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"A lovely cottage & very quirky."
Perfect for a stay by water & very close to good food & drink. Very quiet & peaceful. The owners left us butter, milk, bread, tea & coffee & sweet treats which was a lovely touch - thank you.
It would be good to have a list of contacts re any issues such as heating, plumbing, electrical & so on for issues should any have arisen. If there was a list, we didn't see or find it. The fan in the top room was very welcome in this recent heat so thanks again for that. The steep stairs were interesting but being fit walkers, we were ok but not for the faint hearted! We'll definitely stay again :-)
Reviewed by Eilean5.0★May 2026
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"We have stayed in this property three times now , it is clean and comfortable
and is a well equipped property ,there are a lot of stairs to deal with, but that comes with the style and age of the property , it is possible we will use it again ."
as it is in an ideal position for us , we did have a small problem that needed sorted on our last visit . but that was sorted within the hour ,
Reviewed by Anthony4.0★Sep 2025
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"Lovely cottage, great location, two pubs within crawling distance and an Indian restaurant next door (at the time we were there they didn't serve alcohol)."
Cottage was well equipped with all you would need for basic cooking with some provisions left for us which was very much appreciated. The only negative comment I have is that the cottage is over 3 floors with stairs that are small and winding. Carrying a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the lounge was a challenge and you will be surprised at how many times you have to use those stairs. If anyone has mobility problems I would say they would be too much. Stoke bruerne is a lovely setting and we did enjoy the holiday very much.
Reviewed by Michael4.0★Sep 2025
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"We enjoyed our stay at Canalside Cottage, however the basement kitchen smelt very musty/damp and there was a lot of black mould within the kitchen cabinets and some of the crockery/pots/pans were very contaminated with mould."
...a good job my wife prefers to take her own cooking essentials!! Also there were various tradesmen parking in the very restricted parking area at the rear of the property whilst carrying out works to the adjoining cottage making access and egress very difficult, these works should only be carried out when the properties are not being occupied!!!
Reviewed by Michael4.0★Aug 2025
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"The cottage had everything you would ever need."
Beautiful furnishings and such a fantastic view.I would thoroughly recommend it as long as you can climb stairs.
Reviewed by Carol5.0★May 2024
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"Excellent Cottage and the stairs were perfect for exercising my newly repaired knee."
Great location and would be even better in the summer. The owner needs just a few adjustments to make it perfect. There were lots of wine glasses but no corkscrew. The bathroom sink is partly blocked and very slow to drain - previously commented on in the visitors book but obviously not addressed. Cold on arrival as no heaters on and the sitting room has a storage heater that heats up overnight and was not switched on. 1 single log provided for the open fire - there was some coal but a bit mean.. The most important thing was a manual to explain the running of the house, and local Emergency contacts, nearest shops and garages. We had to go straight out on arrival to find logs and a list of local services would have made it much easier, especially as the kind neighbour warned us not to go out the following day due to road closures. These are all simple fixes that would make it perfect.
Reviewed by Emma-louise4.0★Nov 2023
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"Lovely cottage beautiful location wonderful walks and pubs would recommend The boat Inn only problem was the 3 flighrs of stairs not suitable for young children or elderly or big dogs !"
Reviewed by Gillian5.0★Oct 2023
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"Very nice cottage with superb aspect overlooking the canal."
The cottage is on 4 floors; the stairs are steep, narrow and winding and will be a challenge for anyone with mobility issues - we managed ok. Great to have easy parking directly outside the back door. We will definitely return.
Reviewed by Alan5.0★Jun 2023
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"The pictures of the stairs give the impression that the last few at the bottom as well as the last of the upper ones are normal width, and do not show the very narrow winding stairs connecting each floor."
The stairs in my opinion may not be safely negotiable by the elderly, disabled or young children. The lighting in the stairways is inadequate for safe passage. My recommendation is to include pictures showing the winding, narrow stairs from the top down. Also, advise on the site that the property is not suitable for the elderly, disabled and young children.
Reviewed by Daphne1.0★Nov 2022
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"This was a beautifully presented cottage, a home from home with all the conveniences any family could wish."
However the stairs were very steep and as the property was on 4 storeys there were 3 sets of stairs to negotiate. Not a problem to us but our elderly dog did struggle at first.
We especially enjoyed sitting at the front of the cottage, overlooking the lock and making small talk with passing boaters and dog walkers alike.
We would highly recommend and would visit again as there is plenty to do in the area.
Reviewed by Mandy5.0★Aug 2022
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"We only really booked Canal Cottages as we needed a base close to Milton Keynes to work from whilst our son attended a hockey camp but what a find!"
I’ll start with the negatives and whilst there are a few they genuinely are just niggly ‘finer detail’ points.
The kitchen and bathroom, whilst ok on the surface could both do with a deep clean. The dryer doesn’t work at all. Despite full drawers simple things like scissors, baking trays and a pizza cutter are not available and the bathroom sink struggles to drain.
I’m a sucker for a welcome pack of which there wasn’t one and although tea, coffee and sugar were available they were already opened leaving one unsure whose spoon has been dipping in there before. I appreciate this is personal choice but I would prefer sachets or unopened packs.
The stairs, whilst not a problem for us should definitely be mentioned in the description of the cottage. They’re tough going and we all had burning thighs by the end of the week.
The directions are terrible and whilst most people probably arrive in the light, we didn’t and an additional ‘turn left straight after the bridge into the India restaurant car park’ would have saved us 50 minutes of wandering round at almost midnight wondering if we should just find a travel lodge.
HOWEVER, as I said, minor niggles because the location of Canal Cottages is out of this world. There is everything you could possible need around you in less than 100yards.
It’s probably one of the most relaxing places we’ve stayed and you can literally feel life’s stresses leaving your body as you watch the barges manage the locks and the holidays makers stroll by from the small terrace out front.
The house itself is charming and cosy with history seeping through the walls. The master bed is probably the comfiest I’ve ever slept on, the addition of a fan is an excellent call and the views from all the windows are stunning.
Despite Canal Cottages falling short of a 10/10 we would return in a heartbeat.
Reviewed by Joanne4.0★Aug 2022
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"Fantastic cottage to stay in."
Very clean with everything you need. The Boat Inn opposite the cottage and The White Hart at Grafton Regis serve delicious food. Our stay was great but we did struggle with the steep spiral stairs after a few days. Beautiful surroundings.
Reviewed by Paul4.0★Jul 2022
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"A lovely traditional house right by the canal ."
There are narrowboats passing frequently so there is always something to see .This was our second visit .There is a nice Indian restaurant nearby and two pubs too.The owner Neil is very helpful.Would highly recommend especially if you like narrowboats .
Reviewed by Anne5.0★May 2022
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"Overall a very pleasant stay but marred by the fact the cleaning had not been completed."
Laundry was in the washing machine and the lint trap looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time - a fire hazard. The kitchen floor had not been swept. and there was hair in the bathroom.
There is a dryer and washing machine in the cottage premises and it is generally well equipped. Some additional staples, such as salt, pepper would be nice as well as some matches or fire igniter to light the living room fire which had been so nicely prepared.
Beware of Steep stairs on four floors so would not be suitable for anyone not able to handle them. Well furnished and comfortable beds - one double in top (fourth) floor and two singles on the third floor.
Reviewed by Robert3.0★Apr 2022
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"The cottage had everything that was needed for the stay and there were great facilities near by with some great walks and pubs."
Reviewed by David5.0★Nov 2021
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