Dog Friendly Villas In Kielder

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Joanna - Verified booking

  Could be lovely - but needs a lot of attention.

  The worst was the VERY dangerous electric towel rail – this is hot to burning levels – I burned my hand twice hanging up towels and when I caught my elbow on it while getting out of the bath and it immediately blistered and burned through layers of skin casing a nasty burn which is still painful 5 days on. There are no rails in the bath or wall and it is quite a high bath - so nothing to get hold of when getting in and out and I’m a fit adult. This would be really dangerous for children, anyone elderly or disabled – the rail is a real health and safety issue heating to the temperature of an iron and was not even labelled with a warning sign as dangerous as very hot. When we arrived at 4.30 (check in was from 4.00) the wooden floors and tiled entrance had recently been mopped and were very wet meaning that both humans and dogs were slipping a lot until they were eventually dried. We couldn't use the drive for parking as a large ATV was parked there for the duration of our stay so we had to park on the road – meaning we had to carry all the luggage and load dogs directly onto the road in the rain. Parking area was very overgrown so passenger had to get out into thorns. Dustbins are left out at the front of the cottage - adding to the general dilapidated appearance. The upstairs floor looked derelict – even worse state than downstairs. The photos must be old that were used in the advert as it didn’t live up to expectations. Random clutter left in corners and behind the washer – which had been poorly fitted so that the doors didn’t close. Needs a thorough update, decorate inside and out and a deep clean. Paint on windows cracked inside and out. Light switches, plug sockets, table mats, chopping board all needed cleaning. Curtains in sitting room and hall were grubby on the bottoms and dusty with cobwebs. Damp on bedroom wall. Fuse boxes all exposed – need boxing in. Only one loo roll for 4 nights and 3 dishwasher tablets seems rather mean. The garden is a jungle and not dog proof. Nettles and thorny roses everywhere, full of weeds and overgrown shrubs, junk and dying planters. Such a shame as it could be a lovely place to sit out. View from kitchen was onto a mass of nettles. So – whilst it was in a beautiful location with walks close by, I would not recommend it until plenty of TLC has been lavished on it. Photos available. Bit of a long list - but it wasn't cheap and we expected better.

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• Moira - Verified booking

  I have written quite a long review, so accept it would have to be edited for publication The Lawson family has just enjoyed a long weekend in The New House ,in a very rural part of Cumbria.

  Take the advice of Sykes Cottages and don’t arrive without that essential bottle of milk, as you can’t just pop out to the shops. The house is very spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room for a family of 9 adults, as we are. The main living, cooking and recreational area is open plan and most attractive, leading out to a furnished patio, within extensive and beautiful gardens. The kitchen is well equipped for self catering, which we mainly did, but we also enjoyed a very high quality and reasonably priced dinner at athe Crossings, about 20 minutes away. All the bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs, quite a long and steep climb to be expected in this high ceilinged property. There is a downstairs toilet and utility room with an extra fridge freezer for all those provisions. There are empty cupboards in the kitchen for other groceries. For anyone wishing to be away from the biz of the family room, there is another attractive and comfortable sitting room, leading through to a library, with its extensive and eclectic collections of books. There is also a small, formal dining room, which we didn’t even think of using, as the large (very covetable) table in the family room accommodated us perfectly. From the house there is a fabulous panoramic view for miles around, totally unspoiled by any modern intrusions, pylons, etc., giving a wide open feel to the hilltop house. It is set in a truly historic landscape, with the 4th century Bewcastle Cross, all 15 feet of it carved beautifully in sandstone, to be found at the bottom of the hill. A special exhibition, housed within the churchyard, is well worth a visit. A visit to Birdoswald Roman fort is a must. A huge amount of excavation has been done, and a fine exhibition and cafe all make for a great visit, ideal for Wall enthusiasts, like us. The New House is advertised as a family home, and it certainly has that feel, not at all a sterile holiday let. However, we felt the, to us, rather off colour cartoons in the main bathroom would not be to the taste of many renters. Probably because of its remote position, the WiFi was quite patchy. These two comments apart, our family would highly recommend this lovely house and setting to any prospective customers, particularly anyone seeking peace and quiet. And it was a lovely place for celebrating our 60 th wedding anniversary, the diamond geezers as we became known! Moira Lawson

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• Jane - Verified booking

  Over all my experience at New House, Brampton was very disappointing.

  To start with I was a bit concerned when I discovered after booking that the house keeping bond was payable to the property owner not Sykes Cottages. My concern was well founded. After paying the bond, 8 days before the start of the holiday, we struggled to make any further contact with the owner, Mr Barrington, and I had to speak to Sykes to contact him on our behalf, whereupon he did eventually manage to send the arrival details and the key safe code to us - just 36 hours before our arrival and after a full week of procrastination on his part. After departing New House on the 13th December it took until the 30th of December and 5 further phone calls to Sykes to have the good housekeeping bond finally repaid. Sykes have been extremely supportive. I think without their help I could be still waiting for my money and I am very grateful for their help with this. The property itself is ‘tired’ and we found it cold. The windows need cleaning, the settees in the main room are grubby. There are far too many grotty table mats, chipped pots and worn out 'no longer' non-stick pan and oven trays. It appears nothing old has ever been thrown away. The cutlery is an eclectic collection of bits and bobs. The fridge and freezer have seen better days and the cooker is very worn and was far cleaner when we left than on our arrival, especially the oven which we cleaned before using. The beds were uncomfortable and too well used. Out of 3 showers 1 leaked, one was either excessively hot or excessively cold with nothing in between, the 3rd was okay. On a positive note Mr Barrington is very generous with his toilet rolls. The small sitting room and dining room are elegant but they accommodate only 5 or 6 people, as a party of 8 adults we did not use them. The property is remote, big and spacious and the views are lovely. But this is not nearly enough to compensate. It is fair to say that the inability to contact Mr. Barrington and the irritation it caused spoiled our holiday as much as the other negatives which are also significant.

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• Michael - Verified booking

  The Vault house is in a great location with all local amenities on your doorstep.

  The welcome pack was a lovely surprise and even our dog was treated. The property was spotless and the decor and furniture was of a high standard. The beds were very comfortable with good quality linen and pillows. The outside area was a great addition and fantastic for families, BBQ’s and guests with dogs. We have a couple of negative points being when we stayed the weather was very good and the property gets warm. The bedroom window opens up onto a gangway at the side of the house which we was not happy leaving it open while sleeping. A couple of fans in the property would probably resolve this issue. The last point was more of an inconvenience than a negative as the outside area cannot be accessed directly from the property so you have to go out the back door onto the side street to enter from the side gate. This meant locking up every time we went to the garden. Like I said it’s an inconvenience more than anything else. I would definitely recommend the Vault House to anyone looking for a relaxing break that is in a great location to explore the wonders of Northumberland.

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• Amanda - Verified booking

  The house is obviously a well-loved family home, but as others have mentioned in the visitors book and online, it is now in need of some TLC to bring it back to a good standard.

  Some of the kitchen equipment really needs replacing. Dishwasher doesn't work and obviously hasn't been working for a while. And a house of this size really needs a dishwasher and it does state dishwasher in the listing. The outdoor furniture shown in the listing is not provided. The mattresses are awful and in need of replacement. The sofas in the kitchen area are dirty and uncomfortable. Lovely to have wood and coal for the fire, which we very much appreciated. The house remained warm and cosy during our stay. The house also needs a really good thorough clean. One guest had particular trouble with the amount of dust and dog hair. It was really nice to have some basics provided (salt, pepper, olive oil etc.). The large downstairs spaces are ideal for family gatherings and very social, as is the lovely large dining table in the kitchen. The location is very quiet, which we loved, and there are lots of walks from the door. Property was easy to find.

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