Romantic Cottages in the UK

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ewan - Verified booking

  We had a lovely week at High Sprint Gill.

  The enclosed garden really is enclosed, and our two "lively" working cocker spaniels enjoyed exploring and taking a wee sip from the stream (until it dried up in the heatwave!). The view from the garden was - WOW - panoramic across the dales. There are some lovely mature trees around the cottage and a wide variety of birds visiting. A wooden bench and picnic table are a nice touch for eating outside, and there is apparently more garden furniture around but we didn't use it. The cottage itself stayed cool indoors, providing a relief from the heatwave, and although the Aga cooker stayed hot, it wasn't a problem for us. In normal times, when temperatures are cool, the Aga will be a lovely background warmth in the cottage. We used it for some cooking: the hot / very hot plates heated up pans nicely and worked well for shallow frying. The oven was great for heating things up too; faster than we expected. There is also a conventional electric oven and large microwave. Overall, the kitchen was well-equipped and had all that we needed, including a radio. The owners left plenty of dish-cloths and drying towels, which was kind. A small boot room on the ground floor provided some extra storage, and there was a toilet, sink, washing machine and tumble dryer in this room too. We didn't need the dryer as it was hot enough to hang washing on the line outside; pegs were provided. The main lounge was spacious, with two comfortable sofas, CD player, freeview TV, DVD, and VHS. You can educate young children on historic media technologies of yore while on holiday. We didn't use the open fire, but it looked easy to use and was already set up to be lit when needed. Extra fuel was available with an honesty box to cover the cost if you need to light a fire each night. We reckon the cottage would be very cosy in the late autumn or early spring when the Dales get a bit chilly. A second dining room is provided, complete with another freeview TV, dining table and chairs, and an old upright piano. We enjoyed playing games in the dining room at night and the piano was an added bonus if you fancy some DIY music. The dining room had an electric heater if it gets chilly, and there are some lovely exposed beams in each room. The cottage feels like you are stepping back in time, and is the most characterful property we have stayed in with Sykes. Upstairs there are creaky, slightly uneven floors, and beautiful views out across the moors or down the lane. The master bedroom has a sink, which was handy for us as a family of 4 adults, and plenty of storage. Beds were comfy, although one matress probably could do with an upgrade on one of the single beds as it was rather thin (would be fine for under 12s though). The bathroom was large and includes a bath, bidet and shower. Everything worked nicely for us, although the shower occasionally took a while to get going. This was just part of the charm of the cottage for us though: the cottage gets water from a spring, and water is heated from the Aga. The owners left small supplies of toiletries in each room, which was great. Overall, we got the impression that the owners really care about their guests and work hard to make the cottage feel homely and comfortable. High Sprint Gill is highly recommended if you want to 'escape' for a while and enjoy being in the Dales and spotting hares, red squirrels, or birds of prey. Mobile coverage was good on Vodafone and other networks, if you need that, and the Wifi was also good but don't expect to stream 4K video. It's a short drive from Kirkby Stephen, which has a Co-op, Spa supermarket, garage, and take-aways if you want a break from cooking. The bakery, pubs and cafe looked good, but we didn't have time to sample them. We spent some time in the Fat Lamb pub garden (walkable from the cottage; about 2.5 miles) during our stay, and the walk from the pub to Ravenstonedale was worth it for the scenery, although we ended up staying on the road most of the time to avoid livestock. For dog walking, there were a couple of viaduct walks that were quite sheltered (from the heat) and mostly flat for easy walking. Opportunities for off-lead walking are limited to places without livestock, which rules out most of the Dales during the summer, but the Smardale viaduct walk was mostly off-lead, provided some shelter from the sun, and had impressive views and can provide shorter or longer routes as required. We also visited Sedbergh and Acorn Bank (national trust), but in 'normal', cooler weather there are plenty of walks from the cottage if you want to leave the car behind or get on a bike. The cycle routes look great, and not always too steep. There was a large parking space outside the cottage, with enough space to turn around. The lane approaching the cottage is quite bumpy and narrow (7 foot at one point), so pump-up your tyres. There is a single garage attached to the cottage but we didn't use it. In summary, this is a wonderful cottage with heaps of character and has everything you need for your stay. It's rural, beautiful, and quiet. Just what we needed.

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• Armour - Verified booking

  The house is in a prefect location, it is close to Rye and Tenterden.

  The house is situated on a lovely country estate, with access to wood and vinyard walks. It is a wonderful location for a country and beach holiday. Unfortunately, there are problems that could easely corrected. 1 cleanliness, old cobwebs at high level, must be at least two years old. Crisps found between sofa cushions. Not ours as we dont esat crisps! 2 The vacuum is not up to standard, many long dog hairs in the carpet. 3 Cooking pans old and worn 4 Glasses, no matching glasses. There are not four matching glasses. Including wine, champagne, beer, or water. 5 Outdoor furniture, We noted this on last years revews the outdoor furniture is worn, rotting and dangerous. If you use the deck in the garden, you take your life in your hands. 6 Lack of occasional tables, the furniture placed like a coffee table is style over funtion, just leather foot stools. No way of placing cups on them. 7. No shower in the downstairs bathroom. 8. There were many lamps not working in light fittings especially in the kitchenette area making it difficult to work in, especially for the visually impaired. On the plus side the the beds were extremely comfortable with good quality bedding. To sum up it could be magnificent with a bit more care and attention to detail.

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• John - Verified booking

  Great rural location.

  Well placed to explore the local area, and it was good to have the use of a local map, and nice to enjoy a game of tennis. However, we found the creaky floors intolerable and would not return because of this. The wooden flooring in the ground floor ensuite bathroom was swollen from a water leak so the door would not shut and the wallpaper was hanging off the bathroom wall. The whole living area is too small and there would not be enough space for 4 people. The oven, hob and microwave are good, but there is nowhere for guests to store their food, and there is no step stool to reach the high kitchen shelves. The dining corner is cramped and the bench seating is uncomfortable. Despite comments from guests last summer the owners had not replaced the ancient garden table and chairs so it was not possible to eat outside in the lovely garden. This property is advertised with a 5 star rating which we don't feel it merits.

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• Jim & Pauline - Verified booking

  My husband and I (plus our collie) had a most enjoyable holiday at High Sprintgill - it was lovely to stay in such a beautiful cottage which still retains much of its historical character and charm.

  
The cottage was cosy and warm and the use of the open fire in the evenings after walking on the fells during the day was very special and really contributed to the enjoyment of our holiday. However the Aga was the real highlight - it really is the heart of the cottage and so welcoming to come back to after being out all day. The cottage was spotlessly clean and maintained to a very high standard and Robert and Sara were friendly, helpful and kind hosts - they genuinely care and look after their guests ensuring they have the best holiday possible. High Sprintgill is situated in a very quiet and peaceful area - the location is amazing and the local scenery is stunningly beautiful - it is wonderful to have direct access to the higher fells and beyond. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at High Sprintgill and look forward to returning to this lovely cottage.


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• Alan - Verified booking

  Generally well appointed.

  Bedrooms and bathroom facilities very good & clean. Main room very dark [dark ceiling & walls] and some light bulbs not working. Although rest of cottage clean, ceiling festooned with cobwebs & also on stairs. There were also some "niggling" aspects that would be simple to resolve i.e. Ironing board cover very flimsy with broken strings; oven instructions not very clear [changing temperature]. No instructions re rubbish recycling/collection day or what to do with dirty laundry. No kitchen scissors; chopping boards [other than wooden board]; draining rack for washing up; small side tables to place drinks. Blind on front door missing. Could do with more storage space & some shelves too high for shorter people. We enjoyed our stay and visiting the surrounding area but the above relatively minor issues did take a little of the shine off our stay..

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