Wheelgate

Sandy and Stuart provide a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and share their home with 3 beautiful Golden Retrievers and a cat named Thomas. A generous breakfast will set you on the right track is offered with informal dining in the main house. This 16/17th Century Farm house offers B+B, either in the house or in several stone out-buildings, if you like a little more autonomy. After September, it is accommodation only. Conveniently situated in Southern Lakeland, between Torver and Coniston there are several traditional pubs and eating places. There are many walks/cycling to be had, such as the Old Man of Coniston, lakeland walks to Grizedale Forest and excursions on the lake. Its in easy reach of many other places to visit too, including Hawkshead from where you can travel to Ambleside and connect to the A591 for Windermere, Grasmere, Kendal (south) and Keswick to the north.

On the booking site this looked like a nice 4* place to stay, and the location is in fact ideal for visiting Coniston. The scenery across the road was beautiful and the view from the window of the Hideaway is lovely – although if you don’t like cows you might not be so keen. Coniston is within walking distance and it’s a nice walk there and back. I arrived around 6pm on a very wet and dull day and visibility wasn’t the best but I found Little Arrow and turned into it but unfortunately this wasn’t correct. I tried a couple of times to locate the B&B but I had to phone to ask and was told the sign was currently missing. I was met at the gate which was a nice touch, but it was a trek outside to my separate cottage and I was soaked by the time I got to it. Driving on my own made it impossible to refer to any directions on the web-site and the signal in the area is hit and miss. As soon as I stepped inside The Hideaway I could instantly smell damp and it was quite chilly considering it wasn’t a cold day just very wet. The windows were all open which had done nothing to hide the smell and neither had the numerous air fresheners dotted throughout. There are some small patches of mold throughout and actually there were some on the bottom sheet. The valance sheet on the base of the bed looks as if it has never been cleaned. The duvet cover was littered with the bodies of dead insects and the carpets could have done with a hoover. The pillows and duvet felt cold and damp to the touch and the pillows were lumpy and in need of replacement. There were live spiders in most corners, dead insects, live snails and a caterpillar were on the curtains and the windowsills. The shower was unfortunately either freezing cold or scalding hot. You had about a 3 second window where you could dip in and out, plus it turned itself off after a short time. I got very little sleep because even though I had the heating on, I was cold and felt damp and the smell of damp was awful, it also affected my asthma. As soon as I lay down, I started coughing and my lungs were painful, this in fact lasted several days after I left. Breakfast was a mixed affair. The cereals etc didn’t look appetising and the crockery, cutlery and general area, looked a bit grubby. However, the food was well cooked and pleasant. I waited until everyone had left and then addressed the issues with the owner. Before I’d even explained fully, he took the stance of ‘the customer is wrong’ and became quite aggressive! Although I managed to remain calm, he did try to intimidate and bully me. I suggested that they need to update the photos of the room and to fix the shower, which according to him was just an air-lock. Basically his response was, that the room is booked out solid and he’s not had any other complaints. I was due to stay for a few nights and he agreed to refund the final night. I see that since my discussion with him, the pictures remain the same but the price has actually