Hillside Cottage

The views are amazing, and the garden was immaculate. It’s well fenced, so my dog could run around without me worrying she’d get out. The cottage is comfortable, homely, and well equipped in a beautiful spot. We’ll definitely return.

It was so peaceful in the garden, and the parking was easy and felt safe for up to two cars. The location has amazing views, with walks nearby and others a bit further away. You can find plenty of places to eat during the day or evening, or cook for yourself. The quiet is mostly broken by country sounds: sheep, cattle, tractors working the fields, and birdsong.

The cottage is in a nice area, and the furnishings were a decent standard. The kitchen was well equipped, but the place was extremely dirty when we arrived. Dog hair was everywhere: on the kitchen counters and side trolley, on the chopping board, in the washing machine drum and rubber, on the extension leads, and in clumps on the stairs and in the small bedroom. The windows hadn’t been cleaned and had mildew. Nothing seemed to have been cleaned before our stay. I spent one day blitzing the place, including two and a half hours trying to get hair out of the washing machine. I’ve stayed all over the UK and Europe with my dog and have never encountered a place this dirty. It put a damper on our stay and was truly sickening. The property manager said it had been inspected before we arrived and couldn’t grasp how vacuuming laminate floors could take 30 minutes. When I sent photos, he had nothing to say and never contacted me afterwards. The owner later insisted they’d called to arrange a cleaner, but that never happened. I was in touch with the manager as soon as he got the photos, so I don’t understand how they say they couldn’t reach me. I don’t want excuses about the previous guests leaving a mess. That’s all the more reason to allow time for a proper clean. The owner never contacted me or offered even a single apology. I hope they find a new property manager instead of using the fact that he manages 11 other properties as an excuse for the lack of cleanliness. I also wouldn’t recommend it if you want long walks with your dogs. There’s a suggested field opposite the cottage, but the red soil stains, so you have to keep washing yourself and your dog. The roads are too busy to walk along, so I drove ten minutes to St Matthews Field. A little further down from that field there’s a nice, well stocked shop with reasonable prices, better than the cottage’s local shop, which was expensive and had very little produce.

We spent a nice week at the cottage over Christmas. The kitchen had everything we needed to cook Christmas dinner, and there’s a good local shop and lovely countryside. The wood burner was good, but the cottage felt a bit cold without it.