Self Catering in Cumbria - Kirksanton

Gorgeous....but
First impressions are very good. Fantastic friendly welcome. Milk and fresh cream and jam cupcakes in fridge. Beautiful solid stone built barn conversion. Gorgeous furnishings and fittings. Really comfy sofas. Very comfy double bed. Great walk in shower. Kitchen has everything you need and some you things you don't! Quality furnishings and knick knacks. Yes the bedrooms are partly below ground level but both are well lit with head height windows. All of the guest ' cottage' is on the ground floor and ceilings are about 6' 8". Front lawn for use of guests and their children and dogs. Barbecue and outside seating. Grown ups double garden swing and garden fort for children. Quiet location and 20 minute walk down farm track to the fantastic beach. Black Combe within mile and the Lakes within 30 minutes by car. Local pub still closed and has been since fire 2 years ago, however work is progressing. The negatives are flies, like most of Cumbria there are a lot of sheep and cows, these mean dung which means flies. And there are lots and lots of them...everywhere you go. So don't open the windows and doors and you will be fine. The other main negative is that as the owners live above the guest accommodation. You can hear them make every move. Even walking across the floor. Which is OK if they are on Holiday. But not great when they are in residence We were fortunate that the owners went on holiday the day after we arrived. We wi be back as the positives outweigh the negatives by a long way.
nicholaswC5449MS
2022-09-08

Beautiful and stunning little gem in heart of Cumbria
Just got back from one week stay at race side cottage. Absolutely love it! ideal place to have a relaxing peaceful family holiday. Me and my husband went with our teenage daughters, five year old son and our two dogs and can all honestly say that we had the best time. The cottage was well equipped with everything. My little boy loved the tree house and playing football in the garden, the girls were entertained with all the dvd's and board games. Cottage itself was beautiful inside and out very cosy and comfortable. We could only get Wi Fi in the back bedroom and no where else in the cottage but to be honest we went there to get away from all the devices so we could have quality time with the kids so I quite liked that, no sure the kids would agreed though. The town centre is close by approximately 2-3miles for local shops, beach is just over a mile away, but wouldn't advise trying to walk there via the back farmland very muddy and stinky, even with wellies it can be a challenge, the beach is lovely down there though. Haverigg beach is much easier, have to go by car but plenty of parking and only 10mins drive, well worth it, we was on there most morning with the dogs, sand dunes and parks great for the kids also a little beach cafe, pub and fish and chip shop and convenient store that sell homemade cakes on the corner. Viv and Ron the owners live above but you don't really know they are there, they are very welcoming and on hand to help if you need anything. Very lovely people, had homemade cakes made for us on arrival, they supplied some cupboard essentials for when we got there so we didn't need to rush out and get them straight away, Viv also made us some bread during the week which was a lovely touch. Only negative would be that the location of the cottage is a bit secluded, all amenities are close by but the only way to get to them is by car, you are very limited to where you can walk without hitting private land or roads, so was hard to take the dogs on long walks if we didn't want to use the car. There is black Combe just 10mins down the road where you can park at the bottom and the public foot path leads up the mounting once up there is some amazing breath taking views. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to anyone, our first time staying in a cottage and it was a great experience for all the family will definitely be back, anyone staying at this cottage would not be disappointed it was fab!
nicolamulgrew
2018-04-12

Wonderful stay in a beautiful barn conversion.
Stayed in this great accomodation for a week with my other half and our two large dogs. On arrival we were met by the owner who made us feel most welcome - she showed us a ground floor conversion which upon entry was of outstanding quality. Kitchen diner, two bedrooms - 1 double and a twin with an extra storage bed, bathroom all exceptional. The fridge had several home made cup cakes with fresh cream a very nice touch! There's a small but very neat front garden with adjacent drive. We were offered the use of BBQ but didn't have the time. The accomodation is a short walk from the beach which when tides permit have sands that stretch for miles (check tide times) 6 mile walk to Millom! Or in the other direction less than 3 mile to Stilecroft. Local restaurant "The King Billy" serves outstanding steaks and beverage whilst "The Miners Arms" in Stilecroft has a lovely restaurant too. Local Black Combe Fell is a good test albeit rather barren - if you're looking for the more acclaimed Wainwrights then be prepared for a 40 minute drive. All in all Raceside Cottage is perfect if you're looking to combine a beach and fell experience! Thank you to our exceptional hosts/owners - had an absolutely marvellous time!
Ibert65
2018-04-06

Warm, welcoming, peaceful and great buns!!!
We thought an up to date review was needed so here we go. The cottage was everything that we wanted for our first break with our three month old. We tend to cook a lot whilst we're away and it made a nice change that the kitchen had everything we needed and more! The open plan living area created a pleasant social setting whilst cooking and eating rather than being stuck in a separate room. The bedrooms were incredibly warm and cosy with loads of space (especially important for all the baby paraphernalia!!) and were a very relaxing space to unwind in after the days activities. The cottage did not advertise wifi but you can use the WiFi belonging to the owners above - the only problem in the walls are so thick the signal is very weak - try the back bedroom!! Viv and Roy (living above) were on hand if we needed anything but left us alone so we didn't really know they were there. It was a lovely touch having homemade buns on arrival (we could have eaten them twice over) along with the bread and milk. The location itself is very quiet. The beach is exactly one mile down a track but this was very muddy due to the time of the year but that didn't matter as there was a hosepipe outside the back door, ideally placed to hose our muddy running gear and the dogs down afterwards. The beach itself is very quiet and unspoilt and if you don't want to walk there, the car park at Silecroft is only a few minutes drive. Unfortunately the village pub was being refurbed but there is a decent pub in Silecroft and a couple in Haverigg, only a short drive away. Overall we had a fantastic week and we would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a quiet relaxing break in the lakes.
davemF6171SB
2017-02-04

Set in a nice quite spot in a little village. A 20 minute walk to the beach, which is lovely if you're taking a dog. The best holiday cottage we've stayed in over the last 4 years we have been going to the Lakes.
Mrs Wilkinson
2016-07-30