“The holiday exceeded our expectations.”
Pat and David were lovely and helpful but unobtrusive. It was dark when we arrived so David kindly offered us a torch to borrow.
The cottage has an enclosed garden which was very important for my terrier. The only thing he didn't like was the spiral staircase but that was not an issue as he was right at home in front of the log burner.
The kitchen was stocked with good quality appliances, crockery and pots and pans even down to a 'bun' tray for making Yorkshire puds or cupcakes. There was also a radio and sewing kit - things I wouldn't expect to see as standard.
The cottage has electric heaters and there was plenty of fuel for the log burner so it made the cottage nice and cosy.
Throughout my college years I worked for a farmer who had holiday cottages so I know what to look for. This cottage was spotless - no sign of cobwebs or dust to be found. Care has obviously been taken in setting this cottage up and maintaining it. The red accents throughout are lovely.
The addition of tea, coffee, milk, salt and pepper, a bottle of white wine and a box of chocolates were also extras that were unexpected.
I was also impressed with Sykes Cottages. I had a £100 voucher for another holiday cottage booking site. Even with this discount Skye's Cottages worked out cheaper. They also didn't charge extra for the dog or for the electric heaters or fuel for the log burner. Plus, when I had questions about several cottages I was interested in (specifically the gardens and how secure they were for my dog) Molly was exceptionally quick in finding out the answers - she rang the owners to check and messaged me straight back. This was around 7pm on a Saturday night too - not during 'normal' office hours. When I had similar queries for the other holiday cottage company they never replied.
The local area is lovely. The cottage is in a small village/hamlet and very quiet. It is about 3 miles from Shap village which has a Co-op shop, post office and an award winning fish and chip shop. The bright lights of Penrith are approximately 11 miles away (there's a pub just before you reach Penrith called The Beehive and it serves good quality cheap meals and is dog friendly). It is worth travelling further afield and visiting Ullswater. The Aira Force waterfalls are lovely and the Inn on the Lake at Glenridding serves lovely food and afternoon teas. It is dog friendly in The Orangery or the Ramblers Bar. They are both lovely, bright and airy.