Upon arrival the cottage had an unpleasant smell which was very off-putting. We then discovered that the cottage had not been cleaned after the previous occupants had left. There was a (visible) ice cream lid down the side of the sofa, remnants of food in the freezer, crumbs on the table, a dirty washing up sponge in the kitchen (& no others provided), unclean surfaces in the kitchen, scum rings around the bath, human & animal hair IN the bed & visibly dirty towels. This is not an exhaustive list, but provides a snapshot of how unclean the cottage was.
The mattress in one of the bedrooms was extremely uncomfortable & made sleeping difficult. There were also loud noises coming from the radiators in the bedrooms that stopped anyone sleeping properly. Bizzarely, the toilet flush in the ensuite shower room was at head height.
I went into the Brown Cow to let them know of the issues & the response was "oh right, I'll let them know". We had already decided to purchase some cleaning products & clean the place ourselves as we didn't trust that it would be done well (based on reviews on other sites), but there was no offer from them to get the cleaner to go in or even an apology for it being dirty.
I knew where the cottages were because I grew up in the area & my (local) family & I have been regulars at the Brown Cow for over 45 years, but had I not it would have been easy to pass by the turning into the yard for the cottages. The signs for the cottages are faded & poorly located, so they are not visible on approach from the road.
We were extremely disappointed with the condition of the cottage & would not stay again. It's a great shame as it is in a perfect location for visiting our family & we would have booked it regularly. We could have turned a blind eye to the fact that the fixtures & fittings are not of a high standard, but comfort & cleanliness are a must for any accommodation.