Gateway Lodge

After a five-hour drive, I arrived to find an unpleasant smell in the shared kitchen, with old water in the sink and dirty pans. Later, the people in the room next door were shouting and playing what sounded like video games loudly well into the night. There was no hot water at first, though that was fixed promptly. Getting in had been a struggle too. I hadn't been sent the entry code, and ringing the doorbell twice got no response. Of the four phone numbers on a note in the window, three didn't answer; the other reached a man at what seemed to be another property in Wakefield, who couldn't help. After I kept calling, Daz finally answered and came to meet us. He apologised and explained that the person in charge had gone away without giving him the booking system login, so he didn't know who was due at which property. He had us follow him to another place a few minutes away and let us into a room.

Look around at other places before you commit. I booked a room for a week, but on arrival it was dirty and full of rubbish, despite supposedly being ready for the next guest. The bins were overflowing, food was left on the counters and in drawers, and there were drink cartons and spills everywhere. There was a brown mark on the floor that looked like excrement or bodily fluids. The bed had dirty, slept-in sheets, and there was a dirty fridge and unknown red liquid splashed on the walls and radiators. Party balloons were scattered around too. I contacted the representative, who offered another room, but it was in the same condition, with extra empty vodka bottles. They tried to move me elsewhere, but that wasn't practical, so I had to look for somewhere else at short notice.

Quiet, lovely spot for a short break, with stunning green views right in the city centre of Cleckheaton.