Dog Friendly Cottages in West Lothian

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Tracy - Verified booking

  Once arriving at the property I was a little confused as the property looked nothing like the images on the website, the roof was in a very poor state with the guttering leaking, and was full of vegetation!

  As to where we park 2 cars as there were no designated parking spaces only the muddy track lane in front of the property was not in the description advertised. I arrived just before 3 pm as instructed in the confirmation email. Once I obtained the front door key I proceeded into the property with my shoes covered in mud from the outside area as there was nowhere to wipe my feet only the coarse rug inside the property, this soon became even worse once we had all arrived and throughout the week it was very difficult taking our shoes off before entering the property through the wet thick mud that was constantly there due to the heavy downpours of rain all week. The area once entering the property had little space to put the muddy shoes upon entering as 80% was needed for the door to open and close so we had to cover the unit with black bags and newspaper to be able to put them on. In the confirming emails sent by yourselves, it stated that there would be everything we needed to start a fire. The property was freezing cold and damp so it was vital for me to get the fire going in preparation for the rest of the family to arrive. I was unable to do this first because there were no fire lighters or kindling wood to get it going and the tray beneath the log burner was full of ash which I then in turn had to clean and empty into a silver ash box next to the fire but it was already full! resulting in me having to go out and look for a shop that sold the starting wood and lighters. Once I finally managed to get the fire started I had to close the burner door with a handle that was being held together by a loose screw! the house started to warm up I then proceeded to figure out how the central heating worked, there was a round thermostat in the living room that controlled both heating and hot water, but there were no instructions to be found anywhere, this was a nightmare as it decided to come on and off at 4 am! It took us a few days to finally understand the thermostat to set it to come on and off when needed. This was highly inconvenient and an instruction book should be available for all persons who stay in the cottage. The floors of the property were very dirty and worn. The living room and kitchen floor were painted with original floorboards that were very slippy and uneven to walk on not to mention the dust and dirt that was on them and when walked across they bounced! The advertisement for this property stated it was large enough to accommodate 6 persons, we struggled with 5! The property was very small, the bedrooms had very little room to move around as did the living room and kitchen, The dining table was set against the wall at the end of the kitchen, which meant that only 3 people could sit at it as there was no room to pull the table out for people to sit on the other side so both my mum and I had to wait to have our meals after my sister and children had finished theirs. 3 of the chairs were also damaged wobbly and unsafe to sit on All the walls were scratched or had stains on them paint chipping off in places and all the skirting boards were filthy and had a thick layer of dust on them. My mother has coronary lung disease (COPD) and she never stopped coughing the whole time we were there. The main bathroom was not clean, there were hairs on the floor and the bath shower screen which was glass is water damaged causing green algae to grow on the seals. The bath also sinks when you lay in it creating a gap all the way around the bath revealing more mold and lime scale. The bathroom sink was scratched and damaged and the plug hole was so rusty that the plug didn’t fit resulting in losing water when washing. The toilet was not clean and even more so the toilet brush was also filthy. There was no extraction fan in the bathroom so it would get very steamed up causing extreme condensation with water dripping from the toilet cistern onto the floor causing more hazards for both me and my mum to slip over on. The en-suite in bedroom one was so small you were unable to sit on the toilet with the door closed there just wasn’t enough space to do so and again the en-suite was filthy and unclean with mold and lime scale growing behind the toilet on the wall and on the shower cubicle tiles, the toilet brush was disgusting not to mention the thick urine stain on the toilet seat screws and there was mold growing in the basket that stored the toilet roll as the room was too small to put a toilet roll holder on the wall so the paper used smelt fousty and damp all the time. The main bathroom over the bath shower was dangerous as it would decide on its own to go either cold or the opposite scorching hot! It happened a few times my sister and mother took showers and the water went scolding hot, we were lucky the 12 and 4-year-old took baths instead. The living room was small and the sofa and chair were very old and stained, the fireplace had no safety fire guard in front of it and as our main source of heat for the property, it was very difficult keeping an eye on a 4-year-old trying to play on the living room floor with a red hot log burner on especially as there were 1.5 meters from the sofa to the fire!. As for the bedrooms well, where do I start? Bedroom 1 near the front door stank of dampness! There was very little storage with what draws were there, they were dirty inside and I could barely open and close them, being stiff and jammed so I kept my clothes in my suitcase instead. This was the only hanging space wardrobe on the property!! A very small wardrobe that had room for little clothing as it also store the hoover in also as there was nowhere to put it without causing a hazard and above the small wardrobe was an even further surprise, a filthy child’s mattress, and yellow stained pillow that no mother would want to use and thank god my nephew is older and we didn’t have to result to using it. Storage draws under the bed were full of Christmas decorations and cleaning products that clearly had not been used. The bed looked like it had been slept in as did all other beds with dirty pillowcases and bedding we were forced to wash all the bedding on day 2! And there was a small clothes horse no tumble dryer or outside clothesline to be able to dry the bedding resulting in me having to sleep in a dirty bed until the rest of the family's bedding was dry enough to wash mine! The sink in bedroom one was inaccessible, due to the bedside cabinet being in front of it and it was impossible to put it anywhere else in the room, for a disabled person with mobility issues this became impossible so I had to use the main bathroom instead. The bed had no headboard! The pillows were touching the wall and upon further inspection, there was black mold all along the wall where the head part of the bed was which resulted in damp moldy pillows! And certainly not good for my health! The main wall adjacent to the bed was the chimney wall as there was a clear band of wet wall stain indicating there must be a leak in the roof or chimney which is showing on the top of the wall. The other two bedrooms were just as much of a letdown and health hazard, the single beds were falling apart with screws on the bed frames either hanging out or not there at all, and the mattresses were dirty and damp as well as rusty around the mattress air vents! The 3rd bedroom was also damp, the bed was a miss match with a very old base and dirty mattress that had not been cleaned for a very long time. Not one pillow in the property had a hygiene pillow protector on either! The windows were constantly wet with condensation and black mold in the corners, this, however, was confusing as the rooms never felt warm, and only half the radiators were fully functional, others like the one in the hallway and living groom remained cold, this is due to the heating not functioning correctly and the heating needs to be balanced out, the radiators were also full of dust on the top of them which didn’t help my mum with her chest having COPD. Now I move on to the window fittings! The blinds to be precise! There was a horrible fousty smell in all 3 bedrooms the main being in the first bedroom I was sleeping in, upon further inspection I found another cause of the small, the roman blinds were completely covered in black mold! This mold is a serious risk to any person's health and there was nothing we could do about it! They were black with mold! Lack of ventilation and inadequate heating and condensation had done this over a long time! Every item of furniture had a layer of dust on it making me believe that the house was not cleaned thoroughly before we stayed there! So having to hoover and mop floors and clean bathrooms and toilets and bedding before we even got to enjoy our holiday was not acceptable. There was a gap around the front door where daylight entered and clearly this was another issue losing heat we had tried to maintain in keeping the property warm in November! The hoover was completely full and upon inspecting it was found to be blocked with disgusting dog/human hair and dust! We put in a black bag to throw out but to our shock, the main refuse bin was full to the rim and we were unable to place any rubbish in the bin for 4 days listing. As for health and safety, there was no fire extinguisher on the property if the log burner caught fire and there was no fire blanket in the kitchen if the cooker hob caught fire either! We were looking forward to a quiet family holiday and were instead having to spend time cleaning and washing bedding before we had even spent any time together, this is not how a holiday let should be run. We feel totally misled by the advertisement of the property, not one photo realistically represented the actual holiday let, not one! There were no pretty fur throws on the beds, the ones used had food or stains on them and we had to wash them also! Images of the clean kitchen and bathrooms! It was all dirty and was a health and safety hazard, especially with the black mold! I put this as my review so as not to let any other families be fooled into thinking that this is a pristine cottage stay as it is not and the owner gets away with it blaming it on being an old property unless you choose to go to the small claims court!

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• Paul - Verified booking

  A great holiday cottage in a great location and set in beautiful grounds.

  As to previous mentions of a train line in the back garden, yes this isn't mentioned in the description, and there's no reason why it should be as it's nothing to worry about. The train line runs past at the far end of the garden and once inside the cottage you can hardly hear them. The volume they pass is no more than a gust of wind, distant passing plane or car - don't let it put you off as it wasn't an issue for us. The garden is spacious enough to let the dog have a sniff about (on a lead as it's not fenced in), and would perhaps benefit from outside security lights as it's very dark at night, would recommend taking a torch. Watch where you're stepping too thanks to previous dog owners not tidying up (no wonder some places don't allow them!) Inside it's great to have 3 toilets to use, yes the shower room loo is a little tight, but you've got 2 others to choose from and we never had an issue with it. Lovely shower off the double bedroom too, plenty of drawers and hanging space in there, the double single bedroom doesn't have as much for clothes storage, but we just utilised our cases, and off here is where you'll find a great washer, airer, ironing board and another loo. Beds were very comfy too. There are a few signs of wear and tear after a busy season, but nothing that put us off. Great log fire, good sized TV with Freeview, and options to plug in Amazon, etc The kitchen is a good size and we had no issues with the oven. A few things were missing from the utensils like a masher, no large serving bowls and no corkscrew/bottle opener, although you could just about manage with one of the blades of the scissors. We bought (and left) a couple of larger sized glasses and a wine glass. The bins are like we've not seen before - Your rubbish has to be taken on a 2 mile round trip to the edge of the estate, won't be ideal if you have no car. Would be a massive help to have a bin/s around the back or the side of the house, after all the neighbours on the street have them. All that said those niggles shouldn't put you off, just worth baring in mind before you arrive as you can not beat the location. It feels like you're in the middle of nowhere, and you kind of are, but you're also just 10mins drive away from a massive retail park that has all the high street names you can think of, all the supermarkets from M&S to Aldi, cheap petrol, fast food, restaurant food and everything in between. You're also perfectly situated for quick trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh. We will definitely be back, tried to book for same time next year, but the site won't allow us, as yet

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• Corinne - Verified booking

  Nice cottage and convenient location for us.

  It would have been useful to have more information on the contents in advance (the website has little detail) as I took things I didn't need (e.g. hairdryer) and didn't take things I could have used (e.g. CDs). The cottage was neat and comfortable, lots of cushions, and on arrival superficially appeared clean. However, the wardrobe in the dining room needed to be wiped inside before using. The doors did not run properly because they have been poorly fitted, though we managed to improve them slightly. Various other bits such as skirting boards and less accessible corners had dog hair and there were muddy paw prints on the wall under the dining room window. Not been wiped off. The hoover really did not work well (spat out more dirt than it took up) and this turned out to be because it was completely clogged inside with dog hair. We emptied it and managed to clear most of the blockage, but it still wasn't great. It needs a proper clean. I noticed that its stand was filthy (fluff and dirt behind and underneath); clearly no one has moved it and cleaned the floor properly for some time. We wiped up a couple of water drips on the kitchen floor with kitchen roll and it came up black - not caused by us as we always left our shoes by the door! It needs a thorough scrub. I didn’t feel that it was my job to clean longstanding dirt. The washing machine leaked some foamy water over the floor during the rinse cycle. My guess is the filter is blocked with dog hair, or possibly the waste pipe is not into the drain far enough. The blind on the large bedroom window fell down when I was trying to lower it. Managed to get it back up but it is not very secure it is only screwed on with 1 screw each side and they are a bit loose. These windows could not be opened. The door of the ice compartment in the fridge is broken - the door falls off if you open it. Medium saucepan lid handle is broken. There's a rotary dryer for the garden but no base for it. The rug in the lounge is worn and rather threadbare in places. It might be a good idea to plant some shrubs along the fence by the cattle grid: they might mitigate the noise when cars go over it.

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• Emily - Verified booking

  Firstly thank you for the bowl of items and the milk in the fridge, gratefully received.

  Lovely base for visiting our family. This would be a beautiful place to stay if some maintenance issues were addressed. The main bathroom was really unsuitable to have a shower in as the massive gap between the bath and the shower door allowed so much water out it became very unsafe for my older parents to use. Also we found that two showers could not be run at the same time because it took pressure away from the other. We resorted in 5 people having to share the tiny ensuite shower which wasn't very helpful when trying to leave at a decent time in the morning. The tiny ensuite had no where to place any washing bits apart from the floor and no hook to hang your towel so we ended up placing on the back of the toilet. The ensuite was also freezing cold as there is no heating in there so taking a shower wasn't enjoyable. One of the main reasons I booked the gate lodge was due to the log burner, we tried 3 times to light the fire and there seemed to be no draw in it so the logs would not burn, it seems like the chimney could be blocked. On arrival we noticed none of the outside bins had been emptied and the recycling had all been mixed. My dad had dropped something under the bed of the double room and when he went to retrieve it he noticed the extremely disgusting old bed base, when charging so much money for a stay I do not think its a lot to expect a clean decent bed to sleep on. The heating system was an absolute nightmare, the heating wouldn't come on when we needed it but was red hot at night when we didn't require it. There were no instructions on how control or manage it either. It was difficult having 6 of us in the property with limited comfortable seating and would of been suited more for 2 adults and 2 children. This cottage is beautiful and could be made to be perfect with some of the feedback taken into consideration.

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• Shellby - Verified booking

  Stunning location, the grounds of Harburn Estate are magnificent and we really enjoyed them.

  The cottage itself was pleasant in appearance but had multiple issues. The living room seating was inadequate with wobbly dining chairs and not enough comfortable seating for the amount of guests. The beds, although dog friendly which is fabulous, were covered in dog hair from a previous visit and one of the double beds squeaked horrendously with even a slight turn of your body; so bad that my husband and I resorted to pushing 2 singles together instead. The TV was badly situated and not fully visible from half of the seating provided. The kitchen was adequately stocked and extras provided such as washing up liquid, tea towels etc. The washing machine was very welcome but a washer/dryer would have been better and no start up washing powder/tablets available to use. We were a party of 4 adults and 2 dogs and the property was manageable …. Just, with regards to space. The garden was beautiful but the table and chairs were incredibly aged and uncomfortable. Over all we enjoyed our stay but that was mainly due to the grounds and location as the property itself wasn’t the best with lots of dust on skirting boards etc and cobwebs around the ceilings and in the radiators…. and of course old dog hairs. The rug was also caked in dog hairs and was dangerous as it was a trip hazard, very thin with no anti slip underneath. We adore dogs and understand pet hair but this should be cleaned thoroughly between guests. I bought lint rollers and used those on the bedding and rug. Such a shame as all issues totally avoidable and the location is perfect.

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