Holiday Cottages In Cumbria

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Kata - Verified booking

  We booked the cottage from Saturday to Thursday but for personal reasons we were only able to arrive on Sunday late afternoon.

  We found the cottage cold, only 12 C degrees because the boiler was faulty therefore no hot water also. I have managed to call the emergency number found on the app. Within 2 hours a maintenance guy came, he could not fix the boiler but he gave us two electric heaters and turn on the water tank in the loft which supplied us with hot water, but took 3-4 hours to heat up which meant we could not take hot shower that night either. I am glad he came quickly but we still had to drive out in the evening to buy wood to able to fire up the wood burner. Two electric heathers would only heat up upstairs sufficiently. The situation was far from ideal with two elderly people and a 4 month old baby. Next morning (Monday) maintenance team called that someone will come that day to fix the boiler at some point. We were out all day, when we arrived around 6pm looked like noone has been to check. Next morning (Tuesday) when I called the maintenance team for update they said that someone was there yesterday but now waiting for a part to be able to fix the boiler. But noone updated us with this information I had to chase. I also asked them to supply us with more electric heater and wood, as that point we already spent almost £50 on fire wood. That day we received plenty of wood and another heater, which was great but to be honest it should have happened automatically on that day when they found out that the boiler can not be fixed instantly, and not me chasing for it. Eventually we were okay after wood and another heater supplied. The boiler engineer arrived on Wednesday evening (our last night) but he still could not fix the boiler. The area and the cottage was amazing otherwise. The cleanliness was not perfect , the living room had dog hair everywhere especially on the cushions and sofas, we took our dogs too but we don't let them sit on furniture at home either but at least it should have been hoovered. Other thing, it was left 1 dishwasher tablet for us, no salt , no oil or sugar no kitchen foil. 1 bin bag ( even though Tuesday was bin collection day , so we had nothing to use after Tuesday, washing up liquid bottle under the sink was empty. 3 rolls of toilet paper for 6 of us to last for 4 nights/5 days? Were we supposed to arrive with all those? So we had to buy those. I feel that all this could have been avoided if someone comes from maintenance team to check the property before the next let to avoid everyone's disappointment. If not this our stay would have scored 10 out of 10. Thank you

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• Wendy - Verified booking

  We all thoroughly enjoyed our four nights stay at Cross View Cottage, (two adults and two teenagers).

  We arrived in the village slightly earlier to park up (we always managed to find a parking space during our stay) and to look round Alston. The cottage is in a prominent position so it was easy to spot as we drove in and we couldn't wait to get inside and unpack. Collecting the key with the key code was easy. Once inside the cottage it was as good as the photos, beautifully presented and spotlessly clean. We loved all the original features, including the spiral stair cases. And having two bathrooms was definitely a plus! Even though we didn't really need to use it, we still lit the log burner in the living room on an evening. As it was a novelty, not having a real fire at home. Plenty of kindling and matches were provided, we just needed one bag of logs from the local Spar. A fruit/veg/plant stall appeared twice in the week under the Market Cross right outside the cottage, which we used. There are ample of shops for groceries etc in Alston so you don't need to bring lots of food with you! We even had one meal from The High Plaice Chippy close to the cottage, after completing the tree top challenge at Go Ape in Matfen, which went down well. We loved having this cottage as a base to visit places near by such as Penrith, Long Meg, Hadrians Wall and the High Force waterfall. We have since recommended Cross View Cottage to our family and friends. Thank you Shanthi and John for such a lovely stay in your cottage, it's a gem and we came home feeling truly revitalised.

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• Lesley - Verified booking

  21st October 2023 I would have given 5 stars but unfortunately we had an issue with no heating for the first two days.

  It was sorted out as soon as possible. Malcolm and the plumber were very helpful, but I had contacted Sykes before we arrived to check about the heating as a previous customer had said it had been an issue. The front and back door locks and the fridge door could have done with a little maintenance (also previously mentioned.) I do have to say tho we would return. Hillside Farm is a fabulous, spacious and clean property. The bedrooms and ensuites were huge with lots of storage space. Large kitchen and the two conservatories were a bonus ( so much room to spread out.) There are two garages available to be used with access from the utility room. We visited at half term in October but I would imagine in summer it would be great for children. There is an enclosed back garden overlooked by fields and sheep. Young children obviously would have to be supervised near the pond at the front as that was open access, but there were lots of rabbits and birds to watch. Kirkby Stephen was a short drive away with a large Co op, but Kendal was the nearest town with a Morrison's, Aldi etc. and more facilities. The train from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle was a good day out and there are lots of walks nearby. I would recommend this property and would definitely return.

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• Angela - Verified booking

  We three ladies had a wonderful time staying at Cross View Cottage.

  The cottage was clean, comfortable, warm and perfect for our stay. The beds were extremely comfortable and we slept better than we have in ages. It is definitely not suitable for anyone with mobility issues but we found it really quaint. Alston has everything you might need on your doorstep. We visited the church, almost next door, the CoOp, handy for supplies, the takeaway, for delicious pizzas and fish and chips and most other shops for souvenirs and just to chat to the local people who were extremely friendly. The journey to Alston from Penrith took us across stunning moors to a height of nearly 2000 feet but what a view from the top!!! We caught the train from Penrith to Edinburgh, just an hour and a half away, and did the tour of the city on an open top bus, we also visited the Lake District and Barnard Castle, all definitely worth the trip. Finally, the best meals we had whilst in Alston were in the Cumberland Arms. The pub was not much to look at but the chef is a genius. If you enjoy walking, stay at Cross View cottage, you won’t regret it.

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• John - Verified booking

  We loved this property, it is beautifully presented, well equipped, very comfortable, beautifully clean and ideally situated, we really enjoyed our stay.

  We would have liked to give this property a 5 star rating but there are a couple of things that have prevented that. The main one is the stairs. The listing does give a warning about the stairs and I would fully support that but I question whether it goes far enough. The stairs are indeed very steep and I would have thought a hand rail should have been provided, the absence of such meant that descending the stairs was a scary experience and one we only got used to by the time we were leaving. I find it hard to believe this past any safety inspection, if the handrail was sorted we would have no problem giving this property a 5 star and recommending it. The other issues were minor and didnt really bother us and didnt impact our star rating. The most note worthy of other issues was that the public parking in the town square while free is chaotic and you could at times find yourself parking some distance from the property, this was the last week in September I dread to think what it is like in high season, probably to be expected in a busy town centre.

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