Family Holidays In The United Kingdom

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Caroline - Verified booking

  Access to the parking space at the back of the property is via a very steep and narrow lane.

  There are then several steep steps to gain entry into the property, which we feel should be listed on the website. From the front there are two steps, again both of these are very steep. As a consequence, we would not recommend this property for anyone with mobility issues or young children. Also, if you are tall, you need to be careful of your head when coming down the stairs and the size of the bathtub if tall or of bigger build is likely to cause a problem. We were surprised when we arrived to find a lit candle unattended and music playing. Had this been a romantic weekend then it may have made sense, but for a family holiday it felt somewhat odd, not to mention unsafe. The two canned drinks left in the fridge as a welcome felt out of place, particularly with three adult guests on the booking - should we draw straws for who gets a drink!? It is a personal taste, but we would recommend an alternative welcome gift. In terms of the welcome pack, there is reference to nearby takeaways and it would be helpful for these leaflets to be included. We were disappointed that there was not sufficient space/storage for recycling in the kitchen area and it was unclear on what weeks the rubbish and recycling would be collected. We would encourage the owners to add the yearly recycling/refuse collecting planner to the welcome pack and label recycling and rubbish bins with ‘2’ to indicate that they are assigned to the property. On our visit, we could see a food waste bin, no other recycling bins were provided. Although the location was lovely, our holiday was interrupted by the presence of a gardener. We feel that such work should be limited to the changeover period, so as not to interfere with peoples’ holidays. Although we did receive an email just prior to visiting, this did not give a time of when the gardener was expected, nor did they introduce themselves to us. On arrival, they proceeded to open both front and back gates, which could have led to one of our dogs making their way on to the main road directly outside the house. This is unsafe and intrusive. With regards to the kitchen facilities there is a half-sized dishwasher, which didn’t get everything clean and meant this was on sometimes twice a day. Of note, the fridge has a small freezer compartment, rather than there being a separate freezer. Although there were a good selection of glass mixing bowls, there was only one large pan and one frying pan, which is not sufficient for a property that caters for 5 people. Similarly, there were only a maximum of 4 of each type of glass, bowl or plate. We would recommend adding in a few more pans, tongs, a sharper pair of scissors (those supplied were incredibly blunt) as well as providing a scouring pad/brush, foil and cling film (or state that people would need to bring their own.) It would also be helpful to have some a greater range of oven-proof dishes as well as traybake/cake tins etc. We did appreciate the washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and washing tablets. Of note, there were cracks in some of the glasses and we are unsure whether this was due to dishwasher use from previous peoples’ stays, but it was noticeable that they had been pushed to the back of the cupboard. The proportions of the tables and chairs in the kitchen were very uncomfortable, as we were leaning over the table. The chairs were incredibly uncomfortable, and we could not stay seated for any period of time before our backs become uncomfortable. This meant that we gave up trying to play the board games we had brought with us. During our stay, the garden space was lovely and sunny. Unfortunately, with no parasol there was no way of giving shade. An outside barbeque would be great. Again, the outside seating offered only caters for 4 people - 2 single chairs and a bench that only fits 2 people comfortable. In terms of the bedrooms, the quality of the beds and bedding was very good. However, it may be worth being mindful that future visitors may require the option of hypoallergic duvets/pillows etc. We do think the comment regarding “ample” storage space in the bedrooms is questionable. Only one double bedroom had a hanging rail. The other double bedroom had an over the door coat hook and the single room had 4 coat hooks. This was fine for us as we were having a mini-break, but would not be sufficient if staying for longer. We do note that the listing does not state that you provide WiFi. However, this is something which we feel would be worth revisiting particularly as the phone signal for 4G/5G was incredibly poor within the property and gardens. If guests are willing to pay, there is a BT HotSpot option, so if WiFi is not going to be offered this could be mentioned in the listing? During our stay the TV itself lost signal which was disappointing, especially as it had only basic TV channels. When we have had previous holidays, we have found the TV remote has offered the function of logging to your Netflix/Amazon account, which has been great but this would require a WiFi and a Smart TV. Although our stay could definitely have been better, this property does have a lot of potential and we hope that the owners will take on board our feedback.

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• Sean - Verified booking

  We enjoyed staying in Youlgreave, and the cottage is in a peaceful location on the edge of a river valley at one end of the village and a short walk from pubs and shops.

  Unfortunately there were problems with the cottage which have also been raised in previous reviews; we didn't let them spoil our stay and we had a relaxing week, but we probably wouldn't return. The cottage is about a hundred yards down a path from the main road, behind another house and far away enough from the road that you don't hear any traffic noise. The website map is a bit misleading; the cottage is closer to the village than the map shows. We didn't have any problem parking on the road above the house, but a couple of houses on the road were empty; at busier times it might be difficult, though there is a free public car park further up the road. The stone path down to the cottage isn't slippery, even in the rain, but it is fairly steep and uneven and might be difficult for anyone with mobility problems, and the house itself isn't particularly accessible. The house is an old stone two up two down with a more recent block extension, on the edge of a steep sided wooded valley. There is a patio to one side with garden furniture, and an open area to the front, not part of the property, which was full of wild flowers when we were there in early June. A footpath across the front of the house, shown in the main photo, leads down to the river but is quite steep, muddy in wet weather and overgrown. There are views across and down the valley. The living room, kitchen and scullery are on the ground floor with main bedroom at one end of the first floor and a small single bedroom and bathroom at the other end. We found the house quite cold and draughty in a fairly cold week in early June, but the heating was effective. The scullery / utility room is draughty and not very secure but has a door direct to the yard which might be useful for those with muddy boots or dogs. We didn't use the small bedroom, but the main bedroom was a good size and comfortable. Bathroom and kitchen are usable but fairly basic with some odd quirks. The owner had left a welcome pack with some biscuits, muffins and milk. We had a good stay in Youlgreave, but for us the cottage was disappointing with quite a few niggles which made it not quite the cosy retreat we were looking for, and at the price we expected a much better standard. There is a visitor book with a page or two of information, but we couldn't find instructions for appliances or much information about the house. The listing photos show the cottage to its best advantage, but make it look much brighter inside and tidier outside. The back and one side of the old part of the house are against the hill; when we were there the house smelled of a mix of mustiness and strong room freshener. We found the cottage less well decorated and maintained than it looks in the photos and quite shabby in places, particularly kitchen and bathroom. The shower head is low, would not stay in place and has a very short hose, making it quite difficult to have a decent shower. There is a stop on the bathroom door which prevents it opening more than 2/3rds; we nearly walked into the edge of the door a couple of times. The kitchen was adequately but not well equipped, a bit tatty and poorly lit from a central fitting. The oven is behind the kitchen door and is blocked when the door is open. Broken bulbs had not been replaced. Outside, the overall impression was saved by the wooded valley location and the wild foxgloves and other flowers outside the garden, but the patio is very uneven and there seemed to be little effort to maintain the area, with borders, boxes and paving becoming over-run with weeds. Garden furniture was quite rickety to the point of being unsafe; seats on the picnic bench were loose with screws rusted through, and one leg of the curved bench was broken off and the bench propped up on a loose block of rotting wood. These issues will matter to some and not others. What's worrying is that they would be simple to fix and have been raised by previous visitors, going back over a year, but have not been addressed; we couldn't speak to the owner at the time and raised them again through Sykes, but the owner has not responded. The cottage is in such a good location and could be a wonderful cosy place to stay with a little effort, but from our experience we'd suggest reading the reviews carefully and looking at the photos critically before booking.

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• Natalie - Verified booking

  The new cottage stay was a refreshing and peaceful experience.

  After reading previous reviews. I put my good old walking boots on before arriving to the cottage going the steep path to the cottage, which the path was clear and easy to walk down. Even my 71 year old mum made it down and up the path fine ( no mobility issues). The views were really special and breathtaking. I needed a much relaxed rest after the 2023 year and this cottage and area fulfilled my expectations. The cottage has everything a person would need From excellent high quality bedding ( habitat) a make i love anyway and also high quality eco friendly toiletries. ( beautiful smells). The tv was a bonus . I loved waking up on the comfry bed every morning and watching the sunset rise and set and the wildlife with so many birds around. Down at the bottom is the river. Where you can here it in the background as so quiet. The property may not be for everyones taste but for me , my mum and my dog it was a perfect little gem of a find.I bet it us beautiful in the spring/ summer .0ver 3 weeks stay and thank you for mel , mike and yourselves for a well needed rested break. Spending christmas and new year in new cottage has created a long lasting beautiful memory. My dog settled so well too and thankyou for going that extra mile mel and mike for the bottle of wine , fresh milk and butter. New cottage has set my new year 2024 of on a high and i am well rested. Hope this feedback helps and i look forward to going back in the summer or when my work schedule is not to busy Kind regards natalie , my mum and my dog

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• Cathy - Verified booking

  Celia's View is a lovely place in a great location.

  On arrival we found the (narrow but navigable!) track to the parking space at the back of the house, and let ourselves in without any hassle. The house was extremely warm (26 degrees!!! We started off by turning all the radiators right down!) and inviting. It took us 24 hours to locate the cutlery, which was hiding in a secret drawer within one of the kitchen units (boy, did we feel like idiots when we eventually found it!). We were disappointed that there was no cheese grater, but it was a minor inconvenience and the rest of the kitchen was lovely to use: excellent cooker and plenty of cupboard space. It would have been handy to have a few more glasses (not quite enough for a family of 4) but we managed. We did find an intriguing number of abandoned dog toys under the beds and sofa, which amused the children no end, and the bathroom cabinet was not that clean on the inside, but otherwise the house was spotless. We were visiting in February, so we didn't much chance to enjoy the garden, but the children did enjoy feeding the sparrows that live in the hedge at the front of the house, and also visiting the amazing play ground just down the road. Perfect location for travelling to nearby places, and all in all a super holiday location.

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• Michael - Verified booking

  The Vault house is in a great location with all local amenities on your doorstep.

  The welcome pack was a lovely surprise and even our dog was treated. The property was spotless and the decor and furniture was of a high standard. The beds were very comfortable with good quality linen and pillows. The outside area was a great addition and fantastic for families, BBQ’s and guests with dogs. We have a couple of negative points being when we stayed the weather was very good and the property gets warm. The bedroom window opens up onto a gangway at the side of the house which we was not happy leaving it open while sleeping. A couple of fans in the property would probably resolve this issue. The last point was more of an inconvenience than a negative as the outside area cannot be accessed directly from the property so you have to go out the back door onto the side street to enter from the side gate. This meant locking up every time we went to the garden. Like I said it’s an inconvenience more than anything else. I would definitely recommend the Vault House to anyone looking for a relaxing break that is in a great location to explore the wonders of Northumberland.

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