Kirkstone Cottage, BrackenFell, Outgate, Hawkshead, Cumbria, LA22 0NH

We have just returned from a stay at Kirkstone Cottage near Hawkshead.

When we entered the property the smell of mould was overwhelming. Upon looking round the kitchen, we found that the fridge was filthy (so mouldy that I had to remove all shelves and veg boxes and wash them thoroughly in the sink, then wipe down the fridge to remove mould before refitting the shelves). The microwave was also dirty. The door mechanism on the integrated dishwasher was broken (with no warning on the door) so that slammed down and hit my partner on the knee on our first night. There was dirt on walls, filth on the radiator, a thick layer of dust on most surfaces & the entire cottage felt grimy & revolting.

Upstairs, there was a dead spider inside the bathroom cabinet and filth round the sink over-spill.

The whole cottage felt and smelt so grimy and dirty that we lived out of our bags for the entire trip as we didn't want our possessions/clothes to touch any surface in the cottage as it felt so dirty. If it were not for lockdown and the fact it was our first holiday in 6 months, we would have returned immediately upon arrival.

I contacted the property through booking.com within 1 hour of arriving at the property and explained the situation. Skyes cottages got back to me offering a £25 'gesture of goodwill'. I said this was a joke & reinforced how disgusting the cottage is. They improved their offer to £50 but refused to go beyond this so I reluctantly excepted, since it was that or nothing, but told them I would take it further since I was so dissatisfied.

Considering how much we paid for this break away, £50 compensation for the revolting state of the cottage is just not acceptable.

I sent Skyes Cottages a large number of photos so they were well aware of the situation.

It's a shame since the location, parking, outside of the property and log burner are very nice.