Author Topic: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)  (Read 7041 times)

BuzyG

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #45 on: 12:02:51, 02/07/20 »
All that tax stuff is well beyond me, so here's our third and final Welsh cottage where we stayed just a few months ago - Dry Dock Cottage on a canal in the Brecon Beacons.

We'd climbed two of the Welsh Three Peaks (Snowdon and Cadair Idris), and only Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons remained. My wife still had seven days holiday for the year left, so we decided to find accommodation within easy reach of the mountain. After many hours of searching for something a little different, I found the perfect place - Dry Dock Cottage on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.

In the description, I particularly liked this bit:

The cottage was absolutely amazing. Not shown in the photos is the 'cinema room', which is down a few stairs in the centre of the open-plan cottage; it has electric reclining chairs, a big screen and a thundering sound system! Another thing worth mentioning is the hi-tech electrical system where everything can be operated by a tablet.





The front windows open fully and it was great fun watching boats come under the low bridge and try to make the turn without hitting the bank...  :)



This cottage, another cottage of similar size and a house (centre of photo below) are near each other and are operated by a major narrow boat company based a few miles along the canal.



It's a fantastic walking area and, except for the Pen y Fan horseshoe, we did all of our walks that week directly from the cottage.  O0
This on is my favourite Dave.  O0


What a place to stay for the night after a walk on the tow path.  MrsG would love it.


Where exactly is it? I took a look at the website but I still could not pin down the exact location of the cottage.
« Last Edit: 12:33:37, 02/07/20 by BuzyG »

WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #46 on: 13:44:47, 02/07/20 »
This on is my favourite Dave.  O0


What a place to stay for the night after a walk on the tow path.  MrsG would love it.


Where exactly is it? I took a look at the website but I still could not pin down the exact location of the cottage.

Find Llanfoist on the OS 1:25k map. Follow byway south to a kink in the Mon & Brec Canal where it has Boat Houses / Tunnel / Glebe Wood.

The cottage is at the kink - the tunnel (for a path) runs under the canal right by the cottage.  :)

(We had terrible trouble finding it!)
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BuzyG

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #47 on: 15:51:03, 02/07/20 »
Find Llanfoist on the OS 1:25k map. Follow byway south to a kink in the Mon & Brec Canal where it has Boat Houses / Tunnel / Glebe Wood.

The cottage is at the kink - the tunnel (for a path) runs under the canal right by the cottage.  :)

(We had terrible trouble finding it!)


Perfect that is where I thought it must be from the walk description in the web site,  where they mentioned the mountain Blorenge behind it. O0


Who needs grid references when you can have a treasure hunt instead.  ;)

WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #48 on: 17:20:58, 02/07/20 »

Perfect that is where I thought it must be from the walk description in the web site,  where they mentioned the mountain Blorenge behind it. O0

Who needs grid references when you can have a treasure hunt instead.  ;)

I've never been one for grid references!  ;)

A path to the Blorenge passes right by the cottage. The first photo in the trip report I posted...

The Blorenge from Llanfoist

...is of my wife on the path about 20 yards after we set off up the hill.  :)
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rural roamer

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #49 on: 18:11:40, 02/07/20 »
One of our favourite cottages is also in Snowdonia. We stayed in Ty Hebog (sleeps 2) at Perthi Holiday
Cottages just outside Beddgelert. There’s also another cottage and a lodge but they’re not right next to each other which is good. Perthi is a working farm. From the patio we had wonderful views all round including across to Moel Hebog. We walked up Snowdon via the Rhyd Ddu path so it was an easy drive to the car park. The farm is up in the hills but has a short cut walk into Beddgelert giving the best of both worlds.  Plenty of walking from the door.

WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #50 on: 18:51:32, 02/07/20 »
One of our favourite cottages is also in Snowdonia. We stayed in Ty Hebog (sleeps 2) at Perthi Holiday
Cottages just outside Beddgelert. There’s also another cottage and a lodge but they’re not right next to each other which is good. Perthi is a working farm. From the patio we had wonderful views all round including across to Moel Hebog. We walked up Snowdon via the Rhyd Ddu path so it was an easy drive to the car park. The farm is up in the hills but has a short cut walk into Beddgelert giving the best of both worlds.  Plenty of walking from the door.
We passed quite close to where you stayed. We took the train (Welsh Highland Railway) from Rhyd Ddu to Nantmor and walked back via Beddgelert and Beddgelert Forest. An excellent walk in a fantastic area!
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Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #51 on: 19:11:50, 02/07/20 »
The location of self catering properties is at least as important as the property itself. Many years ago we had a week at Mireside Farm on Ennerdale. The cottage was attached to the farmhouse. It was very peaceful and had good access to walks. We had a week at Wester Alligin above. There were views across the loch to the south and plenty of wildlife including daily golden eagles  :) and midges  >:( . In more recent years we have stayed in a couple of properties in Shieldaig. Here we have seen sea eagles, otters, golden eagles and many other birds. There is a good walk onto Shieldaig peninsula directly from the house and it is only a short drive to the Torridon mountains and Applecross peninsula and not too far to some fantastic beaches that are almost empty most of the time. This part of Scotland is also great for being on a boat, which can take you to more areas for walking.

WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #52 on: 17:02:34, 03/07/20 »
Dry Dock Cottage was the last self-catering accommodation we've used as a base for a walking holiday and from there on I'll work backwards in time... Last August, we spent a week in the Coigach, a peninsula in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.

There are actually two 'Brochs of Coigach' - ours was a one-bedroom house and the other further along the access track has two bedrooms. By the way, a broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure; I guess we stayed in a rather more modern version!

The cottage is situated in a tiny village called Polbain, which is about 13 miles north-west of Ullapool as the crow flies, but much further by road! We arrived after driving about 10 miles north on a fast 'A' road followed by about 15 miles on a twisting, single-track road past scenic lochs and truly spectacular mountains.

Despite arriving at the owner's house in Polbain exactly at the correct time, we had to wait about 15 minutes for him to arrive and take us to the cottage. I realise that's not a long time to wait, but it's never happened before and 15 minutes is plenty of time to wonder what we're going to do if no one turns up and we're stranded in a remote village hundreds of miles from home!

But that was soon forgotten and we quickly settled in for a week at this, our fifth Scottish 'hobbit house' in just over three years. Like the others, the Broch is a modern architectural marvel and we loved it. However, in some respects (which I'll get to shortly) the accommodation itself was a little less impressive than those we've had before. We loved it mainly for its stupendous location and the absolutely stunning views!



This is the view towards Loch Broom from the road above the brochs (ours is the nearest and least hard to spot). There are mountains in the distance in all directions; the islands nearby are the Summer Isles; sheep, rabbits and pheasants are in the field in front and deer were often seen nearby - as was a sea eagle. It really was a fantastic setting.



The panoramic windows dominate the living room area, but the furnishings were a little spartan in comparison with similar cottages. A design feature throughout was the use of blue tubular steel supports, but the one in the centre of the view actually blocked it somewhat. While we were being 'introduced' to the broch, I asked if there was a TV. The owner just indicated the view as if to say that a TV would be superfluous, but of course with a couple of hours between sunset and bedtime there is no view... But no big deal, we used our laptop to watch stuff on iPlayer. We were also a little disappointed by the limited number of books and maps provided. The modern log burner (just visible on the left) was a big plus though.



The bathroom is very large, very modern, very luxurious, and has a sauna (sadly not in the photo). As with a previous cottage (Eagle Bay), the bathroom has two doors - one from the bedroom and one from the small entrance hall. We wondered if the reason is to allow visitors to use the bathroom without going through the bedroom?



The bedroom has an incredibly comfortable bed, but again is sparsely furnished. What isn't lacking though is art - original and (apparently) quite valuable. A strategically placed book on the living room coffee table was about an artist named John Bellany, who was a Scottish painter and (apparently) very important (according to Damien Hirst), and several of the pieces are indeed by him - including the big one above the bed. Unfortunately for us, we hated it all!



I didn't take a decent photo of the kitchen area, but it is modern and well-equipped. However, there's no microwave, which we thought an odd omission for luxury self-catering accommodation.

With at least as many books about art as about the area, and furnishings and artwork that seemed chosen to suit the owner's quite specific taste, we felt that the accommodation was lacking in comparison to all the others we've enjoyed. However, I read through the visitor comments book and almost every entry was gushing in praise - although I didn't see a single mention of the art...

Perhaps my review comes across a little negative so I'll end by saying that we'd happily book a Broch of Coigach cottage again... for the wonderful location and those gorgeous views!

I should also mention that some incredible mountains are within fairly easy reach, including Cul Mor, Cul Beag and the Fiddler (all of which we climbed), as well as Suilven and Stac Polly (which we left 'till next time!).  :)
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #53 on: 14:47:32, 06/07/20 »
The spent the week before our stay at a 'Broch of Coigach' (above) at Black Sheep House on the Isle of Harris. The accommodation is by the coast in the tiny village of Carminish, about a mile east of Leverburgh. The location is quite wonderful, with a tidal lochan just yards from the huge panoramic windows.





I'm still not sure how to properly describe this type of structure. I like to call them 'hobbit houses', but Black Sheep House is quite unique, being a renovated Hebridean blackhouse with a seamless contemporary extension. Whatever it is, it's amazing!

The living area is very spacious with very high quality furnishings and fittings and a fantastic view. Chairs are upholstered in Harris Tweed, the TV is smart, there's a great many electric sockets to charge devices, countless lighting options, a quality sound system, loads of books and maps... and (out of shot) a desk with a computer and printer, which was a first for us and extremely useful.





Although we didn't use it and only went upstairs once, there's a bedroom on a mezzanine above the kitchen area. Oh, and the computer area is to the left of the (provided) walking sticks! The kitchen area is modern and extremely well-equipped with everything we needed, and there's a breakfast bar where we chose to eat our meals - leaving the dining table to put our bits and pieces. And we were delighted to find a 'starter pack' of food, treats and an excellent bottle of champagne.



I believe the house is intended for two people with the mezzanine bedroom being an alternative to the main bedroom; we chose to use the latter, which was just perfect - a very comfortable bed and plenty of storage space.



For some reason, I forgot to take a photo of the bathroom. It's probably the smallest we've had in our Scottish cottages so far, but it's still very luxurious with a Japanese style soaking tub and the most incredible mosaic tiling we've ever seen!

And finally, although we arrived on Harris a few hours early, an exchange of texts resulted in us letting ourselves in (the door was unlocked) and the lovely housekeeper soon came and welcomed us. We like to rate the accommodations we've stayed in and if Black Sheep House isn't the very best, then it's easily the equal best...  O0
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #54 on: 14:39:50, 08/07/20 »
A little under a year ago, we invited the family to spend a week with us in the Peak District. With another four adults and three children making nine of us, we needed bigger accommodation than usual!

We found the perfect place - Woodland Spa, a large bungalow with a private garden at Landal Darwin Forest. The setting was unlike anything we'd done before, being a 44-acre holiday resort near Matlock in Derbyshire. It was perfect for the children because we were very near a swimming pool and play areas, and we could explore the extensive woods that surrounded us.

And it was perfect for my wife and me, because we were able to go walking in the area - including doing a Kinder Scout circuit from Hayfield. We even did a few walks with the whole family, including a fantastic Dovedale walk from Milldale on the hottest day of the year so far!



We all enjoyed the week so much that we booked Woodland Spa for late spring this year. Sadly, that's had to be postponed to next year, but the price has remained the same even though we'll be going during a peak week in the summer. I had my reservations about choosing a resort as a base, but I needn't have worried - Landal Darwin Forest is brilliant and we're all looking forward to returning!  O0
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #55 on: 14:35:41, 10/07/20 »
Next is a cottage we stayed in for four days during the Easter break last year....

I'd walked all of the North Downs Way in Kent, but none of it in Surrey. So we decided to find accommodation near to the trail and do some circular walks that included sections of the NDW. The plan was to go back again this year and do some more sections, but of course, that wasn't to be.  :(

We were lucky to find Deerhurst Cottage in Wotton, Surrey. Not only was it perfect for a short stay, but it was very close to the NDW and only a 90 minute drive from Whitstable.

We were also extremely lucky to get the cottage for four nights over the Easter break since the normal minimum period is seven nights. By a stroke of luck and probably because we applied at a late date, the accommodation was available - and for an extremely good price. We paid just £340.  :)

My photos don't do the setting justice. The cottage is tucked away in a secluded part of the beautiful grounds of a large manor house. The only sounds are those of birds - including a family of pheasants that enjoy the garden. The grounds are very extensive and include private woodland and we were invited to explore as we liked.

We were delighted to discover that the whole area is extremely well served with byways and well-maintained footpaths. It really is an excellent place for walking.

The cottage itself suited us perfectly. It accommodates four people and so was plenty big enough for two. The owners were extremely pleasant and unobtrusive, which is always a bonus! And we had everything we needed, including very fast wi-fi.   O0

I'll let the photos speak for themselves...













And this one shows a part of the Japanese garden that we passed through on our way to the woods and out to the byway beyond:



Incidentally... Surrey is England's most wooded county.  8)
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #56 on: 16:09:50, 13/07/20 »
Continuing our journey back in time... The second week of our summer walking holiday in 2018 was spent on the Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebrides.

The cottage is called Coillabus and is situated high up on the Mull of Oa in the south of Islay. The roads on Islay were the least good(!) Scottish roads we'd experienced thus far, and getting to the house required driving about three miles from Port Ellen along a very rough and twisty single-track lane. But after the first time, we got to know where extra care was needed and the drive became part of the fun. In fact, the very real sense of remoteness was what we soon came to love about this house.  O0

This was the third similar cottage of the 'hobbit house' style that we'd spent a week in and in some ways it's the odd-one-out. As well as the remoteness of its location, Coillabus was the first house we'd had with two bedrooms (making it relatively the most expensive for the two of us), and so it was considerably larger and perhaps less 'hobbit-house-like' than the others. Arriving after a week in the fabulous High Trodigal on Kintyre (see next review!), we initially felt slightly disappointed. However, Coillabus soon grew on us and we quickly came to love it... and we were very sad indeed to leave at the end of the week!

It might seem an odd thing to say... but for me, this house was all about those windows!   :)



The two windows on the right are the bedrooms (there's another window hidden on the far right), and on the left is the huge open-plan living room, dining area and kitchen. The object under cover in the centre is a 'star tub'!



I took this panoramic photo with my phone. I realise it looks a bit odd, but I wanted to show just what amazing views there were from the living area:



We spent most of our waking hours out walking, but when we were in the house I spent most of my time standing at the windows!



I mentioned that there were two bedrooms and we chose the one with the windows that provided the best views. The bed was the most incredibly comfortable we'd ever slept on - we learned that it had a Hypnos mattress and we treated ourselves to one when we got home!:



We were spoiled for bathrooms - and toilets! There were two en-suite bathrooms plus a toilet room off the entrance hall.



Oh yes, and there was a separate sauna room - with a window (and another window in the door!)...  ;)



What Coillabus lacked in comparison with the other similar houses we've had - such as having only a basic (i.e. not very good) TV and a relatively limited supply of books, maps and guides, and other little touches, it made up for by being in an absolutely fantastic location and being designed to take full advantage of the wonderful views. Also, with the weather that week often being damp and cool, we made very good use of the log burner!  O0
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #57 on: 22:43:42, 14/07/20 »
For the first week of our walking holiday in Scotland in the summer of 2018 we rented a cottage called High Trodigal near the Mull of Kintyre, about a mile from Machrihanish.

When we look back on the various self-catering accommodations we've had, High Trodigal is always top of our list - or equal top anyway. It really is a fantastic cottage in a stunning location!

The front...



...and the view from the front - a track leads down to the road which runs between Machrihanish and Campbeltown. The latter is about a 20 minute drive away on a fast normal (ie. not single-track!) road.



There are chairs at the front (above), but we tended to relax outside on the patio area at the back. The vast plain below has a good many milk farms and (with the aid of binoculars) the small airport can just be seen. We didn't see more than one small plane take off each day though. Machrihanish is to the left from where a wonderful sandy beach stretches for miles to the north, and on a clear day the islands of Jura, Islay and Gigha are easily seen.



Inside, the house is modern and immaculate - as can be seen from the photos...





...but it's the thoughtful touches you can't see that made it perfect. For example, there was an excellent selection of books, maps and guides - including a printed tide-table to show when the causeway to nearby Davaar Island would be passable. The TV was a Sony smart TV with Netflix, etc. and there was a bluetooth Bose speaker which my wife used to listen to podcasts from her phone - in other words, the fixtures and fittings were of a very high quality! And the 'welcome hamper' provided a great selection of local produce as well as a very nice bottle of champagne. There was also a stylish log burner, but the weather was pleasantly warm so we didn't use it.

The bedroom (this was a one bedroom house)...



...and the bathroom. That's a sauna opposite the shower, and the bath was of the whirlpool variety and had built in lights:



I must mention one more thing. The owners were quite delightful and it was a real pleasure meeting them. In conclusion then, we thought High Trodigal was a fabulous place to spend a week of our holiday and we can't recommend it highly enough!   O0
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forgotmyoldpassword

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #58 on: 09:52:38, 15/07/20 »
Some of these designs are superb, particularly the ones with a little elevation and the owners choosing to design the inside around the outside space rather than shutting you in and not letting you gaze out properly.

« Last Edit: 16:06:26, 15/07/20 by forgotmyoldpassword »

WhitstableDave

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Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #59 on: 14:53:10, 17/07/20 »
Between 2011 and 2018, my wife and I spent a week every Easter or Whitsun in a log cabin by a lake in the Cotswolds. There are 8 cabins of various sizes that sleep between 4 and 11 people spread out around a 100 acre lake in a private nature reserve. The site, owned by Log House Holidays, is absolutely wonderful!

At first, we chose one of the smaller cabins just for the two of us, while in more recent years we've invited our two daughters and their husbands to join us - as well as a steadily growing number of grandchildren (currently three).  :)

The perfect log house for six adults and three children has proved to be the second largest one - Moodara, which we rented in 2017 and 2018. Moondara comes with a rowing boat (which I love!), a small beach and a tiny island with a fire-pit that's reached by a bridge.

You might wonder what this has to do with walking... and the answer is of course that the area is fantastic for walking and that's what we do there. The Thames flows past only yards from the site; it's little more than a stream here and we've followed it to its source twice. On the second occasion we took younger daughter and husband! Walking in the area - especially at Easter or Whitsun - tends to be very wet underfoot!



Kayaks cost extra, as do bikes. The lake is a haven for birds. We've also seen lots of frogs, and even grass snakes swimming.



The log houses are very spacious and environmentally friendly - the water for the hot tub and house is heated by the lake.





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