This is a hidden gem and when I say hidden, I mean hidden. Do not follow satnav's as they may lead you elsewhere. It took us a long time after taking many wrong turns to find the place, we even began to wonder if the place did actually exist!. Once we did find the place, the private road down to the farm was a very bumpy and cringeworthy track, as our car is quite low based, it was not a comfortable drive. Taking the drive very slowly was the way to go. We did witness in the days we were there, others in a little corsa and others that managed the drive quickly back and forth through the day, however we still chose to take it slow. Many, many potholes, but we did notice that on some days, that hardcore had been added to help, which was appreciated. A 4x4 vehicle would be advised but not necessary if you take is easy. The road/track down to the cottages is the only down side and the only reason why I haven't marked the overall rating as Excellent.
We stayed at Hope Syke cottage. We were greeted by Andrew and several friendly dogs who were eager to meet our two dogs.
Dogs are free to explore completely, which was just perfect for our two dogs. They loved the freedom and enjoyed the daily meet ups with the residential dogs, who often came into our cottage in the mornings and evenings to say hello. When were were packing up the car to leave, one of our dogs, ran back down to the cottage and tried to hide, she really loved it and really didn't want to leave. Both our dogs were rescues at one time and the stay here we saw their confidence grow in leaps and bounds.
The cottage was homely and very cosy and just perfect for our needs. There was a cake left waiting for us on our arrival which was a lovely touch by the owners. We arranged for our weekly shopping to be delivered by Tesco, which I might add we were really surprised that they delivered so far out!
My hub got to make fire every evening, which was entertaining in itself :) All wood and materials for the fire were stacked in the cottage and for more, twas just a short walk up the path for more.
On evenings when venturing outside the cottages, you may wish to watch where you step as the ground was covered in frogs and toads of all sizes, this did entertain us, as our two dogs were completely baffled by them :)
The place is totally off grid, no internet, wifi or mobile phone connection which was complete bliss! There is an indoor swimming pool and a games room with darts and a snooker table.
The nights are very quiet and the sunsets are just beautiful! With no light pollution, the stars just fill the sky above, just stunning.
If you want a place to completely get away from the rat trap and re-vitalise your mind and want to give your dogs a real treat of a holiday, this is the place for you!
