Last Minute Cottages in Kirkby Stephen

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ewan - Verified booking

  We had a lovely week at High Sprint Gill.

  The enclosed garden really is enclosed, and our two "lively" working cocker spaniels enjoyed exploring and taking a wee sip from the stream (until it dried up in the heatwave!). The view from the garden was - WOW - panoramic across the dales. There are some lovely mature trees around the cottage and a wide variety of birds visiting. A wooden bench and picnic table are a nice touch for eating outside, and there is apparently more garden furniture around but we didn't use it. The cottage itself stayed cool indoors, providing a relief from the heatwave, and although the Aga cooker stayed hot, it wasn't a problem for us. In normal times, when temperatures are cool, the Aga will be a lovely background warmth in the cottage. We used it for some cooking: the hot / very hot plates heated up pans nicely and worked well for shallow frying. The oven was great for heating things up too; faster than we expected. There is also a conventional electric oven and large microwave. Overall, the kitchen was well-equipped and had all that we needed, including a radio. The owners left plenty of dish-cloths and drying towels, which was kind. A small boot room on the ground floor provided some extra storage, and there was a toilet, sink, washing machine and tumble dryer in this room too. We didn't need the dryer as it was hot enough to hang washing on the line outside; pegs were provided. The main lounge was spacious, with two comfortable sofas, CD player, freeview TV, DVD, and VHS. You can educate young children on historic media technologies of yore while on holiday. We didn't use the open fire, but it looked easy to use and was already set up to be lit when needed. Extra fuel was available with an honesty box to cover the cost if you need to light a fire each night. We reckon the cottage would be very cosy in the late autumn or early spring when the Dales get a bit chilly. A second dining room is provided, complete with another freeview TV, dining table and chairs, and an old upright piano. We enjoyed playing games in the dining room at night and the piano was an added bonus if you fancy some DIY music. The dining room had an electric heater if it gets chilly, and there are some lovely exposed beams in each room. The cottage feels like you are stepping back in time, and is the most characterful property we have stayed in with Sykes. Upstairs there are creaky, slightly uneven floors, and beautiful views out across the moors or down the lane. The master bedroom has a sink, which was handy for us as a family of 4 adults, and plenty of storage. Beds were comfy, although one matress probably could do with an upgrade on one of the single beds as it was rather thin (would be fine for under 12s though). The bathroom was large and includes a bath, bidet and shower. Everything worked nicely for us, although the shower occasionally took a while to get going. This was just part of the charm of the cottage for us though: the cottage gets water from a spring, and water is heated from the Aga. The owners left small supplies of toiletries in each room, which was great. Overall, we got the impression that the owners really care about their guests and work hard to make the cottage feel homely and comfortable. High Sprint Gill is highly recommended if you want to 'escape' for a while and enjoy being in the Dales and spotting hares, red squirrels, or birds of prey. Mobile coverage was good on Vodafone and other networks, if you need that, and the Wifi was also good but don't expect to stream 4K video. It's a short drive from Kirkby Stephen, which has a Co-op, Spa supermarket, garage, and take-aways if you want a break from cooking. The bakery, pubs and cafe looked good, but we didn't have time to sample them. We spent some time in the Fat Lamb pub garden (walkable from the cottage; about 2.5 miles) during our stay, and the walk from the pub to Ravenstonedale was worth it for the scenery, although we ended up staying on the road most of the time to avoid livestock. For dog walking, there were a couple of viaduct walks that were quite sheltered (from the heat) and mostly flat for easy walking. Opportunities for off-lead walking are limited to places without livestock, which rules out most of the Dales during the summer, but the Smardale viaduct walk was mostly off-lead, provided some shelter from the sun, and had impressive views and can provide shorter or longer routes as required. We also visited Sedbergh and Acorn Bank (national trust), but in 'normal', cooler weather there are plenty of walks from the cottage if you want to leave the car behind or get on a bike. The cycle routes look great, and not always too steep. There was a large parking space outside the cottage, with enough space to turn around. The lane approaching the cottage is quite bumpy and narrow (7 foot at one point), so pump-up your tyres. There is a single garage attached to the cottage but we didn't use it. In summary, this is a wonderful cottage with heaps of character and has everything you need for your stay. It's rural, beautiful, and quiet. Just what we needed.

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• Samantha - Verified booking

  I often get anxious on approach to a holiday home, expecting things to not be quite right (uncomfy bed, poor shower, bad drainage, unclean etc) especially pet friendly cottages but this cottage was just a delight!

  As soon as we walked in, it smelt so clean and was incredibly tidy. Even the sofas had been freshly vacuumed and there wasnt a spot of dog hair anywhere. The bed was huge and comfortable, the shower was powerful and drained well, the kitchen had everything you would need (except a washing machine). The wifi was good which was handy for me as I had to do a work video call whilst there. The location of the cottage is idyllic with a 3min walk to a beautiful river and fields for the dog to run around. We took advantage of the proximity to windermere to visit there and ullswater. Local pub 3mins away (Penine Inn) very welcoming (including the dog!) With great food. There were a couple of minor things to mention in terms of cons. The bathroom and bedroom door don't close easily and they would consistently open again once closed so probably needs a minor repair. We arrived in our x5 to find the allocated parking space was very small. We had to park horizontally across one of the other spaces and let the neighbour know. Overall, we would say that this cottage absolutely lived up to the reviews and description, wr had a wonderful time and would love to go back!

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• Carol - Verified booking

  Katie and her husband were very helpful, the cottage is lovely, clean and cosy.

  .....however if I had known it wasn't 100% dog friendly I would never have booked. I always bring a trow for the sofa and a dog bed with me to protect people's furniture. but unfortunately my dog was only alowed to stay downstairs on the carpet, I tried my best but this resulted in one upset dog who is not used to being alone especially in a strange place, and one upset tired owner who had to sleep down stairs most of the night comforting my dog. If she would have been alowed to sleep in her bed next to me we would have been OK. there is no door to stop a dog from coming upstairs, wich resulted in me chasing her back down all the time. she just could not understand why she had to be away from me....anyway, me and my dog moved out after a full day, and booked into some where truly dog friendly. Such a shame as the cottage and location was perfect in every other way... I suggest the booking information is updated to reflect the owners wishes regarding thier rules for dogs, then everyone knows where they stand.

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• Jim & Pauline - Verified booking

  My husband and I (plus our collie) had a most enjoyable holiday at High Sprintgill - it was lovely to stay in such a beautiful cottage which still retains much of its historical character and charm.

  
The cottage was cosy and warm and the use of the open fire in the evenings after walking on the fells during the day was very special and really contributed to the enjoyment of our holiday. However the Aga was the real highlight - it really is the heart of the cottage and so welcoming to come back to after being out all day. The cottage was spotlessly clean and maintained to a very high standard and Robert and Sara were friendly, helpful and kind hosts - they genuinely care and look after their guests ensuring they have the best holiday possible. High Sprintgill is situated in a very quiet and peaceful area - the location is amazing and the local scenery is stunningly beautiful - it is wonderful to have direct access to the higher fells and beyond. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at High Sprintgill and look forward to returning to this lovely cottage.


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• Bernadette - Verified booking

  We've just spent a wonderful week here and would recommend it to anyone!

  The house is spotlessly clean, well laid out and very comfortable. It feels much bigger than it looks in the photos and the bed is huge!! We didn't have great weather but we were very cosy inside this lovely house and spent several evenings watching netflix films! The welcome pack was lovely with gorgeous biscuits and jam and fresh milk in the fridge, thank you. The whole place is very well equipped and the bathroom shower is hot and powerful. My only minor niggles would be a lack of hand towels (bath towels only) and a dish drainer would be useful. There is a dishwasher but it's a 12-place settings model and we could never have come close to filling it so we didn't bother to use it. Maybe a washer/dryer would be more useful in the space given the Cumbrian climate? We would definitely return here and look forward to doing so.

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