Galabank Cottage, STOW

Rated 5/50 by Flossy3 on 28th August 2018

Rated 5/50 by Kathymayok on 26th July 2016

"I have stayed in cottages in Ireland, Wales England and Scotland and this was the best cottage I stayed in. I got lost finding the cottage and John was helpful on the phone and waited outside for me to arrive. The cottage was handy to many sites. Including Holy Island/ Lindesfarne and the train to Edinburgh."

Rated 5/50 by Karren1948 on 7th June 2015

"A lovely cottage in a lovely area. I typical one up and one down from the outside but most definitely not typical inside. Refurbished keeping the best of the old but with modern and very tasteful finishes. The gorgeous oak flooring, the super white cotton bedding and the very tasteful decor sum this up for me. Everything that is used is quality and well thought out. The woodburner was just so easy to use. The area is full of walks and lots of small towns to visit. We walked in the Pentland Hills and could see the Forth Bridge from the top. We will be back. John was a very attentive host but not intrusive."

Rated 5/50 by Roberts_Family_of_4 on 28th May 2015

"Writing this review on our last full day at Galabank Cottage while drinking coffee and looking out over the hills! The people who own this cottage 'go out their way' to make this home from home. We were met by John on arrival who showed us around a spotlessly clean: open plan lounge/kitchen/diner which is cosy and has absolutely everything you need. Beautiful, spacious bedroom with a nice view over back garden and hills and through the velux window at front of bedroom...WOW, what a view! Situated on the A7, you do get a fair amount of traffic, but I'll be honest and say it hasn't bothered us at all. We actually sat out the front one gorgeous evening and watched the world rush by us. The bus stops across from the cottage and the bus will take you directly into the magnificent Edinburgh! You'll be hoping for a chilly night just so you can get that wood burning fire lit...which was wonderful! Back garden is elevated, but again is beautiful with access over a stile and onto the hills. The owners are obviously very knowledgeable about the area and they've provided plenty of literature about history of area and local walks. We did the route 3 walk (details in cottage) which took us about 5hrs, but will expose you to some amazing views! In addition, we took the bus to Edinburgh where we visited the castle...hmmmmm and climbed Arthur's Seat....fantastic! Also spoilt for choice in city for places to eat! Galabank Cottage has picturesque surroundings and we'd both move in tomorrow (except Scotland to The Midlands commute is a bit far). A big thank you to the owners for contributing to making our stay so enjoyable."

Rated 5/50 by Heedchef on 3rd May 2015

"If you ever just want to get away from real life and hide for a couple of days but want to maintain your standard of living choose No. 9 Galabank. We arrived late on the Friday of the May Bank Holiday having travelled the 90 or so miles from Durham to find Allwin & John had waited for us even though they were going to visit family, they are the most perfect hosts, explaining what we needed to know and then leaving us to get on with it. Our first impression was that the place is immaculately clean and furnished to a very high standard, this includes the high spec kitchen which took up part of the main living area along with a small dining table and chairs. Upstairs a small but well equipped bathroom complete with miniatures and the bedroom which in our case was a super kingsize bed but which could be set as 2 singles if preferred, the bedding was again immaculately turned out. In short, there was nothing out of place. Our hosts had left instant coffee, ground coffee, tea, milk and sugar as well as a pack of shortbread biscuits. There was more than enough wood and kindling for the wood burner in the lounge area. Outside, as we found the next morning, the garden is huge with a nice decked area and picnic style table, there is a barbecue but at the time we were visiting it was still in the wood shed. One thing I would say is that the stairs are steep, not really suitable for anyone with serious mobility problems but easily manageable for anyone else if care is taken. The views are stunning from the front of the property but even more so from the top of the rear garden (llamas and Sherpas are available for rental). At the time we were here the lambs were in the field opposite and we had hours of fun watching them bouncing about the place. The owners have amassed a mountain of information about the locale which is very useful, we had come purely for a rest but did look at the guides for future reference and the info on local eateries was good. It is all there from routes of local walks to gardens and afternoon teas. Negatives: not really any, some people have mentioned the road (Main A7 to Edinburgh) but it never bothered us even though we are used to a very quiet area at home. Access to the garden, we had no problem but I can see that it may be a problem to with walking difficulties but this said my Mother is 87, has had both hips replaced and I firmly believe she would have made it up there if she set her mind on it. Positives: Excellent hosts, a lovely property well maintained and immaculately clean in beautiful surroundings close to Galashiels, Edinburgh and Peebles. Lovely gardens which if the weather was good would be great for a barby and a few beers. There was never a shortage of heat or hot water and I think if anything had gone wrong John and Allwin would have had it sorted out 15 minutes before it even happened!! To John and Allwin - many thanks for allowing us in to enjoy your wonderful property, we would recommend this to anyone and would also like to congratulate you on the exceptional standard you maintain in the property. You made us feel very welcome and this started our weekend perfectly. We will return but we would like to wish you all the success in the world."

Rated 5/50 by Abissx on 15th February 2015

"My boyfriend and I spent the weekend at Galabank over Valentine's weekend and we loved it; the cottage is so cosy and picturesque, not to mention spotlessly clean and well presented on arrival. The owners added nice personal touches such as the tray of tea and biscuits and a bottle of fizz in the fridge! We loved the log burner fire and had it on almost constant over the whole weekend. There is access to the hills and fields through the garden over a small style and the views from there are truly amazing; there is also acces to Edinburgh city centre via bus which stops right outside regularly. We would 100% recommend and would happily go back to stay at Galabank again!"

Rated 5/50 by A FlipKey Verified Reviewer on 16th January 2014

"I cannot recommend this property or it's owners highly enough. Arrived Christmas eve to find that they had put a tree up for us and left a small gift for us, which was very touching. The cottage is spotlessly clean. The views are amazing and the walks very good. We will definitely be going back without a doubt. The hosts were one of the best I have ever come across. Book this and you will not be disappointed."

Rated 5/50 by Ecosse68 on 28th March 2013

"We, my very best friend and me, did spend 4 nights at Galabank Cottage. The cottage is an absolutely lovely place and highly to recommend. Even if it's a small one it is refurbished and equipped to a very high standard. The beds are very comfy and you'll find everything you need in the cottage (I really would say you'll find more than you can expect). The whole place it spotlessly clean and John and Allwin, the lovely owners, did very well to make this cottage a second home from home. The tray with coffee, tea and shortbread which we did find by arrival was really appreaciated as well as the little bottle of milk in the fridge. Even if we had really bad weather during our stay (snow, coldness and a permanently blowing icey wind) we enjoyed it very much to come back after one of our trips to sit in the cute living room, cuddling on the comfy sofa and enjoying the nice, warm log fire by drinking a glass of wine. The setting is perfect for excursions through the Scottish and English Borders and for trips to Scotland's capitol as well. Even if the cottage lays nearby the A7 the traffic didn't bother us. You don't hear much about it inside. John and Allwin, lots of thanks for a lovely stay. We surely come back one day."