Dog Friendly Cottages in Cumbria

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Valerie - Verified booking

  The cottage is cosy and charming, and the courtyard garden is beautiful, especially in afternoon sunshine.

  However, there were a few surprises/shocks not mentioned in the listing... and I am detailing ALL these, even though they may seem a bit nit-picky, because for anyone with compromised mobility like myself they present huge challenges, which I wasn't expecting. Firstly - car access from the road requires reversing up a very steep and narrow driveway from a one-way street. The only way to manage this is to put your hazards on as you reach the Temperance Hotel right opposite, and for your passenger to jump out and hold up traffic whilst you negotiate the awkward tight angle into the driveway. The allocated parking space is immediately at the top of the steep slope, with a yellow bollard close to the wall which you need care to avoid! Several pieces of smashed rear lights (not mine!) on the ground show how tricky this is! Next, there is yet another equally steep slope up, not mention in the listing, to reach the VERY steep slate staircase of 11 high steps, before reaching the access to the cottage. Once inside, we didn't notice a damp smell (as mentioned in several reviews) but it was mid June when we stayed. There are numerous moisture traps dotted around though, and the vent fans in bathroom and kitchen are on permanently, independent of lights, suggesting that this is a problem. Cottage layout is simple, but there are a couple of steep steps down to bathroom and master bedroom, which are also not mentioned, and no handrail. 2 leather sofas look very comfy, but are so low that I couldn't get up from them, so after one mistake of getting comfy on our first evening, I had to resort to bringing a garden chair in from outside for my evening "comfort" this being marginally less uncomfortable than a dining chair! In the slightly tired-looking bathroom I was aware the shower was over the bath. However no non-slip safety mat is provided to stand on, and the one grab rail is at the other end of the bath, so I was unable to have a shower during our stay. Nevertheless, my friend and I have had a lovely holiday. The cottage is right in the heart of Ambleside so provided you don't have mobility issues it's ideally situated for exploring the town and for visiting other parts of the glorious Lake District!

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• Stephen - Verified booking

  This could be a fantastic property but unfortunately the issue with the damp does let the whole property down.

  The cottage itself is lovely, very roomy and well set up with everything you could need and a lovely private courtyard. It is in a great location, 2 minutes from the centre of Ambleside, and has its own parking spot which is a huge bonus as trying to get a space in any of the car parks is virtually impossible until quite late in the evening. The parking is not for the faint hearted or for a large car. It is a bit of a trial the first time as it does require reversing up a fairly steep slope into a fairly tight parking bay but once you have done it once it is actually fairly straightforward. The remainder of the slope to the cottage is quite steep and uneven in places and there is then the final flight of stone steps up to the property itself so definitely not for those with any mobility issues. The biggest issue with the property is unfortunately the damp. As soon as you walk the first thing you notice is the damp smell. It is really noticeable in the larger bedroom where you can see the damp on the plaster. We brought a couple of plugin air fresheners which certainly covered the smell but every time we came back it was noticeable. If the issue could be addressed this would be a really fantastic property.

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• Andy - Verified booking

  The cleanliness of the property was unacceptable.

  In the midst of a global pandemic I felt it could have a detrimental effect on our health. The property clearly hadn’t had anything but a superficial clean and I had no idea who had previously stayed there. It makes me very angry that I was put in that position on the first holiday we had in over a year. I reported the matter to you immediately we arrived at the cottage and it took until Thursday afternoon to get any kind of resolution from Sykes, albeit an unsatisfactory one. The property floor hadn’t been mopped and was dirty, the surfaces grimy, dog hair stuck all over the sofa cushions which themselves were grubby and stained, the dishwasher had been stopped and emptied mid cycle so I had no idea how clean the crockery was. Spending the first 2 hours of my holiday cleaning was not what I had in mind, nor was washing every utensil, plate and glass before use. In addition I was told the owner was responsible, the cleaner responsible and also and the ‘team’ who look after the area. Sykes are very good at buck passing but not at customer service. It is a massive shame because if it had been cleaned properly we would have been delighted with the cottage.

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• Rebecca - Verified booking

  We have stayed at Courtyard Cottage twice before and returned for our annual trip this year because of its convenient location and cosy aesthetic.

  Unfortunately, our stay this year was complicated by the damp that previous reviewers have commented on as a mild issue. Sadly, this had worsened and there was a significant growth of mould on the walls by the bed in the main bedroom. For me this was just unpleasant and gave a fusty smell to that half of the property. For my partner, who is asthmatic, this resulted in a week of asthma attacks which only eased when he confined himself to the second bedroom at the other end of the cottage. We reported the issue to Lakelovers who were fairly quick to respond - they sent someone to wipe the bulk of the mould off the walls for us. This resulted in some improvement in the smell, but the spores in the air continued to affect my partner's breathing for the rest of the week. It was a terrible shame, as otherwise we love the cottage and would have returned again in future. I fear that significant work might be needed to eradicate the damp and make the cottage safe again for those with respiratory illnesses. We now cannot risk it again and urge anyone else with breathing difficulties to seek accommodation somewhere else.

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• Tom - Verified booking

  The property itself was exactly as described and the location is great.

  Unfortunately the cottage was not cleaned properly before we arrived and this really spolied what should have been a lovely property. The cups and plates had been used and just put back in the cupboard without being washed and even a broken glass in the cupboard. The cutlery was dirty too meaning we had to wash everything before we could use things which meant the 2 dishwasher tablets left weren't enough and we had to buy more. The big table and nest of tables were sticky with drink rings with dog hairs stuck in them. There were bug white and black dog hairs all over the place so when you walked around they were stuck to your socks. There was no bin bag other than one with a burst washing machine tablet in just thrown in the cupboard. The grill tray was gross and again had been used and not washed. I didn't expect the spend the first day of a long weekend cleaning the place. It looked like the housekeeping had made the bed and changed the towels and never checked anything else. We were very disappointed and it left quite a sour taste to the trip.

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