Bleng Barn Cottage, GOSFORTH

Rated 2/50 by AndPoochMakes5 on 14th September 2017

"I can agree with other reviews about the cottage itself, it is very comfortable and warm and was more than spacious enough for my partner and I, our teenage son, my elderly mum and our two dogs. The living area and kitchen are open plan and there was adequate space to cook but there is no cupboard space for food unless you move around the very many tea cups to free up a small shelf. There is also a wetroom/loo/utility room downstairs and the shower was mostly great, tho' the hot water did cut out on a couple of occasions. The patio area in the photo is quite sloped and this leads to a more sloped, short driveway into the farmyard. This 'patio area' is where you have to park your car(s) and from where you will need to reverse down the slope, into the yard to get out of the property. My mum found it particularly difficult to get in and out of the car, especially in the pouring rain. The patio is ungated and there is no private access to the cottage either by car or on foot, you do have to go through the working farm yard. This means that if the horses/sheep/cows are moving along the slope you would have to wait. We were led to believe that we had access to the field at the back of the farm 'for ball games and/or to exercise the dogs'. This was impossible. The fields are either full of livestock or full of their manure. There is a small area of grass across from the cottage but you have to go down some steps at one end and it is unlit and very uneven. There is a small gate at the further end but this takes you near the kennels. At the bottom of the slope are housed the three farm dogs. Upon arrival we were told that they are territorial and we should give a shout to the owner's if we are coming thru' the yard on foot in case they are loose. The dogs were generally in their kennels or chained up but barked quite aggressively each and every single time we ventured out of the cottage with our dogs, either for a morning walk or for their late night pee. They also barked at our car entering/leaving the yard and on several occasions would be barking incessantly for quite a time in the middle of the night. On our very first morning my partner and I went out quite early with (thankfully) just our young labrador. There is a nice walk that runs past the farm yard. Unfortunately as we returned and reached the second farm gate (prior to the yard) we were spotted by a farm dog and the dog of the farm hand. They came tearing out of the second yard pursuing my dog (who was on lead) ferociously around and around me. The farm hand's dog grabbed my dog by the neck and shook him for what felt like an age. The farm worker called his dog, which after a few calls ran to the yard, it ran back out and had another go before we got away, all of us quite shaken. The owners daughter gave a non apology of saying it isn't their dog and she doesn't know why he does that. (present tense). I was immensely glad my mum and her dog were not with us on that walk as the dog is 19 and would not have survived such an attack. This put a pall on the whole week as we were very nervous of leaving the cottage for our walks, and scared that we would encounter the farm hand's dog again. It was still allowed off lead in the yard and near our cottage door throughout the week. It attacked our car on our return to the farm one evening, jumping up and scratching the paintwork on one side before running round the car trying to get at our dog. This and the persistent barking whenever we were around was a real downer on our week. I wouldn't go back there, even without a dog. I certainly was glad not to have any small children with us."

Rated 3/50 by Eve W on 2nd November 2014

"Firstly, I would say that the main purpose of our trip to The Lake District was to climb Scafell Pike and the cottage is in the ideal location for this. There is a national trust car park about 15 minutes drive from the cottage. The surrounding scenery is very beautiful and when you are advised that the property is set on a working farm, this is absolutely right. The cottage was very homely with adequate room and facilities for 4 adults and 2 young children. It boasts the original beamed ceilings (beware tall people) and was warm and cosy. I would have liked a small tray with a pint of milk etc to welcome us after our long journey but maybe I have just been spoiled in previous farm properties I've stayed at. The property could have been restored a little more sympathetically I thought and the decor more tailored to the farm house style, all a bit tired looking. I felt it could have been cleaned a little more thoroughly (especially the microwave and fridge/ freezer). However, most importantly the bed and bath linen was fresh and the beds extremely comfortable. Unfortunately, we didn't get any lie -ins as the farm dogs were very noisy and the cows, who were in sheds in the yard for the winter were very vocal at all times of the day and night. As we had two children who never stay in bed later than 6.30am we were up anyway. I could see this could be a problem for light sleepers or those who enjoy staying in bed. We also had a bit of a problem with flies in the cottage during our stay, but the owners were quick to provide us with extra fly spray and the sticky fly ribbons that you hang up. This seemed to do the trick. There are some lovely eateries in Gosforth which is about a 15 minute walk away. I would especially recommend The Globe and The Wild Olive."

Rated 5/50 by GW88 on 10th June 2013