Dog Friendly Cottages in Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Julia - Verified booking

  We had a really good holiday in the end but it was marred at the start by the unhelpful and unpleasant behaviour of the owner.

  He did not respond to our emails, asking about key collection, so I had to call up. During the call I asked if we should bring our own table tennis balls (one of the reasons we chose this cottage is the table tennis is shown in the pictures). He told me the table had been damaged some time ago and when I said how disappointed I was, he sneeringly claimed that 'no-one books a cottage just for table tennis'. When I explained that it was one of the main reasons we had decided on this particular cottage and asked if the table could be repaired before we arrived, he dismissed this as 'impossible'. He did not offer any apology and did not reply to my follow-up email that politely requested at least a temporary repair. In the end, when we arrived we found that, although damaged, it was possible to still use the table. The cottage is well equipped, though not that well maintained. It is likely to be something inherited from the owner's parents as it still has everything a lived-in house contains. The housekeeper clearly makes a good job of trying to clean the property well between visits but inevitably with so much bric-a-brack around, there are areas that they can't get to. It would give a better holiday experience if the owner would remove all the 'rubbish' e.g. drawers full of broken bits of household equipment and DIY stuff - this would make it easier to clean and it would feel less like living in someone else's house.

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• Jesse - Verified booking

  Charming little period cottage owned and recently renovated by NTS (free entry to beautiful Threave Gardens).

  Great location for Rockcliffe, nicely set back from the popular beach, with its own private parking next to the cottage. Two small bedrooms upstairs are bright and cosy. Mattresses and pillows could use covers as another reviewer pointed out six months ago. Small bathroom downstairs (steep staircase) with good shower, separate bathtub, toilet, heated towel rail and one tiny sink. Sitting room downstairs is a bit pokey. Well-equipped kitchen has more light and brand new good quality appliances. Oil-fired central heating throughout on a timer. There's an open lawn in front with partial views of coast and a small front patio with a wooden picnic table, four wooden chairs and a large parasol for those Scottish al fresco meals. There's nothing in the way of shops or tearooms in Rockcliffe, just a Mr Whippy van during the day, but there's a Londis convenience shop in nearby Colvend. A delightful 30-minute walk through NTS woods takes you to the little seaside resort of Kippford with a tearoom, pub and yachting club. A beautiful path going the other direction hugs the coast and takes you to a stunning viewpoint in half a mile and continues for another four miles to the sandy beaches of Sandyhills (a bus connects the two villages).

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  A last minute holiday and we did enjoy our stay. However, this is the only rental cottage ( we have stayed in many ) where there was no tea, coffee and sugar. Not all places have milk but most do, and usually a welcome pack. Luckily we had brought our own and also food for our meals for the first few nights. Alistair had told us that the main supermarkets were in Dumfries - I had already researched this, so planned in advance. The cottage is quaint within a converted stable block being so old and it was very unusual not to have a stand up shower but we knew this on reading the description. The flies were a total nuisance when preparing food and there were lots of dead flies on the window ledges. Perhaps some sort of 'fly catcher' could have been installed. There was no bathroom cleaner - only one anti-bacterial cleaner in the kitchen, which I took upstairs to use. Also, it would be better if the refuse bins were not opposite the kitchen window. Talking to Wayne was a pleasure, hearing the progress made so far and future plans.

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• Antony - Verified booking

  The cottage, it's location and grounds are lovely and some of the facilities (kitchen/diner and bathroom; except for ridiculously small sink) are good, but it is badly let down by the contents - or rather the lack of them.

  No spare bedding or blankets (or cot); nothing between the sheet and the very cheap mattress through which you could feel the springs and is unhygienic; no hair-dryer; no ordnance survey/walking maps; no suitable drying area or muddy shoe/boot racks. Kitchen poorly supplied: we have never stayed in any self-catering accommodation that did not supply even a few basics - salt, pepper, cooking/olive oil, no hand-wash in the cottage and no welcome supplies. A dishwasher but no salt or rinse aid, even in the machine. The grounds should have been mown and cleared on change-over day between 10am and 5pm, not spoiling our peace on a lovely sunny Tuesday afternoon (and making my hayfever flare up!). Despite all this we enjoyed our week in Rockcliffe with its wonderful walking, but would recommend that anyone visiting should take as many provisions as they can fit in their car - assuming that you are not travelling from abroad!

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• Shona Stewart - Verified booking

  Groom's Cottage provided us with a warm, comfortable and well equipped base within the grounds of Arbigland House. We, and our dogs, particularly loved the peaceful setting and the ready access to woodland, developing gardens and beach. However, it was the people who made our stay here so special. Alistair and Wayne were wonderful, welcoming hosts ensuring we had all we needed throughout our stay. We loved hearing about their vision for the house and garden and greatly applaud their enthusiasm and determination. Also thanks to Peter the gardener who spent a lovely evening with us over a cup of tea. We loved our stay here. So much so, we will be returning in May to see the gardens in full bloom and to once again enjoy the location and the warm welcome extended by Alistair, Wayne and Peter.

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