National Trust - Fell Foot Reviews Summary

Facilities

Pros:

• "Currently using portaloos which were clean and stocked."
• "The slate buildings are interesting and very photogenic."
• "Free parking for NT members."
• "There is also a lot of parking space for a small fee (free to National Trust members)."
• "The café is clean, with friendly staff and fair prices."
• "Cafe for food, drinks & ice creams."
• "There is a cafe serving light meals and ice creams."

Cons:

• "It has been a long time since I last visited Fellfoot. Gone are the chalets and the caravan site and the Yacht Club seems to be on the other bank of the lake, but hello the building site and the mud that goes with it."
• "The adventure playground doesn't exist so if that is a main reason for going don't bother."
• "Sadly the same can't be said of the cafe (hence 3 stars). The person serving was hatchet-faced and dour and the food left a lot to be desired."
• "To say you have to pay for parking you would think the toilets would be topped up with toilet roll and regularly cleaned."
• "The only downside was after having a picnic. There was no bins at all so we had to take three big bags of rubbish back to our hotel to dispose of."
• "Didn’t have to queue for the toilets but when you go in you see why - I don’t think they’ve been cleaned in decades & stink of stale urine."
• "The cafe prices are absurd - £5.25 for a Cornish pasty, £2.85 for a Magnum ice cream."

Parking

Pros:

• "Free parking for NT members."
• "There is also a lot of parking space for a small fee (free to National Trust members)."
• "Car parking was free as member of the National Trust. Plenty of parking too in various areas of the park."
• "After booking in a time slot parking was no problem."
• "Good parking free to NT members."
• "Plenty of car parking also."
• "Free parking for National Trust members or from £5 for none members."

Cons:

• "The car park is run by the National Trust so parking is very expensive if you're not a member."
• "Parking is hectic and crowded, there's a (perhaps peak time?) charge of £5 PER person."
• "But there aren’t many parking spots and the parking is quite a walk away from the actual spot."
• "It was advertised as ‘free’ but was £6 to park for 2 hours."
• "Can get very busy and parking fills up fast."
• "Only complaint is the parking system where you can only book a block, oh and the ice creams are poor."
• "The car park is over priced at £9 for the day and does anyone carry 9 pound coins!"

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "And the national trust staff are very helpful."
• "The staff on the ferry were fantastic. Brilliant customer service. Really friendly."
• "The staff were great, very accommodating and provided enough instruction to get going."
• "The NT staff were lovely."
• "Staff are always friendly and welcoming."
• "Staff were really lovely and helpful as we were in a long wheel base camper van + two large motor bikes."
• "I want to say a heartfelt thank you to your staff members Adrienne, Bethany, and David who helped us tremendously yesterday after our transport broke down."

Cons:

• "Sadly the same can't be said of the cafe (hence 3 stars). The person serving was hatchet-faced and dour and the food left a lot to be desired."
• "Staff were a bit miserable in the cafe, 2 of us went at 12.15 on Sunday, no soup left, only one portion of casserole, one pasty, the pasta bake had ran out."
• "Staff in cafe didn't seem to know what they were doing! The girl who served me looked really miserable."
• "Omg .. NT coffee shops' staff can't be more confused."
• "The cafe is a bit of a let down and could really do with an improved food menu and service skills by the staff."
• "The toilet facilities were appreciated but the ladies wasn't very nice."
• "Communication needs to improve so that cars are turned away sooner when parking is reaching capacity."

Activities and Attractions

Pros:

• "Good kids playground."
• "Offering plenty of space for families and for children to play and to enjoy the sunshine and lovely views."
• "Fantastic place for a picnic and water sports."
• "Great place to come and try a bit of kayaking, do some paddle boarding or hire a rowing boat."
• "Children also enjoy climbing on the low-level tree branches and paddling in the lake."
• "Great water sports area to hire canoes etc."
• "Beautiful lake and river. Went paddleboarding for the first time and it was really fun."

Cons:

• "Seems expensive if you're not into water sports."
• "The adventure playground doesn't exist so if that is a main reason for going don't bother."
• "Not much to do here. A small park and a balancing course for kids."
• "Only downside is that the kids playground has had quite a lot of the equipment removed (No zip-wire!)."
• "Not much else to do if you're not into water sports!"
• "It's all outdoor activities, which include badminton and football goal area, playground, balance bikes and hiring kayaks, paddleboards and boats."
• "Lovely place but they are still making you book and charging per person which feels like a money making scheme to me."

Environment and Scenery

Pros:

• "Never been before but despite the drizzling rain it was gorgeous."
• "Lovely walk & views of boat lake, meadow nearby, but they recommend dogs being on the lead due to live stock possibly being in the vicinity."
• "Beautiful national trust location with a lovely cafe on site that serves great fresh food and cakes."
• "Such a beautiful place to relax, unwind and admire the views."
• "Lovely waterfront area and a nice walk around the meadow."
• "Natural beauty, truly. It's a perfect place to do a little picnic with, go on a boat ride, or kayaking, or even short range hike."
• "A beautiful location with great views of the countryside, the mountains and the lakes."

Cons:

• "Lovely spot! However there was blue-green algae blooms in the water and absolutely no warnings whatsoever."
• "But if course there are nicer locations in this area for those willing to walk further."
• "The walk was essentially through a muddy field. I was hoping for more trees."
• "It's a bumpy walk down to the lakeside."
• "We visited in August, on a 24° Thursday, after about five days of rain and colder weather. It was mental. Hardly a spare inch of grass."
• "The only negative aspects of this facility are that it suffers from its own popularity by being overcrowded during busy times."
• "The most disappointing national trust site I have been to, I am hoping that it is a work in progress."