Carters Cottage

Great location - easy to walk into town, very short drive to Mam Tor, not far from Kinder Scout or other local walks/attractions either. Walking distance from Eccles Pike too. Very clean and cosy, felt like a home more than just a house. Owners had baked a lovely cake for us to arrive to, and there was also milk in the fridge for us. The cottage was very dog-friendly, which we didn't need but is a good plus for dog owners. Included off-street parking in a small car park a few doors down. Had street-level access at the front door, but also rear basement-level access for muddy boots and paws. There were plenty of local walking/attraction guides and leaflets in the house too which was a great touch and very useful for deciding what to do between hikes.

The level of communication/expectations felt a bit overbearing at times. I had to call at least 48 hours before my stay to be talked through the cottage and what was expected of us during our stay. This included being requested to clean the house and strip the beds and put the towels/bedding into bags before departure by 10am on the final day. I also got a high number of messages/emails before the stay that all said pretty much the same info as each other (the owner explained over the phone that this is automated and not on purpose but it still felt like spam). The tap on the upstairs bath/shower was very wobbly and needed repairing which hadn't been done before our visit, but we were warned about this in a note upon arrival; it didn't matter to us though as the downstairs shower worked fine. Also, there was no shower gel, which seemed like an odd thing to be missing in such a well-stocked house.

A delicious cake to greet us when we arrived

The can openers!

Location was great, rooms mostly all good sizes especially the king room, upstairs beds comfortable. With a ground floor wet room. Owners seemed lovely, left a gorgeous cake for our arrival. Use of 2 parking spaces a short walk away. Cottage was kept together to a very high standard.

Our main problem was the downstairs bedroom. It was made up for arrival with a double sofa bed as we did know, unfortunately it took up the majority of the room which meant one person had to climb over the other which made it impossible for my parents to sleep in it, and my mother ended up on the sofa. Upstairs was not accessible friendly due to steps leading down to both bedrooms from the landing. As it was we ended up bringing my parents home after 1 night due to the layout which didn't suit them at all and they got hardly any sleep. We were asked and it is written down that they request/ask that before leaving we clean the kitchen and bathrooms, strip all beds and put linens in a bag, and put all towels in a separate bag. This being a hangover from covid (which in itself annoys me as it took over our lives for long enough when it started) and then the next person gets a 'double clean'. I feel for what we pay that is just asking too much. Yes , make sure the place is tidy and clean and leave it how you find it. We cleaned and the place was as tidy and clean as when we arrived but it left a bad taste. Having to ring 48 hours before arrival date to be told the above and other little bits, the gentleman was lovely but as it was all written down at the cottage in plain sight seemed a bit extra. Also, no smart TV.

N/A