Up Over Head

A good weeks stay with excellent weather.

The access road to the farm is not made up but can be negotiated with care. The staircase to the top floor bedroom and bathroom is very narrow and probably not suitable for someone with mobility issues. In view of this, I left the suitcase downstairs and took clothes up daily. The property is located in a very scenic area with good sea views close by. The property is located in a farm yard, with collapsed buildings adjoining but this did not detract from my stay in any way.

The property was actually really disappointing.

It was very dark and had clearly been empty for a while. The whole farm was in very bad disrepair and, although it was very historic and could have been beautiful, particularly in that location, it felt unloved and uncared for. The cottage was dusty and the towels smelt musty. The bed linen, being black and grey did not feel clean and crisp. It felt like the colour scheme was designed to disguise the dirt, rather than enhance the cottage. The blind in the bathroom would not close and the shower was broken. I did not feel it met the standards to be expected at Sykes and should certainly not be marketed at that price.

The cottage is very affordable, in a good location, and full of charm and character — maybe a little spooky, but that’s part of its personality!

You just have to turn a blind eye to a few issues. The farm road is quite uneven, so if you’re driving a fancy car with low ground clearance, you might want to pick a place with better access. Like others have mentioned, the unused barns around the house didn’t bother me, but I can see how some people might find them off-putting. The exterior is lovely — the cottage and surrounding buildings are made of stone, and there’s a bench outside where you can sit and relax. There’s also one of the Cornish fogous right behind the site, which is a really cool touch but you need to ask the owners if you want to have a look. I stayed in October, and with the heating on, it was warm, cosy and comfortable. The bathroom, bedding, and towels were very clean, the rest of the cottage was clean though a few areas seemed to be overlooked — the kitchen rug, sofa upholstery, and blankets could probably use a wash. That said, the sofas are very comfortable to sit or lie on. The cottage has a distinct old smell, but that’s probably just part of being 600 years old! The kitchen is well equipped and easy to cook in — just note there’s no refrigerator but the fridge works well. I brought some DVDs but discovered there’s no DVD player, even though it was listed in the description. Not a big deal for me since I had my tablet, and there’s cable TV with plenty of channels, but others might be disappointed. Might be worth updating the listing. And good news — there is actually some phone signal inside! It comes and goes a bit, but it’s good enough to check emails, use WhatsApp, or even make a call. Some people complained that the shower cabin is small, but I’m 6′2″ and found it okay. However, the shower was leaking through the ceiling to the ground floor, so I had to limit how long and how often I used it. It wasn’t fixed during my stay and seemed a bit brushed aside by the owners, though I suspect they’ve since addressed it as it likely needed more serious plumbing work. I was probably just a bit unlucky but fine with it in the end — I was travelling solo and didn’t want to be too picky or spoil my holiday — but others might find the approach to the issue frustrating. Speaking of height — when I first read someone had knocked their head on the main entrance door frame, I thought they were just clumsy. Guess what — I knocked my head at least three times! I think there’s a head magnet in that doorframe :) Maybe that’s why it’s called Up Over Head! I’d recommend hanging a string or ribbon in the entrance as a reminder. But overall, for the price, I'm very satisfied and really enjoyed my stay! Cornwall is beautiful!

The property was dirty.

It hadn't been cleaned properly. We think that the elderly gentleman who owned the cottage did the cleaning and, as charming as he is, he doesn't have much of a clue. Cupboards smelt fusky, black bits on the crockery, bed linen needed replacing. Shower was broken, there was no washing up liquid or tea towel and only 1/2 roll of toilet paper. A welcome pack would have been nice after a long drive. The stairs need a proper bannister. The present one is flimsy wooden curtain pole and would easily break. The derelict barn is a dangerous eyesore. Drainage from the adjoining property bubbled up into the yard. The place has real potential but needs some outside influence. Sykes need to do something about it and quickly.

This property is extremely poorly maintained and is unhygienic dirty to the extreme.

Bathroom very dirty and mould could not use shower the the sink would not drain no response from owner Not fit for holiday use

The cottage is quite dark inside, could do with a sign saying mind your head on the front door as it is low and we both banged our head on the door and stairs several times The farm yard in full of derelict buildings and doesn’t look good on arrival Would not be safe for younger children , But having said that we had a lovely holiday ,ideally situated from all the places we wanted to go The cottage was comfortable ,bedding clean One thing I will say is the cottage was in desperate need of a new toilet seat Although it was clean it was all stained and looked mouldy I cleaned it myself when I got there and it didn’t look any better Although the owners were there we never met them they never came to introduce themselves or ask if everything was ok This was the cheapest cottage by far we have stayed in so I knew it had something wrong with it

Lovely place in a good location, really friendly locals and some great local pubs.

We had a lovely stay, few issues no tv or microwave due to power surge last week, Terry the owner rectified the tv after couple of days.

He did just let himself in few times but was a lovely guy. We would stay again, lovely location and value for money! Zoe, Mark and Barley x

Beautiful cottage.

It was my first visit to Cornwall. Beautiful sunset too.

The property is dark inside.

The accommodation is dusty and could be cleaner. The shower cabin is too small and narrow. It was difficult to open the windows to get some fresh air and there is no where to sit outside. The location of the property is in a lovely village with a good local pub selling good food. A few things broke during our stay but were repaired very quickly.

An absolutely stunning position, the views were amazing, it was exactly like the photos, the history behind Manor Farm is exceptional.

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit, hope to go back soon