Elworthy View South Molton, Devon

On arrival, 3 farm dogs circled and jumped up at the car, scratching it. I got out to try to call them away and was covered in muddy paw prints where they jumped up at me. Unpacking was a challenge as they frightened my dog by jumping into the car when we lifted the tailgate and they jumped inside the car too. They were filthy. The house is on a working farm in the farmyard. The farmyard was covered in mud and dog poo and littered with rubbish. Inside the property the house smelt strongly of dogs. Although we have a dog (a springer spaniel) our house does not have an overpowering smell of dog because we clean it. The main bedroom smells of sweat. The quilt cover and sheets smelt clean but the smell of sweat from the duvet was so strong that the room smells of it. The carpets and furniture have ingrained dirt. The views from the property are fabulous and it could be fantastic but is not. The dogs are allowed to roam and sat barking at the gate to the cottage whenever our dog was in the enclosed garden. We left after one night, having contacted Sykes who got in touch with the owner. We didn’t hear anything for several hours although we later received a text message. From the content it may have been sent before we left but the Wi-Fi signal is poor and we didn’t receive it. The owners live next door to the property and the loose farm dogs are theirs. We asked for a partial refund for the 6 nights we did not stay. The owner refused saying that they could have sorted the issues “with replacement linens” and by putting the dogs in kennels if we had asked. Fresh linens would not have solved he smell in the bedroom which comes from the duvet itself nor would it have resolved the issue of the cottage smelling etc. Managing he dogs would have been helpful it if you look at the reviews on the Sykes website (through whom we booked) you will see that previous guests have commented on he dogs running loose. It was until we stayed that we realised what the comments about the dogs being friendly meant. It was difficult to walk our dog - at one point we were locked in by a gate across he farmyard and when we were able to get out, one of the farm dogs followed us and nearly caused an accident as we walked our dog, on a lead, on the local lanes. The farm dog was running into the path of vehicles. The owners deny the property is dirty or smells of sweat and dogs. My advice would be to find another property. If you do stay in the South Molton area, all the other people we met were lovely including the staff in Lazy daisies coffee shop, London Inn at Molland does fabulous food and Bray Valley wines sell some great wines.

We were given very clear indications not to arrive before 3pm when we should go to lodge to obtain the keys, before we left home we were phoned to say that the owners of the bungalow were going away for the weekend and would leave the door open.. When we eventually found the property lying out of sight behind the extensive farm buildings we drew up to the front door, ( i.e. the first door of the property with the letter box which opened into the hall and was unlocked with a key on the inside) we were dismayed that it was a grassy muddy access which opened into the hall, we never gave any consideration as to whether we should be using a different door. In the pouring rain we made our access. The following morning we visited a local town and had a coffee and on return found a huge gate closed and locked absolutely no access. We phoned two different mobile numbers several times before anyone answered and after telling of our problem we were spoken to in quite strong terms and told we had used the back door and the front door was on the side opening into the kitchen which we had not discovered. They eventually made arrangements to open the gate but at this point I decided this was not working out and we returned home less than 24 hours after our arrival. Clearly with such a remote difficult property someone should have been made available to hand the key and explain the situation, quite simply ”Those who know, know and those who don’t know don’t know”. As I have said we were told to report to the lodge to receive the key but that option was not made available we think the owners should have arranged for a relative or a friend to be available to help us.

It was just a lovely place nice people and lovely farm DOGS .. Cows sheep ,saw a fox and lots of wild rabbits .the bungalow had all we could of wanted .Nice surprise of strawberries and cream and scones in the fridge when we arrived .only . about 5 minutes drive to a lovely little pub with a wood fire and home made food . Wonderful holiday .

What a brilliant cottage on a farm with sheep and cows etc, could not fault anything.. So well fitted out, the best cottage yet.

The facilities were amazing and everything you needed was available in the bungalow..

This is an absolute gem of a bungalow, a real home from home, everything you'll need for you holiday and more, very clean and well laid out. Hosts Karen & Bill very friendly. Scones,Cream, Strawberry jam and milk in the fridge on arrival. Located on a working farm so the usual countryside sounds and smells. Our dog loved it, safe enclosed garden with lovely views and well equipped patio. Ideal for exploring as it is quite central. South Molton is nearby for supplies and some excellent gourmet pubs are located within a reasonable drive, The London Inn at Molland and The Stags Head at Filleigh, being the best.

Lovely setting, brilliant views of the Devon countryside.. Very relaxing place. House has good facilities and a good base to explore Devon. Dogs loved the secure garden. We will definitely be back. Thank you.

Beautiful location, convenient for touring.. So much provided that it felt like home from home. Lovely friendly owners.

Home from Home. an absolute gem of a bungalow, there is nothing you will not find here for you holiday, very clean and well laid out. Our hosts Karen & Bill were on hand or phone for advice and a friendly chat. Cream Tea and milk in the fridge on arrival, we were spoilt from the start (Cream on top of the jam). Slap!. This property is located on a working farm so expect the usual countryside sounds, the dogs soon become accustomed to it. Yes, the dogs can have a holiday as well, enclosed garden so no worries.The view from the garden and patio is glorious. Whether you wish to travel and explore N, S, E or W this is a central location. Some narrow lanes to negotiate. South Molton is only 3 miles away for some shopping, eating or Take-Away. We are looking forward to a return visit.

Absolute Gem Home from Home.. an absolute gem of a bungalow, there is nothing you will not find here for your holiday, very clean and well laid out. Our hosts Karen & Bill were on hand or phone for advice and a friendly chat. Cream Tea and milk in the fridge on arrival, we were spoilt from the start (Cream on top of the jam). Slap!. This property is located on a working farm so expect the usual countryside sounds, the dogs soon become accustomed to it. Yes, the dogs can have a holiday as well, enclosed garden so no worries.The view from the garden and patio is glorious. Whether you wish to travel and explore N, S, E or W this is a central location. Some narrow lanes to negotiate. South Molton is only 3 miles away for some shopping, eating or a Take-Away. We are looking forward to a return visit.

Elworthy View was the ideal location for visiting attractions, moors and beaches in the North Devon area.. Excellent accommodation, Very comfortable and very well equipped. Our hosts were very, very welcoming, and left us a lovely cream tea to start our holiday off perfectly. I really do want to go back for another holiday there, when the opportunity arises. All in all, Nice place and really nice people.

Although the property is broadly as described we felt that the standard of cleanliness left a lot to be desired.. On arrival the first thing that we noticed was that the washing up bowl was thick with grease and the washing machine clearly had not been cleaned for some time. The under sink cupboard was also very dirty and again had not been cleaned for some time. When mentioning these things to the owner her response was to say "I didn't look in there" which is totally unacceptable. She reluctantly took both the bowl and drawer dispenser from the washing machine, cleaned and returned them the next day. On further investigation, the interior of the oven was in such a filthy state that we felt unable to use it at all, leaving the microwave oven as our only means of cooking for the duration of our stay. Although the accommodation is set in beautiful scenery with stunning views we felt the experience was spoilt by the lack of attention given to the standard of cleanliness of the property and as such does not represent good value for money. We took photographs of all the above issues and are happy to forward them to you if required. We look forward to your comments on this matter. ***** Owner Response***** Thank you very much for your feedback. We always maintain a very high cleaning standard, I apologise if that was not the scenario with your stay. I have taken your feedback on board: the washing machine drawer is bleached now and I am also thinking that I will replace the old hob with a new one.

Although the property is broadly as described we felt that the standard of cleanliness left a lot to be desired.. On arrival the first thing that we noticed was that the washing up bowl was thick with grease and the washing machine clearly had not been cleaned for some time. The under sink cupboard was also very dirty and again had not been cleaned for some time. When mentioning these things to the owner her response was to say "I didn't look in there" which is totally unacceptable. She reluctantly took both the bowl and drawer dispenser from the washing machine, cleaned and returned them the next day. On further investigation, the interior of the oven was in such a filthy state that we felt unable to use it at all, leaving the microwave oven as our only means of cooking for the duration of our stay. Although the accommodation is set in beautiful scenery with stunning views we felt the experience was spoilt by the lack of attention given to the standard of cleanliness of the property and as such does not represent good value for money. We took photographs of all the above issues and are happy to forward them to you if required. We look forward to your comments on this matter.

It would have been help full to know the opening times off the village shop as when we walked there it was shut which was inconvenient.. Also we could not find instructions for the oven.

Lovely comfortable cottage ideally positioned for the places that we wanted to visit.. When booking I hadn't realised that it was on a working farm - it was a pleasant surprise- the owners were really friendly and helpful and were happy for us mix with the cattle and goats.