Riding Farm

Very well equipped self contained accommodation in a peaceful environment. Louise greeted me with a homemade cake, still warm from the oven which was a nice homely touch.

Nothing.

Area was lovely and quiet

Maybe needs a bit of TLC with the paint and carpets.

It had everything we needed

Beautiful views and a lovely quiet location

The location was lovely, beautiful countryside and Beamish nearby. Plenty of hot water and a bath in the property, which was nice after a day walking. Very peaceful and plenty of parking at the property. Discount codes sent via text for Beamish. A man brought a home made cake to the door on our second night.

The fact we had booked a modern 1 bed with a view initially, when we arrived we were sent a text to tell us we were in a red brick cottage, not the newer building, was a bit of a disappointment, she said it was an upgrade. However, we had no spectacular view (except from the upstairs landing window). The cottage had a log burner and chimney which was full of cobwebs. The furniture was dusty, skirting boards needed a wipe, ceilings upstairs were needing attention, and there was a strong smell of food on our arrival. We actually felt we'd accidentally walked into someone's home... there was clutter in one of the drawers, so much crockery you could hold a dinner party for 20! Cupboards packed with unnecessary stuff and not one cupboard free to store our food. The info book said it was a £5 charge if you broke an ikea mug. (They are £2 max). The sofas needed a good shampoo. The rug was very old. The bed was hard and lumpy with a totally flattened (pointless) mattress topper on it. The pillows were hard. (Luckily we always bring our own). There was a sheet to read containing covid protocols.... maybe that was the last time the cottage had been stayed in! I feel we were put there due to a mistake with their booking system. It's a good job we didn't have mobility issues as we'd booked a ground floor accommodation originally. Lots and lots of dvds.... No dvd player. 🙄 Reviews on trip advisor say much the same as this for this certain property. It didn't feel like an upgrade. Didn't once see or speak to the owner. I think they need to employ a manager for these holiday properties, someone to meet and greet rather than leaving keys under pot chickens and sending texts. Someone to check all is ok and make sure the maintenance and cleaning is up to scratch. Check out is 9.30am and check in 4.30pm so plenty of time to properly clean. They are clearly busy with their farm and family but it doesn't make you feel like a valued customer.