Large Dog Friendly Cottages in Richmond

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Margaret-anne - Verified booking

  Barforth Hall Dairy - Not Clean, Not COVID Compliant, Not Able to Stay We booked Barforth Hall Dairy for a week long stay but had to leave after 36 hours due to a failed “Additional Clean”.

  We highlighted issues to Sykes & the owner 1 hour after arrival - the place was not clean and therefore not safe for a family visit during a time of COVID -19 restrictions. the water and substances in the kettle upon our arrival (please see Appendix 4)  The dried in food evident on dining plates, making these not safe for use on our arrival (Appendix 5)  The sticky substance covering on the work surface in the kitchen  The dirty condition of the utensils intending for cooking, which contained several cobwebs. The owner does not dispute that these were present in Barforth Hall Dairy at the point of our arrival and after the second clean on 3.7.21 but said the photos ‘had been taken to look bad’. The fact that there were cobwebs on cooking utensils hanging above the sink after 2 supposed cleans WAS bad. It was certainly bad for our family - Cooking utensils being cleaned and safe to use for our arrival is a basic expectation in hospitality. In addition to the missed cobwebs during the “Adfitional Clean” we were still left with  Dead insects in kitchen  Remnants of food still present on dining plates  Removal / replacement of bath mats which appeared to have been utilised by previous guests  Removal / replacement of toilet roll which had evidently been used by previous guests  Food crumbs / debris in drawers of freezer Furthermore the situation was exacerbated when the cleaner who carried out the “additional clean” used our towels and did not use separate sponges etc . COVID-19 guidance states that towels and sponges should not be shared – the towels we brought from home and the dish sponge left for us at Barforth Hall Dairy were both soiled during the second clean, meaning they were no longer in a condition to be safely used by our family. We binned our towels at the property when we left early on the Sunday morning. The owner offered us £50 to make up for the issues but thinks it’s acceptable to keep the £759 paid for a holiday we couldn’t have - we had to leave 6 days early! We are now taking this further which is completely new territory for us. Check out the reviews of Barforth Hall - they’re the same owner & frighteningly similar to our experience. I wish we had - we wouldn’t have made a booking. This place was not clean, not COVID compliant and as a result we did not have a holiday.

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• Andrew - Verified booking

  We were looking for a relaxing couple of days and we ended up wanting to stay longer!

  The location is fantastic, nestled into the countryside on a working farm with horses in view of the hot-tub and out the front along with the Alpacas! We had no issues finding the cottages, the Sykes instructions (as Paula advised) were great, anyone struggling can use the "What3Words" Navigation of ///stencil.racetrack.marshes to get to the front door. Easy to contact the owners, I missed Paula on the phone but we managed to email, and her responsiveness was superfast ( I asked for some extra logs and they were there before we even got back to the cottage ) The Hot tub is simple to use and once heated up once only needs an hour or so each day to get up to full heat, everything needed is provided. We took some plastic "glasses" and it's so relaxing sitting in the hot tub with a drink and just watching the sunset with the horses in view. Locations wise - perfect of Barnard Castle, Bowes Museum, Raby Castle etc are within easy reach by Car and there are a multitude of excellent walks (especially along the river) to get some fresh air and enjoy the English Countryside. The cottage is exactly that, a cottage on a farm. It is not clinically clean - and there are some cobwebs etc but that's to be expected. The kitchen is a good size and has almost everything needed to cook a decent meal in (we made Carbonara & Pasta from scratch and all we were missing as a grater (so we got pre-grated cheese!) The lounge is very comfortable with a good size TV if thats needed. The wood burner makes the room cosy and warm in the evenings (when you can drag yourself out of the hot-tub) Bedrooms were roomy and well fitted out, the 4 poster was great! Comfortable and spacious with pristine bed linen. We had absolutely no issues with either the heating or the hot water (shower was lukewarm - but wasn't an issue) Bath was hot. All in all a fantastic place to stay and get away from it all. Responsive owners, well-equiped cottage in a great location!

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• Jeremy - Verified booking

  The cottage location was idyllic and perfect as a base for dog walking.

  We found it very clean and the wine and biscuits awaiting us on arrival were a very welcome and enjoyable surprise. Appreciated also was the ample supply of logs and coal for the fire, though kindling was sparse (with no backup). And while the owners welcomed ‘two well behaved dogs’ and we received strict rules on dogs in the cottage the owners contacted us while on holiday as they were surprised to see we had dogs (just two). Sykes apparently didn’t tell them we were bringing dogs but did they need to? The owners welcomed two well behaved dogs… apparently. Something of concern was a slippery shower floor and the shower lacked anywhere to put soap, shampoo etc. Lacking in the bedroom was a clock or radio though I appreciate this may not be important for many. I think a shame was nondescript supermarket art on the walls rather that any beautiful scenes of the dales and the local pub was a huge let down. It did not allow dogs and was crying out for a new owner. The hideous electric ‘wood burner’ just one of many likely reasons why the pub was all but empty every night (not representative of the area). There is the CB Inn a ten minute walk from the cottage but this was a restaurant that sold drinks rather than a pub that served food. They did though welcome dogs and had a real fire (and unlike the Red Lion, was busy). In short the cottage was okay (for two), the location was great and the local pub utterly dismal. Beware also, in a very small village like this, you might get the feeling you are being spied on.

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• Susan - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay in 56 The Green.

  The cottage is very comfortable and clean. The sofas in the lounge are as comfy as they look and having a real fire made it so cosy. The kitchen has everything you need and we ate at the breakfast bar rather than using the dining room. The two main bedrooms are big and the beds very comfortable and both have lovely views over the green. Having the bathroom and the downstairs shower room and toilet is a big bonus. The welcome booklet has to be one of the best I’ve seen. Lots and lots of essential information in it. Helpful info for the house and lots of suggestions of places to visit. We can highly recommend Raby Castle and High Force Falls. Richmond and Barnard Castle are great too. Being across the green from the local pub was a real bonus. I can thoroughly recommend the food there and have to say the staff and locals made us feel very welcome. I would like to thank the hosts for making their cottage available to us holidaymakers and also thank John, the caretaker, who called to let us know that the property was ready for us ahead of time. I would happily stay in the property again and would highly recommend it to others. Just a very tiny word of warning - the doors are quite low. My husband bumped his head twice on the door into the kitchen. (What is it they say? Once is a mistake, twice is…

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• Maree - Verified booking

  Hi we stayed at Barforth cottsge 3 nights for my birthday.

  Beautiful area and views from window. But very disappointed with our stay VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND IN THE DARK THE ENTRY TO COTTAGE. very cold. Dusty everywhere, Doors to front and back are very dated unkempt , draught blowing through large gaps, windows mostly single glazed paintwork peeling off . Coffee table is unstable, needs better lighting in living room. No hot water for our stay, had to use a bowl to wash in as no sink.plug in bathroom. could not shower cold water, plus bottom of door on shower was grimy and black. KITCHEN SINK GROUTING VERY GRUBBY put me off washing up. Towels were left but very used and old. Beds were old hard mattresses, looked grubby bedding. Whole cottage was very cold, I slept in my clothes. rugs on floors were grubby. Walls in living room really need a good decorating, so grubby. We could not see to park and no sign to say or light outside cottage. Felt very let down all round, shocked as we have stayed with Sykes few times England and Loch Lomond Last Sept. all places were immaculate and warm and presented very well some had provisions as extras. At £315 for 3 nights, I feel really unhappy about our stay at Barforth hall dairy. Needs a visit for inspection asap. Feel like asking for a refund. Let the lady know, all I got back .. was Thankyou for feedback. ?

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