Dog Friendly Cottages in Cumbria

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Deena - Verified booking

  Firstly the cottage has not been cleaned on arrival.

  With two children and after a 4 hour drive we had to them sit in a local pub for 2 hours whilst it was cleaned. (Sykes did give us some compensation however 6 days later have still not received). On arrival back at the cottage it was still not cleaned to a suitable standard. There was hair stuck to the carpets upstairs and fat splatted at the back of the cooker. The hob has residue left on it and the bathroom has marks on the floor. The parking situation outside of the cottage caused havoc. The advert stated roadside parking opposite the cottage. This is not true. There are double white lines painted therefor you cannot park opposite them, which when we were loading and unloading we were told by numerous ‘locals’ who would go out of their way to tell us we can’t park. There is also a parking warden issuing £35 fines. To find somewhere to park in a village of this size with no parking available was an absolute nightmare. I was baffled on arrival at the front patio which is actually the door step… you would also never want to sit out there on a main road through the village? To watch tv we tried using the sky box which asked us to insert our viewing card. Firstly it’s 2023, who still has these type of devices and secondly, if we did, why would we bring the viewing card on holiday?? Wifi is chargeable, we had to buy this daily at quite a significant cost. There are no instructions for the cottage left out we had to search cupboards but this was minimal. As there is no garden, there was also no access to an outside bin so the kitchen bin became very full and we had to start taking rubbish out with us to find a bin? The welcome we received was the most unwelcome I have had in any cottage I have stayed in over the years. There wasn’t as much as half a toilet roll in the bathroom… The whole experience left us baffled, frustrated and put off from ever staying with Sykes again. It was an inaccurate listing of a property. That said, the village itself had 2 nice pubs with very friendly staff.

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• Fiona - Verified booking

  Beautifully decorated and super clean - but this is not a cottage, it is a basement flat.

  We would never have booked it if we'd understood that from the description given on the website. The flat is built into the hill beneath the hosts' busy home and the two bedrooms are dark and cold - they did provide a dehumidifier for the damp in one of them and extra blankets which were needed in AUGUST when we visited, though our daughter still had to sleep in her fleece it was so cold. As both bedrooms are partially underground they have very little natural light and only one small window in one wall above head height - which opened at foot level of the hosts’ own garden so we had to keep the blind shut as you’re completely overlooked. Same at the front of the flat where you're eye level with the hub caps of up to 4 vans and cars parked right outside coming and going daily during our visit - until the second week when the hosts asked us to park in the next street so they could resurface the driveway for the next 2 days. Clearly work that had been planned in advance and should have been forewarned when booking. There were positives: lovely shower room, big squishy sofas, really well equipped kitchen and cakes, milk and eggs provided on arrival. Sadly this did not make up for the misleading description which does not make clear that this is a basement flat and there was no privacy or peace and quiet - which was what we really wanted. The hosts did say when we arrived that they had family staying with them but I'm not sure they realise that every footstep, toilet flush and children running up and down goes straight through the ceiling into the flat below. If you are used to people walking around above you and don’t mind people walking up and down right outside every window, you’ll be fine. We were very disappointed and had we not endured a 400 mile drive to the property would not have stayed after seeing what it really is when we arrived.

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• Howard - Verified booking

  This was our second visit to Raceside Cottage, and the facilities have improved since last year.

  Two new 2 seater sofas and a large screen TV are added facilities. The accommodation is very spacious and it is very well equipped throughout. Beds seem to creak a lot, but they are actually very comfy. The property is always very clean on arrival, and the welcome gift of home baked fresh cream cup cakes from the host, Viv, are delicious. The local pub, the King Billy is still closed for refurbishment, but it is currently set up at nearby Brockwood Hall, a 10 minute drive away, and it’s worth the short drive. Also recommend the Brown Cow and Bridge Inn for meals out. Easy walk down to the local beach via a level farm track, or the short drive to Silecroft (pebble) or Haverigg (sand). You are away from the main tourist traps of the Lake District, but Coniston Water and Muncaster Castle are less than 45 minutes away. Highly recommend a train trip on the Cumbrian Coast line from Millom or Silecroft up to St Bees (10 min walk to large sandy beach). The train line literally hugs the coast for most of the journey (hourly service both ways). As it was our second visit, you can guess we wouldn’t have gone back if we didn’t like it.

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• Linda - Verified booking

  Raceside is an extremely well equipped cottage in a beautiful, quiet location.

  The cottage was cleaned to high standard and on arrival the owner had left delicious homemade cakes, milk and eggs. The whole cottage was very comfortable and well maintained. There is a lovely seating area outside, shared use of the owner's garden and ample parking. The beach is a pleasant walk, taking about 20 minutes down quiet tracks. At low tide, the beach is a vast sandy beach with beautiful views of the mountains and you normally have it all to yourself! My dogs absolutely loved it. Silecroft beach is the next beach along, which is a short 5 minutes drive, again it is beautiful sand at low tide, with toilets, cafe and free parking. The cottage is well situated for visiting Wastwater and the high fells, Eskdale and also Coniston is within easy reach. There is a pub, just a couple of minutes walk from the cottage that serves food and the small town of Millom is a 5 minute drive, offering a few shops, pharmacy and takeaways. The owners are extremely friendly and helpful. This is my second stay in this cottage and would definitely recommend it for quiet break in stunning surroundings.

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• Daniel - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage and lovely hosts.

  Very compact living area with large bedrooms, each with own en-suite. Dining table and chairs are available and folded. It is possible to make space for them by moving furniture but most adult groups probably wont bother. Kitchen is tiny but very well thought out. we found it easy to prepare food in kitchen, but having a crate to store bulk food elsewhere turned out to be useful. We brought our little dog who felt welcome there and got on well with the hosts' dog. There was lots of space for her for constitutional walks although no enclosed garden. The area is absolutely lovely for walking and cycling: much quieter than the central Lakes. There is a pleasant pub in the village which serves food as well as a selection of real ales. We did not go in during our week as the vegetarian options were not terribly appealing and we were off drinking following Covid. There is also a great little cafe that serves nice lunches and proper teapot tea. Overall, a nice cosy place to stay with very friendly and helpful hosts. Overall, would highly recommend

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