Furnace House

I booked a double room with breakfast, then was told breakfast wasn't included. They also made me pay before handing over the keys, even though I was staying a couple of nights. I didn't like finding that someone had gone into my room while I was out. It's a proper working man's B&B. I wouldn't recommend it, as there are much nicer B&Bs nearby.

The beds were lovely to sleep in, and the shower had plenty of hot water, which isn't always the case in other B&Bs I've used. The bathroom was small but complete. This place has a real welcome-home feeling: it's a normal-looking house in a residential area, with a living room just inside the front door, furnished with a sofa, two chairs and two tables where you can eat. There's a small kitchen upstairs where we made breakfast. We hardly saw the staff, apart from check-in and the housekeeper in the morning, but everyone we did meet was friendly and made me feel welcome.

This B&B turned out better than I expected. The room was clean and suited me perfectly, since all I really needed was a bed for a couple of nights. Being able to help myself to continental breakfast whenever I wanted was handy, and it was certainly good value.

The best thing was chatting with another guest at breakfast, a nice change from the dull, dark place. The dining area is also the house's reception room, and there are few working ceiling lights. Breakfast is self-service, with cereal or toast, and you wash your own dishes. It's in the middle of a housing estate, but was very quiet, with a car park round the back. There wasn't a warm welcome, just a text explaining how to get into the building and room. Mine felt more like a cupboard, with a tiny bathroom you had to work around. The lamp didn't work, though the TV did. It was somewhere to sleep for the night, but I slept badly. The place needs some care and a proper clean.