Holiday Cottages In The North West

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Elizabeth - Verified booking

  Location fantastic, however I must say I feel the 'luxury' elements of this stay fell far below the standards I would expect.

  The fancy shower, which is used as a selling point in the listing, can really only be used on a standard setting as the water pressure is so poor and hot water temperature hit and miss. We understand that this is due to the remote location, however this should not then be being used to advertise the stay. The hot tub, whilst pleasant, was not as clean as I had expected, and the lid required a lot of manual effort to take off (literally needed to be dragged onto planks). On the whole the cleanliness was ok, but the top of the wardrobe, windowsills, and mattress were all dusty. This could have been overlooked however given the extremely specific and strict cleaning guidelines given by the hosts to guests, I would expect a completely immaculate property. With regard to this cleaning policy, a lot is expected of guests on check-out, not only stripping the bed, but sorting bedding and towels into specific laundry bags, cleaning the oven, and wiping all surfaces. This is again not what I would expect from an apparently 'luxury' stay. This was claimed to be due to covid, but we have stayed other places at much lower price points during much worse periods of the pandemic and we were not expected to clean the property for the next guests! We also paid a £300 good housekeeping bond before arrival, from which the hosts initially deducted an extremely harsh £45 to pay for: one prosecco flute broken by accident, two small led torches that we packed with our things by mistake (and notified the hosts of this), an egg cup which they later found, and £15 for the time taken to locate replacements. When I politely queried this by email (£5 for one prosecco glass, and £15 for time spent finding torches I found in 30 seconds on amazon seemed steep), the hosts became extremely unpleasant, aggressive and rude. I feel they responded in this manner due to the fact that they know we are two young women, and I highly doubt they would speak to other guests in this manner. Unfortunately, this has left a really sour taste to what was supposed to be a relaxing luxury honeymoon in lieu of the trip abroad cancelled due to covid, and I feel very sad that this will now be associated with my memories of the trip. Overall, I therefore cannot in good faith recommend this property despite the location and promised facilities, and urge other guests to look elsewhere in the area.

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• Gemma - Verified booking

  We had a lovely few days at the Shawclough barn.

  The cottage is extremely well maintained, very clean and beautifully decorated. The views from the large windows are amazing and this is also one of the few properties available where you can also enjoy the beautiful open views from the hot tub. Despite being set in open fields, the barn is very private and located near to everything you would need, there are shops and a supermarket a short drive away and a lovely pub within walking distance. Plenty of places to go and things to do if you are so inclined, or if you'd rather just stay home and chill out the barn is a more than comfortable place to do just that. The barn was fully equipped with everything we needed for our stay, the shower room is lovely and although we didn't use it, the bath in the bedroom is a nice touch. The owners kindly supplied a few basics for our arrival including some milk, butter and nice bread etc, plus a little something extra in the fridge. Something that wasn't mentioned in the listing which I think should have been is that fact that it is a wood burning hot tub. It was our first time using a wood burning tub it took us a bit of getting used to. The owners will light the fire before you arrive but after that you need to relight it and maintain it yourself or if you go out you need to contact them and ask them to do it for you, otherwise it won't be warm enough for you to hop straight in when you arrive back. We found it took about an hour to get up to our preferred temperature. Also, the lid of the tub is very heavy and awkward to lift, it takes two people to lift it, so if either of you are unable to do heavy lifting you will struggle with it. We managed just fine, but I think future guests should be made aware as it is completely different to the types of hot tub we have been used to at other cottages where the lid can easily be removed by one person. There are also no bubbles/jets, this didn't bother us at all (we like the quiet) but it might be something that future guests would like to be aware of. The wood burner gives off a beautiful smell though, and once you are in it's a very private tub with no disturbances, apart from the odd whinnying pony in the next field! Overall, a beautiful place. I would definitely recommend it for a relaxing getaway.

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• Katherine - Verified booking

  We spent a week at Shawclough Barn in early August and enjoyed our stay in this beautiful part of Lancashire.

  The barn is attached to the home of the owners but felt private with its own garden area with wood fired hot tub. The views are simply stunning from the dining area and we spotted some lovely wildlife from the large picture window including a gorgeous white owl, who came regularly at dusk hunting over the fields. The property has been beautifully restored and is comfortable and spacious for a couple. It was really clean and well maintained and we had a good supply of towels with a comfortable super king size bed. Lots of bedroom storage with a wardrobe and large chest of drawers plus bedside cabinets. We liked the double sinks in the bathroom but felt a shower caddy would have been useful in the shower area to hold our toiletries. We found most things provided for in the kitchen but struggled to locate a large baking tray and a washing basket to use with the washer/dryer, although there was a really good sized clothes airer available. We’ve stayed at other UK properties in the past that have provided items such as cling film and foil but thankfully we had taken our own as we would have missed having them available. We chose the property based on it having an EV charger and found it conveniently located next to the barn - it has a 3.6 kWh capacity, was reasonably priced at 35p per kWh and we were invoiced separately after our visit, which worked well. The charger is shared with the owners but they were keen to ensure our needs were met, as we travelled some distance to stay. Within a week of our arrival date we received a welcome pack from the owners by email. It’s an extensive document containing instructions with regard to the property, alongside some great local information - we enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch at the Bull in Broughton based on the pack. There are so many places to visit locally with some fabulous walks - we climbed Pendle Hill and walked along the Leeds/Liverpool canal and really loved our day in Skipton with its array of shops and places to eat and drink. In summary Shawclough Barn provides a great base for a stay in this lovely location affording wonderful views and the owners Greg and Theressa are communicative but unobtrusive.

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• Graham - Verified booking

  This Barn Conversion is superbly finished very comfortable place to stay and enjoy in it's own right.

  It has everything you could need for an enjoyable holiday, nestled in beautiful countryside. The bedroom is luxurious, very comfortable with it's own bath and a large adjacent shower room. The hot tub outside is fun to use and not complicated - a Wood burner heats the water and takes about 3 hours to get up to temperature on it's first run, however it retains heat and is quicker the next time. Just be careful getting in and out as can be slippery. The view from the living room window is second to none and probably one of the best in the locality. You will never get bored of looking across the hills, no matter what the weather is doing it always has something interesting to show you. If you like to watch TV while relaxing this is possible with a number of TV Channels available including Netflix movies. There is some lagging with some channels but we could always find something when needed to be honest only used it occasionally. The general area has plenty to Offer Skipton, Haworth are well worth a visit - Bronte country. There are a plenty of area to walk which are not too challenging. We would definitely recommend this cottage and would return if possible. There are plenty of places to eat locally offering good tasty treats. I would in particular encourage others to try The Emmott Arms who do a fantastic Sunday roast and not too expensive. The hosts Greg and Theresa are very approachable and helpful willing to provide assistance where required and certainly helped us out with information and more ! A great place to stay in the lovely English countryside with very friendly hosts -could not recommend more really:)

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• Zoe - Verified booking

  I cant even begin to explain how spectacular this place is!

  As we arrived Theresa and Greg were on hand to tell us everything about the place, they are such friendly and welcoming people and made us feel right at home instantly. The cottage has everything you could possibly need and more, every single bit of it has been so well thought out, its incredibly cosy and romantic... if you think the pictures are great just wait till you are there! Every single night was so peaceful and I dont think we have ever slept better than our stay here because the bed is absolutely to die for. The hot tub, fire place and bath give you so many reasons to want to stay in all day, but coming back after one of the wonderful walks and cuddling up in one of them is a great end to any day. Theresa and Greg went above and beyond in making sure guests have lots of information about local spots and gave us some great suggestions for walks (Malham is a must). So much time and effort has gone in to make this place what it is and you would be hugely missing out not to book this place! It is so private and secluded and you are in an ideal location to be able to do your food shopping but within driving distance to some absolutely incredible walks and you only have to look out of the window to see the beautiful surroundings. Also make sure you read the welcome book they have absolutely packed it with local information, best places to eat, museums and walks -they have really catered to every need and we cant thank them enough for such a wonderful, relaxing and romantic week away.

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