New Year Cottages in the Lake District

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Julian - Verified booking

  We have stayed at the Curious Orange before (Approx.

  5 years ago) and it was completely perfect in every way. So much so we thought when visiting the lakes, we would not go anywhere else. This time around however it was an incredibly disappointing stay. The day of our arrival at around lunchtime we received a call from the owner advising that there was a problem with the heating/hot water. We were already halfway to the Curious Orange by this time. The Owner advised that there is an immersion heater (for hot water), and he would arrange extra logs for the stove and ensure there were fan heaters. He advised that the plumber was waiting for a part, but it was due to be in and done on the Tuesday. As we were already halfway there, and that it would be sorted by Tuesday (Thus only really affecting Sunday & Monday) this would be ok. We arrived as planned after 4pm on Saturday. When we arrived, we tried to light the fire (it was pretty chilly as the central heating was not working). There were two fan heaters at the property, but they were noisy and intrusive so once the stove was warming up, they were switched off. On Sunday – Our first full day we did, as many would and went for a walk. We had booked into a nearby pub for evening meal and went for a shower upon our return. One of us had a shower, which went stone cold halfway through and there was not enough hot water for the second person to shower. We looked at the immersion tank and it is a half sized one – explaining the minimal amount of hot water available. We planned Monday around the inability for both of us to have a shower as we were led to believe it would be fixed by Tuesday. Sadly, Tuesday came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner. We contacted the owner on Wednesday to advise that the issues remain, and no plumber had been on Tuesday. At 5.30pm on Wednesday a plumber turned up unexpected and we had to postpone our table reservation for that evening to accommodate the plumber. Sadly, something else was wrong and he was unable to fix there and then – We explained that we could not both have a shower on the same day due to the tiny immersion tank and he tried a workaround however, this did not change anything. The plumber advised he would be back Thursday afternoon at around 12. Sadly, Thursday also came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner, and we were still unable to both have a shower on the same day. The plumber finally fixed the heating and hot water at around 5pm on Friday evening. We both showered and went for dinner for the first… and last time of our holiday as we were leaving the following morning. In summary, we could not both shower/bath each day for the entirety of our holiday, the fan heaters were awfully noisy so our choice for the week was either buying significant amounts of logs or listening to noisy fan heaters. Our stay became a frustrating, more costly than expected, un-showered/bathed stop, whilst attending unannounced tradesmen visits. Sadly, despite speaking to the owner on a few occasions, no offer of a reduction for our current stay or voucher toward our next stay was offered and due to the lack of care & concern from the owner regarding the significant inconvenience we experienced we will not return to the Curious Orange.

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• Christine - Verified booking

  We have just returned from a rather poor stay at Anvil cottage a d wanted to feedback before any other guests have to go through the same experience we did.

  We have stayed in a few houses in Near Sawrey over the years and we're excited to try Anvil Cottage after reading the description and seeing the pictures. However nothing could have prepared us for the smell upon entering the house. The stench of dog was completely overpowering, our kids didn't even want to go in which was such a poor first impression. The rugs were filthy and very old from which I presume most of the smell was coming from. However we carried on the kids were excited to see their room, however when our son climbed up to the top bunk, the whole bunk bed was so unstable and swayed so much he came back down crying. My husband ended up having to strap the bed together using car straps we fortunately had with us just to try and make it more safe and steady. As you can imagine we were not having a great start to the holiday. When we then went to use the toilet we were disgusted. It was covered with urine and hair. I have attached a photo. I had to clean everything, particularly as we have three young children. There were cobwebs in the bathroom as well. We tried to put a good face on things and get ready for bed, then when I pulled back the duvet the sheet was covered in dog hairs. They were literally ingrained in the bedding. Again, I have attached a photo. I just wanted to cry and leave. When my mum who is quite frail, went to use the chair in the large bedroom the seat sunk so low she nearly hit the floor. We made her a cup of tea and found the cutlery in the drawer was dirty and the dishes were still dripping (I presume from being washed but the cupboard was soaking which wasn't nice). There were dog hairs in the fridge and the dish brush we had been left was nothing short of disgusting, covered in long hairs and dirty. I felt like I didn't want to touch anything. It's such a shame as it obviously has character and was well equipped with firewood and plenty of pots and pans, plus the freezer and washing machine was great, but we really didn't enjoy our stay there. The icing on the cake was that the water pressure was awful, often no more than a dribble, and the shower went cold after only a few moments each time, again, really awful for my mum who has arthritis. I really hope this feedback is useful. We had every intention of rebooking for next year but we have gone with another house in Sawrey with another company.

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• Shirley - Verified booking

  We really enjoyed our stay at Anvil Cottage especially as I am a fan of Beatrix Potter and you really get a feel for what her life was like in this village and the cottage itself features in her work.

  If you like a mix of quaint, quirky and modern then this cottage is for you. The lounge and dining room are very traditional, and the bedrooms too. However the kitchen, utility room and downstairs bathroom are modern and have everything you need. We were very comfortable in the cottage but there were just 2 of us. I think if 6 were in the house it would feel a little cramped. The garden is not as large as it looks in the photos but it is a lovely spot to sit - very peaceful. The whole village is peaceful. There are a few points that I feel need to be emphasised in the description: 1: the stairs are quite steep to the upstairs rooms. 2: parking - there really is not room for a large car in the small parking space at the side/rear of the house - you have to open the green wrought iron gates to access this space from the main road through the village. Also - beware of the iron plate that sticks up in the middle of the entrance to the parking which is to act as a stop for the gates. Our car struggled to get over it. There is no space for parking on the street as the cottage is right on the road and on a corner. 3: Take matches. If you want to use the log burner take matches just in case there are none in the cottage. The recommendations for eating at the Tower Bank Arms were great and we ate there 3 nights out of 4 - 2 were booked in advance thankfully as they were fully booked. The 3rd visit was a cancellation. The staff are great, the pub is cosy and the food is wonderful. But BOOK before you arrive! We also ate at The Cuckoo Brow Inn as it had also been recommended - I think they were struggling due to being short staffed and the bar/restaurant area was very brightly lit so a slightly strange atmosphere - but the food was good. Anvil Cottage is very much part of the history of the village as can be seen from the pictures and articles in the Dining Room - be prepared for groups of tourists to take photos and even look through the windows and on one occasion sit and have a chat with each other in the front porch! We really enjoyed our stay and would return....if I am still able to tackle the steep stairs. Would love to return to the Tower Bank Arms....remember to book!

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• Darrell - Verified booking

  A nice well kept cottage.

  Size is smaller than our normal cottages, especially the kitchen area, but good use of the space was made by having an oven/microwave combo located under the stairs. The fridge was also under the stairs, however the freezer compartment was difficult to access. Made use of the included slow cooker. Frying pans could do with being replaced - Teflon going/gone. The smart TVs at the cottage are of the older generation and we could not get Netflix working on either, wifi connection on lounge tv constantly dropped out which was slightly annoying. Lovely super king size bed with nice bed linen and was very comfortable. Shower in the bathroom was good size with constant hot water. Weather was not our friend so was pleased the heating came on a couple of times even though it was July - airing cupboard was always warm and good place for drying our wet weather gear. Whist dogs are permitted at the cottage they are not allowed upstairs. Parking is at the bottom of a small hill and is shared with the adjoining cottage - turn your car around if you can so it’s ready to drive up the hill when leaving the property. The cottage is excellently located for exploring the surrounding Lake District area. Remember to plan your routes and allow extra time due to the narrower roads.10 minute drive to Windemere for a good supermarket and plenty of coffee shops. Similar to Ambleside - loads of sports equipment stores and restaurants. We had a very active week taking in Scafell Pike, Grizedale, Keswick, Rydal and Grasmere but the highlight was the Troutbeck Valley walk up to High Street, returning via Froswick and Ill Bell - a challenging 23k hike. We followed the route from a walk leaflet handed out at the Queens Head pub which along with the Mortal Man are both located very close to the cottage. Reservations are recommended for evening dining if you’re staying during peak season. Overall a great cottage in a great location. Thanks Rob for contacting us before and during our visit to make sure everything was OK.

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• Linda - Verified booking

  This is the second year we have stopped in the cottage at New Year and once again loved every minute.

  We have booked again for next year If you are reading other reviews, I would make the following observations. This is the 3rd place we have stayed in Near Sawrey, the water pressure in the village can be quite low, and it's an electric shower. Don't complain about something that is outside the owners control. Many houses in the village have no off road parking, the fact that Anvil Cottage does is a bonus. We managed to get an E class Merc in the garage and a 4x4on the drive ( and close the gate without problem). If you bring more than 2 cars April to Sept you will have a problem as there is no onroad parking in high season. The ground floor has stone floors with rugs, it can be cold on the feet in places. Absolutely perfect for dogs, but take slippers. The bath towels are small, we take our own as we are quite large Ample supplies of wood etc to make a fire every day, but would recommend buying or bringing kindling and fire lighters. There is a house up the lane that sells kindling. It has one of the best equipped kitchens I have ever stayed in as holiday accommodation, but you might want to take your own pepper grinder. We occasionally had problems with the downstairs toilet, but never had to plunge it. We tied to ensure we only used it for wees and used upstairs for the rest We ran 2 computers and 6 phones of the WIFI at full signal and had no problems with it at all Make sure you reserve a table in the Tower Bank Arms, the food is excellent, but they are usually fully booked by the previous day.

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