The Snug, 9 Park Street, Masham, North Yorkshire, HG4 4HN

We stayed for a short break for 4 nights to celebrate my hubbys 50th birthday. Very efficient booking and payment system with the bonus of an offer of 4 nights for the price of 3!

Welcomed by Karen on arrival who explained how everything worked and offered great suggestions for dog walking in the area.

Fantastic cream tea on arrival was a great start to a relaxing few days.

Well equipped cottage in every way, down to the books, toys and dvds on offer to keep children and adults amused!!

Bed very comfortable and huge with super warm quilt.

Log burner was very efficient although we used all the logs by our 3rd night a phone call to Karen and a fresh supply was delivered for our last evening. A perfect place to stay for relaxing or exploring the beautiful countryside around. Hackfall woods a real gem but very muddy in November! Coldstone Cuts sculpture at Pately Bridge gives stunning panoramic views of Nidderdale. All the pubs are very welcoming to dogs, all offer excellent food at reasonable prices. Good local shops include butcher, baker and greengrocer. Road busy with farm traffic and lorries in late afternoon early evening but very quiet through the night. All in all a gem of a cottage in a beautiful friendly part of the world. We would highly recommend staying here.

We stayed here for 5 nights and 4 days between Sunday the 9th and Friday the 14th of September. Our stay should have been a standard mid week break from the Monday to the Friday however due to the early departure of the previous guests we were offered the extra night at a reduced cost. They must have known how desperately we needed the break and this was a surprising and lovely start to our stay at The Snug.

On arrival we were greeted by Karen, the owner, who showed us round and instructed us on how to use the facilities. Karen had also kindly lined up a series of information leaflets on walks and cycle hire for us and laid out a spot of afternoon tea in the kitchen too which was a nice surprise – totally going the extra mile!

The cottage was cosy, warm and comfortable and had literally everything we needed for our stay. It was cleaned to an exceptional standard, spotless throughout in spite of the quick turnaround between us and the previous guests. The facilities included gas hob, electric oven, microwave, fridge with ice box and dishwasher in the kitchen and it looked like a washing machine and freezer were available in the outbuildings to the rear. All facilities were modern and easy to use and the log burner a nice addition to the already very efficient heating system.

Hot water on demand was a bonus. If you’re after a long hot bath, leave a lot of time to fill the bath as although water pressure everywhere else was good the bath itself was less so. The shower however had lovely water pressure and even my 6 foot 5” husband could fit under it which is rare! Fully tiled bathroom was attractive and easy to keep clean. Bathroom was indeed ‘Snug’ but great attention has been paid to design and the features carefully selected so you still feel comfortable.

The central location in Masham is a bonus. You have a newsagent a couple of doors down as well as a cashpoint. A butchers, grocers and bakers are at the end of the street. The market square and it’s gift shops, cafes and the local fish ‘n’ chip shop are also a few minutes walk away. There is a Co-op in the town with ample parking for a big shop or abot 8 minutes walk on foot. Cycle hire is available from a lock up just 2-3 minutes walk away – look for the ‘On Yer Bike’ leaflet. Two local breweries are within a 5 minute walk both with great tours and gift shops – we sampled both! They are both worth a visit, very different experiences. The Black Sheep Brewery has its own bistro which was nice for an evening – spot on service and faultless food and drink. However we also tried the Bay Horse (dog friendly) and Kings Head and both were again great little establishments. We didn’t get round to the Bruce Arms or the White Bear but had to leave something to try on our next visit! Tourist information centre has internet access and printing facilities and is dog friendly. There is a fair-good 3G signal in the cottage as well – depending on where you are positioned though given the thickness of the walls! A local Post Office is also available. Basically, if you don’t want to you wont have to leave the town once you are there.

There is so much to see and do in the local area you will be spoilt for choice. We visited Hackfall Woods (a variety of walks available) and also did the Aislabie short route (still 7.5 miles) from Studley Park. We also did a bit of local walking along the riverside area in Masham. All routes were enjoyable but keep an eye out for livestock as it’s not always signposted or obvious! There is a fab traffic free cycle route along the old railway path between Spofforth and Thorp Arch near Wetherby and the outbuildings at The Snug provided ample padlocked storage for the bikes we hired to do this route. We also noticed, if you are a biker, that there are two anchor points in the wall in the rear yard.

The Snug is definitely dog friendly – not just one of these places that says ‘Allows dogs’ but actually isn’t designed for them at all. Our pooch was given a warm welcome from Karen even though she (the dog) was hot and bothered from the drive down – first worry over! There is a rule about not having dogs upstairs, fair dos but our dog is not very good at imaginary boundaries. No problem - a baby gate is provided to prevent access upstairs overnight; phew! It’s also useful if you have to leave the dog in the cottage for a short while. It rained a lot in the last couple of days leading to a lot of wet and muddy feet, paws, clothes, collars and leads. Not a concern - the flagged living room floor and wood floor in the kitchen are easy to keep clean. The only down side is that the rear yard is not dog proof due to the style of the back gate so if, like us, your pooch is an escape artist / has the wanderlust you do need to supervise them when letting them out the back. This was the only thing that gave us any concern during the stay – not really a complaint just something the owners might think about for the future.

I’ve had to think long and hard to think about anything negative about The Snug and, aside from being surprised that in a town with two breweries there wasn’t a pint glass in site in the cottage, I really cannot complain! This is a perfect cottage in a perfect location. I noticed some people have put that the view is ‘adequate’ – don’t be put off by this. The Snug is in the heart of one of Yorkshire’s loveliest little towns and you are surrounded front and back by original stone cottages. Yes it’s not got astounding views of the countryside but you don’t have to go more than 5 minutes walk to get to these and what you don’t have in views is easily made up for by the other aspects of the location.

FANTASTIC LITTLE COTTAGE,WITH EVERTHING YOU NEED AND MORE. LOVELY RIVERSIDE WALKS AND NICE PUBS FOR BOTH DRINKS AND MEALS. WOULD DEFINATELY VISIT AGAIN JUST FOR THE HOMEMADE SCONES ON ARRIVAL.

Immaculate, clean and tidy cottage. Very snug with log burner and central heating, etc. We ate out most of the time but also cooked one night in the well equiped kitchen.

On the doorstep of all the facilities in Masham including pubs, restaurants and the Theakston and Black Sheep Breweries. Secure storage for cycles and also a great place to do some walking. Well recommended.

The perfect retreat, but a stones throw away from all the amenities one might need with thriving local shops. On our short break we enjoyed breakfast at Border Teas, visited The Gallery, Theakston Brewery shop and Artison amongst others. The cottage can cater for a cosy night in front of the log burner watching DVDs or, for example, reading one of the collection of Wainright books. We also managed a quiet gathering of 8 adults for supper, with the small but well-equipped kitchen. However no obvious hoover - which was a huge relief and permission to completely relax ! In fact the cottage was beautifully clean, and well-arranged, with character. The owners were very friendly and helpful, and provided books, toys, cot, stair gate and high chair for our 11 month old, who seemed very settled in The Snug, as we were.

Fabulous stay at The Snug, the cottage is fitted out well with everything you need for a self catering week away.

Masham is a great base with a couple of galleries, great independant shops and plenty of places to eat out somewhere different each night. Very pretty place to have a wander round and you can quite easily while away the hours without leaving the town. Great walks from the doorstep and lots of thing to do within half an hour of the cottage. Karen was a great host and really went the extra mile to make our stay enjoyable, thankyou!

We have had a really fabulous week away staying at the Snug and hope to return very soon.

Laura and Douglas, Aberdeenshire

The Snug is a lovely cottage, really well equipped with everything we needed for our stay, including logs for the wood burner which was very welcome! Good location within Masham. Any queries ahead of our stay answered very promptly as well.

Beautiful clean and homely cottage.Ideal location for shops and pubs! A very warm reception awaited us despite arriving late in the evening.....and the scones were a treat.Look forward to going again.

What a gem of a cottage, very home from home. Ideally located for Masham square the breweries and most importantly the pubs. Had a perfect week in a perfect cottage and hope to be go back very soon. [Added at Editor's discretion since it appears to be a helpful review and the reviewer has been authenticated]

Cottage was lovely and in a brilliant location. The cottage was well equipped for us and our 16 month old daughter. I would definitely recommend and would love to go back.

An excellent cottage. Warm, cosy and atmospheric. First class fixtures and fittings and a super log burner. We had a lovely short break at the Snug and we have recommended it to our friends and intend to return ourselves very soon. It is great to find such a good cottage which offers short breaks all year round.