Barforth Hall Lodge, 2 Barforth Hall Cottages, Winston, Gainford, Durham, DL11 7UL

We stayed here just before Xmas and it was beautiful. The location is great, very peaceful and the lodge is perfect for big family get togethers. The hot tub takes some getting going but we soon got the hang of it and it is well worth the effort. There are also lots of friendly animals near by, from horses to llamas (careful they spit!) And the owners couldn't be more welcoming. We will definitely be back soon and maybe try out one of the smaller cottages.

I loved my stay at this cottage and so did all of my family. The scenery is gorgeous and there is so many places to explore and adventure like the river tees which is an amazing walk and old ruins. We all felt so at home and we have visited multiple times with the family as it?s a great get away for everyone to relax. Therefore I strongly suggest this place for anyone to visit X

?We booked this cottage for 12 people, a baby & a dog for a week in April and we had a great time. The views are stunning and we loved being on a working farm seeing the animals especially the lambs. There are some wonderful walks in the area and the house makes a good base for you to explore the surrounding towns and villages. The house itself was clean, warm and big enough so that we didn?t feel on top of each other. There are parts of the property which are a bit rundown but it still functions perfectly well. The only issue we found was the water, it ofte

Just returned from a great few days here. There?s lots of space and all you need for a relaxing break. Lovely surroundings and beautiful countryside. It snowed whilst we there and was picturesque. The owners were welcoming and helpful ensuring we got back onto the main roads safely.

Stayed at the lodge with friends this week and had a wonderful time! Was really clean and comfortable and great value for money for a 12 bed cottage. Loved using the hot tub, even in the cold weather. Beautiful views and surrounding countryside and loved being able to see all the farm animals! Owners were lovely and welcoming. Would definitely stay again :)

This was our third visit to Barforth and our second stay at The Lodge, where we spent a great New Year with the family, including our grandchildren. The location is amazing, tucked away in the countryside with fantastic views.

The Lodge is very spacious with ample room for everyone to spend time together. It was clean and tidy and had everything needed for a self catering stay. There were games and DVD's supplied too. We received a lovely box of chocolates along with our welcome pack, which was a lovely gesture. The fact that it is dog friendly is great too, it meant my daughter could bring her dog along, he had a great time investigating the countryside.

We all had an amazing time as we did on our first visit back in May. We will definitely be back for another visit (if not 2) this year. The owners are so friendly and always happy to help if needed - I cannot recommend enough.

My husband booked this very expensive cottage as a surprise for my birthday. He had chosen it based on the photos and reviews.

The day before we arrived, he looked at the most recent reviews and was concerned - they were 1 and 2 stars instead of the 5 stars he'd read when he initially booked it several months ago.

He contacted the owner the day before our visit to confirm approximate arrival times, so they were definitely aware that we were coming but when we arrived, there were no lights or heating on - the building was absolutely freezing as was the wat

My husband booked this very expensive cottage as a surprise for my birthday. He had chosen it based on the photos and reviews.

The day before we arrived, he looked at the most recent reviews and was concerned - they were 1 and 2 stars instead of the 5 stars he'd read when he initially booked it several months ago.

He contacted the owner the day before our visit to confirm approximate arrival times, so they were definitely aware that we were coming but when we arrived, there were no lights or heating on - the building was absolutely freezing as was the water which is heated through solar panels, all of which took quite some time to get warmed up. There was no welcome pack of any kind - not even a pint of milk for us to have a cup of tea - we have been to much cheaper establishments which supplied bread, milk, butter etc. just to get the guest started upon arrival. Fortunately, we had the foresight to go shopping prior to arrival, we usually get settled in first and then go shopping locally.

After such a long journey to the cottage, we understandably required a bathroom break - between the four toilets in the building there was only half a toilet roll! I understand that this was a self catering break but surely there should have been some preparation prior to our arrival. When we asked for more toilet rolls we were supplied with two (between seven guests including four adult males).

In the kitchen I tried to prepare a meal in the gloom - only one of the light bulbs out of 5 was working - the others had clearly stopped working a long time previously and were full of cobwebs and flies. This was a consistent issue throughout the building.

There were dust balls on the floor which consisted of long blonde hairs - only one member of the part was blond and that was short cropped and couldn't possibly be the source of the dirt!!

It was clear that there had been a party there previously as there were bits of streamers on the chandeliers in the dining room and bits of balloons and rubbish under the table. There was rubbish under the sofa (although the lounge was the most pleasant room of the cottage).

I understand that we arrived in winter but there were dead plants everywhere outside, the shed was dilapidated and in a state of total disrepair, and the hot tub... :(

My husband only books accommodation with hot tubs as he feels that as we work hard to earn our holiday money, we should be able to relax when away and the thought of a romantic, log burning hot tub won him over when planning this surprise gift.

The hot tub was cold when we arrived - yet another example of the lack of preparation prior to our arrival, (it apparently takes three hours to warm up), and it was full of scum. I was embarrassed to mention this to the owners but my five year old son had no such conscience and complained that it was disgusting. The owner's son came over and added more water to it, explaining that it was probably just the chlorine tablets which hadn't dissolved but when we switched the water off, the scum remained and none of us were prepared to enter the water due to this.

The views and the animals were another reason he chose this venue. The views were spectacular there is no denying but the alpaca bit my son on the leg when he tried to pet it, and spat at and chased anyone who went near it or its compatriot. Maybe there should have been warnings not to approach the animals if they are so vicious?

The farm dogs were great and we did spend an hour playing with them. We couldn't reach the horse field without climbing over the garden fence as there was too much vegetation covering the route to the field.

There was only enough hot water for one bath per day - one couple shared bath water which was luke warm by the time the second person got in. I spent the morning of my birthday having a strip wash because the both showers were freezing cold even though we had used the solar power "boost button".

By this point, we were all so disappointed with the place that we decided to leave a day early. The owner sent a text to my husband saying that she hoped that we had enjoyed our stay - he was so upset at the state of the place that he did not reply.

We complained to Sykes Holidays the following day and sent them photos to back up our complaint. Sykes were mortified but did say that they had had other similar reviews. They put our complaints to the owner who said that because we hadn't complained to her at the time, she would not refund any of our money (just under �1000 for a weekend). It has also taken two weeks for her to reply to Sykes.

Sykes were more gracious and did refund �100 as a goodwill gesture due to their embarrassment that their reputation had been so tarnished by association

This venue did not live up to the photos on the website which were clearly not taken recently and was definitely not worth the extortionate amount of money charged.

Pros: Beautiful views, clean bedding.

Cons: Dirty house, poor lighting, no preparation or any kind of welcome pack, disgusting hot tub.