Dog Friendly Cottages in Ulverston

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Les - Verified booking

  Tanyard Cottage could be a cosy, welcoming, and comfortable holiday home but, sadly, it’s not.

  Whilst it’s equipped with the basics (to the absolute minimum) everything is the cheapest it’s possible to buy from the cutlery, kettle, toaster, microwave and, most especially, the sofa which is the cheapest, nastiest and most uncomfortable sofa you could imagine. Several reviews over the past two years have mentioned how uncomfortable the sofa is yet the complaints have been brushed aside with the excuse “We had to get one to fit the space”. That is clearly nonsense as a two seater settee plus an armchair would easily fit. Besides comfort has nothing to do with size but with quality which comes at a price. A comfortable place to sit and relax after a day out walking is a prerequisite for any holiday cottage in the Lake District, for goodness sake put aside a couple of weeks rental income and get a decent sofa and then people won’t be put off by the bad reviews. The cottage is generally clean apart from the mould around the shower tray and the grease on the oven trays. The latter is not a surprise as the only cleaning materials provided are a washing-up sponge which cannot have cost more than 5p, two J-cloths, and some washing-up liquid. We tried our best to clean the trays but you cannot remove grease with a J-cloth. Of course grease on oven trays can be minimised by using kitchen foil but there is none provided. Likewise it would have been nice to wrap food placed in the fridge with clingfilm but again there is none. Kitchen roll would be handy to mop up spills but again no. In a previous response the owners have said that they “provide the things that are a faff to bring” but let me assure you that clingfilm, foil, and kitchen roll are more than a faff to bring on holiday. A previous reviewer has mentioned the lack of ‘welcoming’ basics such as tea and coffee and, indeed, there is nothing to welcome you apart from the first line of the instructions left on the table. Excuses such as “people are rather choosy about what coffee or tea they like” are rather lame. Ninety per cent of people would be happy with Tetley or PG tips and Nescafé which is, after all, what almost all hotels supply. If money really is that tight put a tenner on the rent, nobody will notice, but they will notice that someone has been thoughtful enough to provide a basic welcome. Make it extra special and provide a small bottle of milk and, maybe some local biscuits. The cottage we stayed in the previous week provided all this and even a bottle of wine! Bear in mind also that there are no shops nearby and the last thing you want after arriving at your holiday cottage is to have to drive several miles down narrow country lanes simply because you would like a cup of tea or coffee. All of the things wrong with Tanyard cottage could easily be put right with a change of attitude. “What can I do to make my guests’ stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible” is the right attitude not penny-pinching and brushing aside previously raised complaints. Finally something which I accept the owners have little control about is the parking. The instructions are to park close to the wall outside the cottage but this was not possible while we were there as there was a car parked outside the house opposite everyday and there is not room for two cars on the road. Even worse is that the owners of Willow Cottage next door have unhelpfully, and rather stupidly, put a large flowerpot in the road making getting close to the wall difficult. Someone had damaged their precious flowerpot and so they have put an arrow on the fence of Tanyard cottage discouraging people from parking there. In the end we parked down at the church which was safer but the 300 yard uphill walk was inconvenient especially in the rain.

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• Freya - Verified booking

  I regret booking this accommodation as it ruined the holiday and from the moment I arrived I thought to myself " I'm looking forward to leaving".

  The place was tiny, dingy, and unwelcoming. After driving many hours to a "holiday home" you at least expect to find the basics such as tea, coffee, and sugar, but there was none. How stingy! Just about all of the places I have stayed have also added thoughtful little extras such as milk, biscuits, or eggs from their own chickens, etc, but not here. There was no hairdryer. The sofa was terribly uncomfortable, uneven, and seems to eat you up when you sit down. I had to wash up someone else's dirty frying pan/sauce pans before I could cook myself dinner. There was a DVD player, not no DVD'S. It's quite irritating hearing a large fridge-freezer buzzing loudly behind you whilst trying to relax quietly on the uncomfortable sofa. There was nothing to make the accomodation feel cosy or welcoming and I was left feeling like I was the one who should have been paid to stay there. There is very little privacy as every window other than one is facing directly through neighbours windows, which are only metres away. When you step outside to walk to your vehicle the nosy neighbours are watching you through their windows and making comments to one another. Being inside I suppose they don't think anyone can hear them even though their windows are open. The morning after my arrival I had an issue with my vehicle and had to call an auto locksmith. Due to there being no signal whatsoever inside or outside of the accommodation I wasted a lot of time walking all around the village to finally pick up a very weak signal outside of the church. The locksmith could not get back in contact with me when he needed to and the whole situation was exhausting. The day was wasted! The only thing that makes it a "cottage" is the fact that it has one beam downstairs and a log burner for winter. Other than that it has no charm, feel, or privacy. Incredibly disappointed.

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• Joanne - Verified booking

  Our 4th stay and there's a reason why we keep coming back.

  it was as spotlessly clean, welcoming and comfortable as ever. The weather wasn't great so we did spend a few days just relaxing at the cottage and it's a lovely environment in which to relax. Ulverston is a warm and friendly place and Hawthorn is an ideal spot to wander down to the shops and pubs or down to the estuary which is beautiful. Welcome pack is lovely when you are in need of a cuppa when you arrive. Every room is welcoming and the cottage is endearing. We usually sit and enjoy the view but Summer and rain makes things grow so sadly the view at the rear wasn't as good as in Winter. Hairdryer, towels, kitchen utensils etc all good quality and as stated previously everything is impeccably clean. The owner clearly maintains the cottage as we noticed little tweaks to make sure everything is of a good standard. Freshly painted walls, new kitchen chairs, new bbq, new tv, cushions etc since our last visit. We love the furniture too. It's very classy and understated. It's clearly a well loved property with a very friendly and courteous caretaker and owner. . If you've never booked Hawthorn I wouldn't hesitate.

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• Angela - Verified booking

  The cottage has been totally renewed since our last stay.

  It no longer has a rustic beach hut feel. It now is a more sophisticated modern feel. More space and more comfortable in terms of en-suite etc. The owners have done a lovely job and it was a very comfortable stay. The beds are very comfy. The kitchen is well equipped. We watched to only one evening and it was comfy. We put the wood burner on too and it felt cosy. The main attraction for me is the location and the isolation. It felt less isolated as there were caravans in the field that used to have lambs. Not sure if that’s permanent, but there were more people trucking past the cottage than there were previously. However it’s still not a beach that ever gets heaving with visitors. It’s lovely watching the tide come in and enjoying a glass of wine or a coffee from the cottage. We have already booked again. I just hope it’s still isolated when we return as there is evidence of other development - inevitable I suppose, but I hope it remains unspoilt and still quiet. If it does I’d love to keep returning. Owners are very friendly too and left a lovely welcome pack for us and the dogs - thank you Amy!

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• Deborah - Verified booking

  We enjoyed our week at Tanyard.

  The kitchen is nice and well provided with pots and pans. The log burner is nice and makes it very cozy. The master bed is comfy. The location is absolutely superb. However there were some things that let the property down; (1) sofa was incredibly uncomfortable to sit on (2) the porch area is shabby and not what we expected from the pictures in the listing, a small amount of paint and a clean and it would be fine! (3) the towels were scratchy and not very pleasant. Our dog has better. (4) why not provide a TV with access to streaming services, the internet is very good. Having “free sat” in 2023 is very poor standard. (5) the carpets and matt by the fire seemed very grubby (6) the mis-matched glasses, mugs and poor quality crockery made it feel very budget. (7) the shower and shower room in general looked like it had not been cleaned very well (8) the ironing board and iron were both dirty when i went to iron a white shirt (9) the house smelled very damp and musty when we arrived

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