Dog Friendly Kirkby Stephen Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• David - Verified booking

  Cottage holidays like this give everyone, at a relatively low cost, the chance to live their dream.

  Most of us live in cities that are expanding at a frightening pace with every inch of green breathing space being swallowed up for more soulless, homogenised cells that pass for houses these days. From this cottage, in one of the most glorious parts of the Country, all you could see was fields of livestock. You went to sleep to the bleating of sheep, and awoke to the sound of birds, sheep and cattle. Stay here and have breakfast in clean air, watching tree creepers, nuthatches and woodpeckers visiting the garden whilst swallows swoop around. Then bid "good morning" to a playful lamb and thoughtful cow. Prepare a hotpot and pop it in the Aga. Go out for the day then come back to a glorious dinner and return to the garden with a glass of something interesting to catch the last rays of light and watch the stars come out to play. Sounds a simple life, but it is idyllic. Oh there's WiFi and television to keep children and teenagers happy. You even have mobile phone reception most of the time. So I urge people to book a holiday. Remove yourselves for a week or two and live life in a location like this. We can't change town planners views of what's important, but we can change ours. Even if you think you'd prefer Benidorm, book this cottage and try a slower pace of life...... you might find it restorative. Ultimately the true test of a holiday cottage is to ask the question "Would I like to book to stay there again?" And I would do so in a heartbeat.

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• Marcus - Verified booking

  Sally End is quite the best equipped and most generously supplied cottage we have ever stayed in, which, especially when combined with Robert and Sara's warm welcome, meant we instantly felt right at home.

  It is a substantial property, far more spacious than the photos suggest, and the garden has the most incredible view. The remote location was a huge bonus to us, as we were able to walk from the door all week without needing to move the car once - we covered 82 miles in total, taking in many of the summits of the Howgills as well as Wild Boar Fell and some great lower level walking around Uldale and the nearby limestone pavements. The cottage was eminently compatible with returning from walks with muddy boots and paws: there is an outside tap and hose, a small entrance hall, kitchen with hard flooring, excellent combination washer/dryer, and, of course, the Aga for not only drying everything out but having the very best baked potatoes ready for our return. We experienced quite a temperature range during the week, but the combination of Aga, storage heaters, electric radiators and wood burner gave us confidence the cottage would be cosy whatever the weather. For those who prefer the wildlife to the wild life, the location was exceptional: cuckoos, curlews, oystercatchers, even a red squirrel in the garden. Visiting during lambing season added particular enjoyment to our stay. While there are a couple of short unsealed sections of the access lane, it is in decent condition and was absolutely no problem at all in a small car with limited ground clearance. We will be back!

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• Samantha - Verified booking

  I often get anxious on approach to a holiday home, expecting things to not be quite right (uncomfy bed, poor shower, bad drainage, unclean etc) especially pet friendly cottages but this cottage was just a delight!

  As soon as we walked in, it smelt so clean and was incredibly tidy. Even the sofas had been freshly vacuumed and there wasnt a spot of dog hair anywhere. The bed was huge and comfortable, the shower was powerful and drained well, the kitchen had everything you would need (except a washing machine). The wifi was good which was handy for me as I had to do a work video call whilst there. The location of the cottage is idyllic with a 3min walk to a beautiful river and fields for the dog to run around. We took advantage of the proximity to windermere to visit there and ullswater. Local pub 3mins away (Penine Inn) very welcoming (including the dog!) With great food. There were a couple of minor things to mention in terms of cons. The bathroom and bedroom door don't close easily and they would consistently open again once closed so probably needs a minor repair. We arrived in our x5 to find the allocated parking space was very small. We had to park horizontally across one of the other spaces and let the neighbour know. Overall, we would say that this cottage absolutely lived up to the reviews and description, wr had a wonderful time and would love to go back!

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• Claire - Verified booking

  A lovely but rainy two weeks!

  Sally End is well equipped and in a beautiful remote location, but with Kirkby Stephen and Sedbergh both close enough to pop in for supplies. The garden is safely enclosed (even for beagles!) and has good views, even in the rain. There's good parking space out front, and everything for checking in and out was simple. The rooms are a good size, though I didn't get on with the bed and my husband didn't get on with the sofa! The Aga meant we were never cold, but stopped us eating round the table as much because it was very hot in August, even with the rain. I'm sure it's delightful when it's cold out, though, and my husband enjoyed cooking on it. Sally End was supplied with clean cloths, cleaning products, and a Henry to easily tidy back up after our stay, oh and our teenager took full use of the WiFi on rainy days - it seemed really fast and sturdy enough to play online games on his phone, so he was happy. We enjoyed the variety of DVDs and books supplied! Overall, a cosy base to stay to explore Cumbria, the Yorkshire Dales, and the Lake District, even in summer storms - with it's thick walls and the aga, we almost forgot the winds and rain outside!

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• Carol - Verified booking

  Katie and her husband were very helpful, the cottage is lovely, clean and cosy.

  .....however if I had known it wasn't 100% dog friendly I would never have booked. I always bring a trow for the sofa and a dog bed with me to protect people's furniture. but unfortunately my dog was only alowed to stay downstairs on the carpet, I tried my best but this resulted in one upset dog who is not used to being alone especially in a strange place, and one upset tired owner who had to sleep down stairs most of the night comforting my dog. If she would have been alowed to sleep in her bed next to me we would have been OK. there is no door to stop a dog from coming upstairs, wich resulted in me chasing her back down all the time. she just could not understand why she had to be away from me....anyway, me and my dog moved out after a full day, and booked into some where truly dog friendly. Such a shame as the cottage and location was perfect in every other way... I suggest the booking information is updated to reflect the owners wishes regarding thier rules for dogs, then everyone knows where they stand.

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