Fisher-Gill Camping Barn

When I called to say I wanted to stay at a nearby B&B instead, the host told me, “We can’t assist you,” and hung up. I was travelling alone and already felt stranded, with no phone signal or internet, so I ended up hitchhiking to another hotel and checking in close to 11 p.m. The host had been dismissive and unkind from the start. She said I “didn't need a key,” even though I was by myself. There were spiders throughout the place, including above the mattresses. When I brought that up, she said, “This is a barn — that’s how it’s supposed to be.” Charging guests means there should be a basic level of hygiene and regular pest removal. The infestation was unacceptable, and the thought of sleeping there was distressing. Her rude, unsympathetic response made the whole situation worse.

The place had a noticeable damp and mold smell, and cobwebs that looked as if they had been there a long time. We didn't complain about those things, so it was frustrating when the host implied we'd left the barn dirty. While we packed up with 40 minutes still before checkout, she followed us between the kitchen and sleeping area, hovering behind us and making passive-aggressive comments. She said we clearly hadn't stayed in a camping barn before, that we were probably used to sleeping on the floor, and that the space was “not as clean as when you arrived.” She looked us up and down as she said it. My friend spent a long time vacuuming the carpets with the provided old bisell non electric roller type handheld hoover, and we tried to leave the place as we found it. We had been polite, friendly, and respectful throughout, so the treatment felt uncomfortable and unfair. A February review described something similar, which makes us suspect non-local guests may be treated differently. If you're not local, I'd consider somewhere else to avoid feeling unwelcome or like a nuisance. Host, please work on your people skills and manners.

Dad and I had the place to ourselves, and the mattress was very comfortable. The barn and kitchen were nice, with lovely scenery, and for £20 per person per night the accommodation and facilities seemed very good. I stayed Friday 14th and Sunday 16th January, as Saturday was fully booked. The £1 showers were a bit annoying, though they gave about five minutes of properly warm water, so maybe worth it. The only other snags were cold water for washing our hands after using the toilet and a broken kettle. That wasn't a big issue because Dad heated water on his stove. Overall, a good visit. KEN

I drove 101 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne to stay here before going to work in Kendal the next morning. I called twice at 20:10 and got no answer. When I arrived, I called again and someone picked up, so I thought I might be lucky and get a room. Instead I was told, “sorry the last booking 20:30.” Don't show up after 20:30 if you don't want to hear that. I would've been fine sleeping in my van, as I've done before. I've booked for another day before, found there were no bookings after 11pm, and once booked 100 miles from where I was because I got one letter of the postcode wrong. “Very helpful”.