Mr Hinkley
May 2019
The cottage is well located in Outgate, only 200 yards from a pub serving lovely food & beers.. Hawkshead & Ambleside, are a few minutes drive away, with the serene and beautiful Esthwaite Water, Near Sawry (& HillTop) & Wray Castle not much further. This side of Esthwaite Water is quieter for traffic too (without the crowds in Bowness & Windermere!!)
It is in a 'complex' of several linked properties (looks like they were one long property) behind a gate with adequate parking for 2 cars and a sun terrace. Inside it was very clean, spacious & comfortable with very good central heating for our chilly stay & loads of storage. Excellent TV too (42" I think) unlike many other places which go for a minimum size. The only criticism is that I guess the previous occupants failed to mention the blocked drain in the shower which we found the next morning. This could have been cleared before we arrived (interesting to note that the cleaner didn't notice it either - no need for running water when cleaning a shower?)
One easy improvement would have been a more comprehensive welcome pack on arrival. A few biscuits plus some coffee & tea sachets is minimal nowadays. A cottage in Dorset where we stayed last year provided milk, tea & coffee, a homemade cake, bottle of wine and flowers! Now that's a welcome pack!
Sykes management have been very good (we did have a problem unrelated to this property and not caused by Sykes, and they did a good job in trying to sort it out).