remember the lovely bits!

Beautiful photos by Athena Mellor and drone shots by 🙏

I know it’s still August and I’m absolutely not wishing the summer away (it’s been amazing) but I am enjoying the sound ...
17/08/2026

I know it’s still August and I’m absolutely not wishing the summer away (it’s been amazing) but I am enjoying the sound of the rain whilst in my dressing gown this evening 😊 This photo is from last September - just a month away! And a little part of me is really looking forward to misty fell views and lit fires 🥰 Maybe it’s something to do with being pregnant and the nesting instinct but I’m feeling the pull towards autumn quite strongly now!

When we first moved into Ridge House nearly 9 years ago, we wanted to do everything we possibly could to ensure that we ...
06/08/2026

When we first moved into Ridge House nearly 9 years ago, we wanted to do everything we possibly could to ensure that we future-proofed the house in terms of its environmental impact: both in terms of its energy usage as well as its embodied energy in the materials we chose. The house dates from 1880 so will likely be around for a few more centuries, so we felt it was important to do things right, and with longevity in mind.

We didn’t have a huge budget. We were 20-something first time buyers with a mortgage, some savings (and a DIY wedding to pay for 😅) But we weren’t in a hurry and were willing to wait and to save up to do what we wanted to do and do it right. We spent two years getting to know the house and drawing up plans, living with no central heating, ice on the insides of the rotten windows, and water coming in through the roof and walls...

Our first big investment was central heating. We opted for an air source heat pump to provide all our heat and hot water, with a super efficient woodburner to be extra cosy in winter. (All the wood we burn comes from offcuts from Jonny’s workshop or our woodland) We chose a stone floor (RR Stone & Interiors) in the new extension as it’s better for thermal mass. Currently the ASHP uses mains electricity (thank you Octopus Energy for apparently being the UK’s greenest supplier 🙏) but hopefully one day we will have our own solar and be fully off grid. Or maybe even a bit of hydro-power from our stream which Jonny has been tinkering with for years! (He has electrocuted himself so it does work! 😅)

Insulation is essential to reduce energy loss in old buildings so we stripped the walls back to the original stone and installed Thermafleece British sheep’s wool insulation sheep’s wool insulation in the walls and wood fibre board in the roof. Our new timber framed extension is also super airtight and insulated with sheepswool - healthy breathable materials aren’t just for old buildings!

In terms of our material choices we essentially went for timber everything (not just because Jonny is a carpenter!) Responsibly sourced timber is a renewable and biodegradable material but most importantly it can be altered and repaired giving it a lifespan of hundreds of ye

Just read the nicest review from one of our recent guests and it absolutely made my day so had to share it:“Stayed here ...
29/07/2026

Just read the nicest review from one of our recent guests and it absolutely made my day so had to share it:

“Stayed here for a girls weekend and WOW, it couldn’t have been more perfect. We absolutely loved the lay out, the way it had been intentionally decorated and the kitchen was perfect for us to just connect, cook and prepare food as a girl gang followed by many evenings tucked up by the fire place..

We Definitely want to come back! Can’t reccommend highly enough and Mary is just an angel! Such a fantastic and warm host, she even knew it was my sister’s birthday and left a gift!

Thank you for our lovely, unforgettable stay!!”

It honestly means the world when we get reviews like this (particularly on Google to feed the greedy AI machine!! 😅) It really makes all those moments where you try and go above and beyond to make your guests feel extra welcome so worth it 🥰 My absolute favourite thing about hosting is hearing about special moments/holidays/experiences that Ridge House has facilitated for our guests and it makes the endless piles of laundry so worth it ❤️

Thank you so much 🦋• Jess •🦋 Annabelle Martin-Jones it was such a delight to host you and so looking forward to welcoming you back soon! 😁

26/06/2026

The only reason I’ve been surviving this hot weather is our afternoon river dips. So grateful to be within 100m of the river Rawthey which has so many beautiful swim spots along it, and we rarely see another soul!

Love a good before and after! This is the master bedroom which we doubled in size (horizontally and vertically!) by taki...
04/06/2026

Love a good before and after! This is the master bedroom which we doubled in size (horizontally and vertically!) by taking out the ceiling so you can see the roof timbers the whole way up. We sanded back the dark varnish on the trusses and stripped out the fitted cupboards which were hiding the purlins. All the plaster came off the walls and we went right back to the stone (this room had a lot of damp and both wet and dry rot!!) so we could insulate in sheepswool and wood fibre board and allow the building to breath. Once we’d re-roofed we finished the walls and ceiling in tongue and groove boarding and painted it in Setting Plaster which is my all time favourite bedroom colour as it’s so calming and un-pink 😂 We also moved the stairs so the entrance to this room was less pinched and we could create a dressing room area where the old landing was and an en-suite out of the original house bathroom. If you look carefully at the floorboards you can see where the old stairs went and we’ve matched new floorboards in 😊

Beautifully captured by

04/06/2026

My version of slow living: spend all morning cleaning at 100mph to make sure I get the changeover done in time for the next guests, realise I’m done with 2hrs to spare, sit down, eat something, decide I’ve finally got time to refill my fountain pen (obvs a lockdown purchase when filling your inkwell was a good way to spend time) rather than have the guests suffer the injustice of reading a welcome card written in biro (🙀) Don’t worry this is only a bi-annual task (thank goodness) and I am very smug about never having to buy a plastic ink cartridge again 😂

03/06/2026

We went up Wild Boar Fell for a wild camp a couple of weekends ago and it was utterly idyllic 🏕️

It’s one of my go-to local walks as it’s just a 10 minute drive up the road from Ridge House and there’s a quad bike track the whole way up to the fell gate. So it’s a really nice accessible fell walk for all ages. The last bit to the top is a bit steeper but then there’s Sand’s Tarn as either a picnic spot or a wild camp location which provides a good incentive! It’s also rare to see another soul up there so a good one for the summer hols when lots of places in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales are super busy. (The joy of the Howgills being a well-kept secret!) ⛰️

I’m not sure we could do up and down in a day yet with our 5&3 year olds, so adding in a wild camp stopover was perfect for us as the kids were so excited and it meant we could set off at 5:30pm (the joy of light evenings!) It took us 2 hours to get to the tarn and the kids walked nearly the whole way (obviously with a lot of encouragement sometimes in the form of sugar 😅)

Thankfully all 4 of us still fit in a 2 man tent so our packs weren’t so heavy that we couldn’t manage a little carry on the way down when little legs got tired (note to self, bring more breakfast next time!)

We were home for 9am (obviously straight into a changeover for me 😅) so everyone needed an afternoon nap later on!

Watch til the end for the red squirrel my 3yo spotted! 🐿️

21/05/2026

Took Col on such a lovely little walk yesterday that I don’t do often enough. Just a 10 minute drive from Ridge House, and you can park at Killington bridge and walk upriver - the sound of the river and the birdsong and the carpets of bluebells at this time of year are gorgeous. It’s flat and buggy/wheelchair friendly for the first part too which makes it a great one for little legs/balance bikes (lots of benches to stop and snack at too). It’s also great swim spot for those of you brave enough and for when the river isn’t quite so high! Will definately be adding this to my half term to do list with the kids ❤️

Swipe to rewind time all the way back to 2020! 😮 As we’re embarking on our new project I thought it would do us good to...
14/05/2026

Swipe to rewind time all the way back to 2020! 😮 As we’re embarking on our new project I thought it would do us good to remember that there was a time at Ridge House when we had a patchy roof, a gigantic hole in the ground and piles of earth/stone/rubble everywhere! (Thank you ) Maybe in another 6 years we’ll have a cover shot worthy of capturing by on a gorgeous spring day 🥰 Or maybe give us 10 years as we had more energy and fewer children back then 🤪

Address

Ridge House, Cautley
Sedbergh
LA105LZ

Telephone

+447813025213

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