“The cottage is clean, bright and spacious in a very quiet village with west-facing views from the rear and patio across miles of open countryside which afforded us many gorgeous sunsets over the Solway Firth in the distance.”
Its remote location is ideal for peace and quiet whilst still offering easy and relatively short drives to many lovely places such as Cockermouth and Keswick.
We do want to make some suggestions that we believe would benefit future guests. A 'welcome pack' upon arrival, containing a few basics (especially milk) is always a good thing. There are two wardrobes which, between them, need many more than the six hangers we were provided with. Include hairdryer in the description. Before arrival, we were unsure if one would be available (there was) so we phoned Sykes to ask but they did not get back to us as promised. There were just a couple of wall-mounted mirrors and no bedroom chairs to sit on. A dressing table and / or a movable mirror positioned near to a socket with a small stool to sit on would be most welcome. We stayed during a hot week in June and would have welcomed some lightweight bedding / blankets as the duvets were far too warm. Please add a cradle / basket in the shower cubicle to hold soap / shampoo etc. For basic domestic tasks please provide some tea towels, clothes washing powder / detergent plus pegs for the clothes line - which would also benefit from being raised at one end to prevent longer items trailing on the ground. On a number of evenings we were shocked when the owners appeared unexpectedly in the garden and right outside the windows. It was a June heatwave when we stayed, and we understand that there was a need to water the plants, but a prearranged time or a knock at the door would have been the correct way to do this. We felt our privacy was invaded. The description also needs updating in regards to the The Last Man Inn pub next door which (at the time of writing) is only serving drinks, not food. The directions provided by Sykes would also be much improved, and save visitors time, if they stated that the cottage is immediately next door to it.
This feedback may seem to be weighted towards the things we found wanting (hopefully to be taken as constructive feedback, not outright criticism) but overall the cottage is a fine place to take a restful and tranquil holiday in a clean and comfortable cottage.