Dog Friendly Cottages in Cumbria

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Grace - Verified booking

  We really enjoyed our stay at Swallow Barn.

  A lovely, clean, modern living space that was very comfortable. The washing machine was a bonus, and the property has an enclosed garden which is very convenient if you have a dog. Lovely furnishings. Great location too, Cockermouth was very close with lots of lovely parks and walks by the river and we even managed to get a Dominos Pizza delivered to the property. We read in one of the information books that feedback is really important to the owners so here is our honest feedback on any issues we had, or anything we felt that would make the property even better. Oven- When opening the oven, a black strip kept falling off and dropping to the floor. These needs securing back on. Dining Sets- The plates/bowls weren’t microwavable. They became extremely hot in the microwave and then we realised. This is purely from a convenience point of view, but it meant we had to use the hob more and create more mess! Downstairs lighting- The lighting in the downstairs hallway area was quite poor in the dark. The only light that you can switch on from downstairs is the upstairs middle light so when you are coming from either of the two smaller bedrooms you have to walk across the hallway in the dark before you can turn a light on and the same for turning it off and then having to walk across the hallway to the smaller bedrooms in the dark. We also found that even with this upstairs middle light on, the corner where both smaller bedrooms and main bathroom is was still very dark. There needs to be another light added under the stairs or in that corner to make it more inviting and also for safety reasons. We were visiting with someone who is unsteady on her feet so an additional light in that corner would have added more safety and would have made her feel more comfortable. There was only 1 key to the property – We had issues when we didn’t always go out together and this meant we had to either lock people in the house in order to take the key away to be able to get back in, or had to get someone to lock us out and then get up and let us back in when we go back. This may not seem like a big issue but I can imagine if 3 couples were sharing this property for example and they go off doing different things eg: one couple is back late at night when the others are asleep then they are going to have to wake up to unlock the door or the couple going out or going to have to lock the others in the house so they can get back in on their own. The issue with this is that there is only one door to exit the property so if this is locked then its dangerous if there was an emergency. We think 2 keys are essential, allowing those inside to lock and open the door whilst allowing people to leave and lock the door behind them. As I mentioned, we are travelling with someone who is unsteady on their feet and we would go out to the shops ect leaving her in the property, but as we didn’t want to lock her in with no key in case of an emergency she would have to walk all the way downstairs on her own to let us all in, which at times was unnerving as they had no assistance walking down the stairs. We needed the additional key so that we could lock her in, knowing that she had another key in order to get out if there was an emergency. The water in the fridge- The water machine in the fridge had a funny taste, not very nice. Pipes might need a clean ect. Wasn’t a big deal as we just had tap water but worth mentioning. The Zip link bed- The zip link bed closest to the bathroom had quite an uncomfortable strip down the middle where it was joined, I appreciate that there may not be much that can be done about this but for older people or people with more sensitive backs this could be an issue. Quite a few of the windows were very stiff to open, might need some lubricant to make it easier. Added touches that would make it even better: A stairgate at the top of the stairs to keep children and dogs upstairs in the living space. We mention this as its quite a large staircase and the wood can be slippy. A blanket for each bedroom in case it gets chilly. A mat by the front door to wipe feet, the door is quite close to the floor so appreciate that it might be too high for the door and might not be possible. A mat in front of the bench downstairs could work as an alternative potentially. A really lovely stay at Swallow Barn and we would stay here again, it’s great that the owners are open to improvements and with a few alterations it could be a really perfect property. Thank you again for our lovely stay!

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• Neil - Verified booking

  We arrived on the Friday (first day of stay) in the evening after a long drive via Poole from a family funeral.

  On our arrival (around 8pm) we found that the boiler was not working. We then quickly attempted to put our little baby of 6 months old to bed in the cot, then found that there was NO cot in the property despite requesting this twice ahead of our booking. So, we had no heating and nowhere for our baby to sleep safely. I offered to my wife to drive us home, but we had already been travelling for over 7 hours so my wife decided to put a duvet on the floor and sleep as safely as she possibly could next to our baby. I was attempting to contact the 'out of hours' team at Sykes Cottages and Lakes Lovers but nobody answered. I left voicemails but didn't get a response. This was between 8pm and 8:30pm. I got two automated texts to say that somebody would be in touch within the next 20 minutes. We didn't hear anything. I was also on the phone to my friend who is a gas safe engineer who tried to talk me through getting the central heating boiler working. I video called him so that he could see the error messages on the boiler and he talked me through topping up the system and getting the boiler working again. We finally had heat albeit it took an age to get the old stone house anything near warm and comfortable. I woke in the morning various times as our baby was unsettled but also due to the glaring light directly outside of the main bedroom window - not helped by an almost translucent window blind in the bedroom. I noticed a missed call from an 01244 number, from 22:02. This was 2 hours after I had called on various out of hours phonelines. I am guessing that as it was Friday night the on call team must have all been in the pub! The next day we went to the rental office 'Lakes Lovers' in Windermere and told them of what happened on our arrival. They just seemed puzzled and said they would get a cot for us, with no sincere apology and no shock that my wife and 6 month old baby had to sleep on the floor in a cold house for the night. Quite unbelievable!! Around 3 hours later they dropped off a cot, and the gent said on delivery that "there should be one on top of the wardrobe so whoever should have put one there must have taken it out for some reason". This of course was not helpful, and still NO apology. We just left it there as didn't want to the weekend break (for my 40th birthday) to get any worse. The cottage was of poor quality and needs a full redecoration. From damp on the wall near the entrance door (due to obvious rotten/leaking gutters outside), to chipped skirting boards throughout the house, dusty floors around and under furniture (not great for baby on the floor), to a stained sofa. The cottage is neglected and I guess of the owner has ongoing bookings then they must be complacent and not bothered in the slightest. We have stayed in AirBnB before and never had the same issues like this with dog friendly accommodation. We stayed at a Sykes cottages rental in Symondsbury back in July this year and that was also dog friendly and also like living in a dog kennel for adults. It needs a full deep clean. Overall, totally dissatisfied and would not recommend this cottage to anybody. Apart from location and close to the lake, it was also very close (300 feet) to a booming night club that stayed open until around 02:00am. This was not mentioned on the booking site either.

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• Nicola - Verified booking

  Awful, awful, awful…,avoid at all costs!

  ! One positive is location, it’s fantastic, right in the centre of town. There are many negatives…everything is very worn and a bit grubby, the cottage is very tired and outdated, the main shower is awful, the beds are uncomfortable and the main bedroom needs a curtain. Now, none of that really bothered us too much, the main issue was the raw sewerage coming up through the downstairs toilet drain, flooding the downstairs toilet and running into the kitchen. The drains in the garden were overflowing with sewerage, it’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen. There was no way I was going to continue to stay somewhere that was flooded with untreated human faeces so we left 2 days early. What’s even more unbelievable is that Lakelovers told us we are not entitled to a refund for the 2 days we did not stay on at the cottage because we left early not giving them time to rectify the issue. This issue has happened before as you can see from previous reviews. How on earth can you fix the problem and ensure it doesn’t happen again? How can you ensure the property was fully decontaminated and safe to live in. And the artificial grass in the garden that was covered in faeces too, surely that needs to be ripped up and thoroughly cleaned or even replaced??!! I cannot believe to company are advising anyone to stay in such squalor conditions, this is a clear Health and safety issue but no one seems to care. I’m still waiting on head office contact details to discuss the matter further. Awful customer service, I will never book through the company again.

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• Sadaf - Verified booking

  The pros about this property hands down are the location and the parking permit.

  Walking distance to shops (tesco express for groceries) & lots of places to eat, drink and main attractions. The permit is valid for all council owned car parks. The main bedroom was very comfortable and a good size. The property was generally quiet. This is where the pros ended for us. The 2 single beds were extremely uncomfortable. I luckily happened to have 2 thick fleece blankets with us which we put on top of the mattresses. There was some broken glass on the floor by the kitchen which luckily I spotted before anyone hurt themselves. If you are into cooking then the facilities weren't much. Small fridge to fill in daily which was good but no freezer. Just a small ice box which unless it gets defrosted, it's no use as it's filled with ice. Also some of the dishes/mugs were put back the cupboards dirty so had to rewash them before use. No bins/instructions on recycling either. Also upon arrival there was no toilet paper luckily the shops were open. There was however hand wash & 1 dishwasher tablet & 2 bin liners left behind. The sofas & the dining table really could do with an upgrade but were usable. Also there was no instructions for hot water. We didn't know how much hot water there was & whether we could all shower 1 after another (4 of us). Also the smart tv would connect to the Internet but cut out after a few minutes. Internet connection was not fantastic. The router is in the kitchen above the washing machine. This place could become so much more than it is but the location was extremely convenient.

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• Neil - Verified booking

  The cottage was in our opinion, tired, shabby without the chic.

  The guttering outside the front door requires repair as it allows a cascade of water onto the front step during downpours. Nearly every blind was marked, the laminate in the front room was lifting, the sofas were uncomfortable, the kitchen tap was loose, the finish of the kitchen was of a low quality, the cabinet in the downstairs wet room was not surprisingly showing signs of water damage, the grouting hadn’t been wiped from the tiles, the carpet was coming away from the bottom stair, the bedding lacked appeal, the furniture in the bedrooms gave the impression that it’s there to fill space, the decor upstairs was again tired, the carpets really needed to be cleaned, the finish is poor with marks of paint on different walls, the beds in the back room were uninviting, We think bags of bedding were left in three bags in the back room but can’t be sure as no note was left, the towels looked old and the colour choices weren’t pleasant, the overall cleanliness was poor and we felt the need to hoover and dust. It’s the first time we have not used a kitchen to cook in. The house had a make do and mend feel about it and suffered from a lack of investment and general care and attention we felt. Years of retrofitting had taken its toll. Began to wonder if this is the standard that Sykes are happy to promote and made us reconsider our relationship with Sykes.

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