Ryehill Farm Cottage, 1 Ryehill Cottages, Thropton, Thropton, Northumberland, NE65 7NG

We booked this cottage through Skyes Cottages who has given it 4 stars, the pictures give that impression as well, we were disappointed with what we found.

The cottage clearly hadn't been cleaned as there was spider webs,spiders and flies everywhere, a musty stale smell greeted us as we entered.

The fridge stunk and clearly hadn't been cleaned for a while.

With no splash back behind the job or sink means there are stains all along the wall for cooking and washing up

All the window frames are filthy and one of the blinds wasn't even put up properly.

It was like there was a thin film of grime on everything

Rusty bin in the bathroom and hand wash left with next to nothing in it.

The bedding was old and dreary and really the the whole cottage looked nothing like the 4star photos found on the Sykes Cottages website.

We ended up spending £20 on cleaning products to clean the fridge, work top, front of the cupboards, cutlery and cutlery draw and 2 of each in terms of plates, bowls etc as we didn't trust if they were clean or not.

The Hoover hadn't been emptied either after the last time it was used

We brought new bedding as well, again we didn't feel the bedding provided was clean.

There was a large area of black mould above the kitchen sink that clearly hadnt been acknowledged, light fittings haven't been attached properly or are loose as walking upstairs cause them to flicker.

The lock box at the front of the house is broken as well

If you intend to rent this property here is a list of things you will need:

Cleaning products

Bed linen (duvet, pillow cases)

Oven Gloves (non provided)

Hand wash

Tool box

Batteries or a clock as the one here is either broken or every battery left doesn't work, again no one has bothered to check it.

The only positive was the view

We came here as my partner is from the area and wanted to reconnect with her roots but this left a sour note on our holiday.

The owners offered £100 compensation which we accepted but we felt they should have offered more

The owners really need to spend some time trying to make things right and maybe finding a better cleaner and give the whole property a proper deep clean

This cottage needs cleaning. A deep clean. The place was filthy, thick dust and cobwebs everywhere. Dog hairs in furniture and cushions. Lack of the most basic maintenance. Freezer iced up. Light bulbs needing replacing. A leak in one of the rooms. Generally in a scruffy and uncared for condition. Mainly it was really dirty and not fit for paying guests. Disgusting!

Lovely little cottage in an ideal location for a quiet break or drives out.

My wife and I stayed for a week with a friend in July. It has a small entrance hall, a lounge/diner/kitchen and a utility cupboard downstairs and two bedrooms and a bathroom up. There's a wood burner as well (although we didn't use it as it was the height of summer!). The garden is small (and on a slope) - but fine for the three of us and fenced well enough to keep my dog in.

Reading back, that all sounds a bit underwhelming. It's not meant to. It's a reasonably priced very comfo

Arrived on Friday night and the cottage was freezing. Flicked one switch and it was instant warmth!! This gave us the chance to get the fire started. Beautifully kept and very up to date. There was wine and chocolates for us which was a big plus to start our weekend. Bedrooms very comfortable and quilts nice and thick for this cold time of year. Bathroom very nice but shower only spraying out from a couple of holes. Nothing that lime scale remover won't solve but a great excuse for a relaxing bath. Games and DVDs supplied. Lovely walks with the dogs. Easy to

Lovely cottage in beautiful countryside. Ideally placed for walking and cycling as well as being near enough to the coast and towns. Very relaxing and an added bonus was enjoying breakfast on the patio as the weather was fantastic. Really enjoyed our stay and will hopefully be back as there is plenty more to do and see in the area.