Guests say
Low Shipley Cottage is highly praised for its cleanliness, stunning views, and peaceful setting. Guests appreciate the well-furnished and spacious interiors, as well as the welcoming hosts. The wood-fired hot tub is a popular feature, although some guests mention it can be tricky to heat. The rural access road and some maintenance issues are noted, but overall, the cottage offers a comfortable and enjoyable stay with thoughtful touches like welcome gifts.
The cottage receives high marks for cleanliness, with numerous guests describing it as spotless, immaculately clean, and well-maintained. This consistent feedback suggests a very high standard of cleanliness throughout the property.
The location is generally appreciated for its stunning views and peacefulness, with easy access to local walks and nature. Some guests find the access road a bit challenging, but this does not significantly detract from the overall positive perception of the cottage's location.
Guests find the cottage comfortable, with cozy furnishings and comfy beds. There is a single mention of an uncomfortable mattress, but this seems to be an isolated issue. Overall, the comfort level is rated highly.
Facilities are generally well-received, especially the hot tub. However, there are several mentions of maintenance issues such as a problematic washing machine, loose toilet seat, and a few damaged floor tiles. These issues suggest room for improvement in this category.
The hosts are frequently commended for their thoughtfulness, with mentions of welcome gifts such as prosecco and chocolates. While these gestures are highly appreciated, it is important to note that such gifts are not guaranteed and may vary.
About this property
Barnard Castle 5.5 miles. An outstanding, stone-built barn conversion in a courtyard setting, situated midway between Barnard Castle and the pretty village of Middleton-in-Teesdale. Superbly set in stunning countryside, this Barnard Castle cottage would suit anyone wanting peace and tranquillity yet within easy reach of a network of wonderful footpaths tracing the upper reaches of the Tees valley waterfalls. Boasting first-class accommodation, this spacious cottage offers two charming bedrooms which benefit from their very own TVs and en-suite facilities where you can unwind in a soothing bubble bath before stepping out onto the toasty underfloor heating. Spend your evenings in the homely sitting room, admiring the elegant leather furnishings, exposed beams, oak doors and a feature stone fireplace with a woodburning stove - a welcoming space to relax after an enjoyable day out exploring the countryside.
Outside is a small private patio, ideal for alfresco dining, accompanied by a crisp glass of wine during a warm summer’s day. Take a relaxing dip in the hot tub whilst enjoying panoramic views of beautiful unspoilt countryside or simply enjoy the extensive shared lawns. A short walk across the fields from this Barnard Castle cottage brings you to the delightful small village of Cotherstone with two local inns serving real ales and good food. From the doorstep of this Barnard Castle cottage, a network of scenic walks and trails can be enjoyed whilst a short drive brings you to the popular, historic market town of Barnard Castle with a host of antique shops, tea rooms and independent shops.
Be sure to visit the waterfront at the foot of the castle and take a hike further upstream to High Force and Cauldron Snout. Nearby adventure awaits at The Bowes Museum and Raby Castle with the splendid grounds and deer park, whilst the Teesdale and Pennine way offer the perfect day out for ramblers and hikers alike, alongside amazing views. Other local attractions to keep you busy during your trip include the Low Force and High Force waterfalls, Egglestone Abbey, the Deepdale Nature Reserve, and the sensational North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Yorkshire Dales National Park await further afield.
Explore Barnard Castle during a memorable trip to Low Shipley Cottage.
Barnard Castle is a market town in Teesdale, situated within unspoilt countryside. The town is on the site of a Roman ford, which crosses the river, plus the medieval ruins of the castle and the cobble streets, yards, and back lanes are well worth seeing. From the town, there is excellent walking with The Pennine and Teesdale Ways, River Tees and the waterfalls at High Force all nearby.
Accommodation
All ground floor.
Two double bedrooms with TV and en-suite bath, shower over, basin and WC.
Cloakroom with basin and WC.
Kitchen/diner.
Utility.
Sitting room with woodburning stove
Oil central heating, underfloor heating and woodburning stove.
Electric oven, ceramic hob, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, 3 x TVs with Freeview, DVD, radio, WiFi, selection of books, games and DVDs.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Sorry, no smoking.
Travel cot and highchair available on request.
Off-road parking for two cars.
Bike storage.
Large shared lawns to rear and small private patio with furniture, hot tub and barbecue.
One well-behaved dog welcome.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 4.9 miles, pub 4 miles.
Note: This property is accessed via 1.5 mile unmade road
Nearby points of interest
- Barnard Castle
Reviews (113)
-
Gavin
Needs some TLC. It's a nice little cottage but general maintenance and dated features let it down. The owner couldn't have been nicer. Fired up the hot tub for us Friday and Saturday night. Was accommodating when asked if we could have a slightly later check out (no one due in after us). Choccies and a bottle of fizz on arrival was lovely touch too. However, there are a lot of things which MUST improve here for me to recommend. These are as follows: Bathroom door which doesn't shut nevermind lock, very dated and tired kitchen needs updated (without a carpet on the floor please - no right in a kitchen especially when pets are allowed). TV in the living room is very old and too small for the size of the room. If you intend to stay in, that needs to be far better. Under floor heating just seemed to stop working in one of the en-suites half way through stay. One of the mirror light bulbs was out. Things like that are annoying and should always be checked between rentals. It's small but screams a lack of attention to detail. Also, if you're there for a short stay, you don't want to have to run back and forth to the owner about things like that. The hot tub has a leak which after a while means the water level drops below the top jets rendering bubbles a no-go. Little feature shelves have been created in the bedrooms but clearly haven't been finished. Bare screws, no lighting, no ornaments or plants in them. It just looks like an idea got started and then left... It devalues the overall experience. To the owners: You have a lovely little place here but it's just a bit unloved and half-baked. With some attention it will be great
-
Angela
People crossing over the rear garden, there would be NO privacy and enjoyment of using the hot tub. The sofa smelt disgusting and stained. The showers werenât working properly and when I then had to have a bath the water was only luke warm as there was a further issue with the boiler not working. There was a broken toilet roll holder and a broken drawer in the kitchen. The owners didnât introduce themselves and were frankly quite rude when they were asked about food takeaways not being available, we had only just arrived and it was getting late and were very hungry, we had to go back out up the long extremely unkept road to get food. Our experience was so bad that weâd packed up and headed home within the first 24 hours. The owners clearly not interested as they made no contact to ask why we had left or if we were coming back. Absolutely disgraceful way to run a business and they should spend some money upgrading their property.
-
Steven
On the way we called at Lidl supermarket in Barnard Castle which is only 3 miles or so from the cottage but it saved us having to bring fresh food from home. Next door to the supermarket is a Home Bargains store as well. The owners were very welcoming and friendly and the cottage, all on the ground floor, was everything we wanted. The previous wood fired hot tub had been replaced with an electrically heated one and was something that we made great use of. The cottage had reasonable wifi but we took our own Firestick and Echo dot to make use of our own tv apps and radio. This was useful as the tv didnât have any catchup apps that we could find so thatâs worth bearing in mind. We didnât use the bedroom televisions so I canât comment on them. The rooms were very comfortable and the bed was super comfy. The garden was safe for our dog albeit not totally enclosed. Being a springer spaniel he enjoyed looking for the pheasants every day and was fascinated when a deer crossed the field adjacent to the back garden. The cottage is relatively private and although there are several others we never saw or heard their occupants. Parking was good and we had everything that we wanted. We did walk across the fields (10 minutes or so) to the Fox & Hounds at Cotherstone for lunch on 3 occasions. We also walked on the old disused railway line to Romaldkirk were we had lunch at the Rose & Crown. Both pubs served excellent meals and are very dog friendly. You need to book however as both can get very busy. Rather than walking back to Cotherstone on the old railway line we came back following the river which was mainly downhill. Overall, we had a lovely relaxing holiday with plenty of walks and I have no hesitation in recommending Low Shipley Cootage.