“The entrance to the property is very steep and parking can prove challenging.”
We found that parking higher up the drive, level with the owner’s cars, made setting off a bit easier.
The outside space has two seating areas (with a parasol and seat pads inside). The information about which sections of outside space you can access was a bit confusing, especially as the ‘private’ chain was not in place when we arrived.
The entry porch is lovely and spacious with a big unit on which to store your bags etc. There is a boot tray, which holds 3 pairs of shoes easily, but the coat hooks only allow for short coats/jackets.
As for the rest of the property, there was plenty of storage in the bedroom (though very few hangers) and it also had a nice view. The curtains allow a lot of light in though (fit blackout linings?) so take an eye mask if you think this will affect you. We found the bed a tad firm for our liking, and would have preferred more substantial pillows, but it was comfy enough for the length of our stay. The use of dressing gowns was a welcome addition.
The shower room was quite spacious and had two options for showering. There wasn’t anywhere to really keep towels (dry, or wet…there is a maiden in the bedroom but was very fiddly) and it would have benefited from a towel hook/shelf right by the shower entrance. The bath towels were too bulky to hang on the heated towel rail. The other hook, across the room, felt a little loose so we did not want to use it.
The separate toilet was a sani-flow variety which had a noisy flush, then made a dripping sound after refilling. We don’t know if this is normal, as we haven’t experienced this type of toilet before, but worth bearing in mind. The toilet roll holder fell off towards the end of our stay and, again, there was nowhere to hang the hand towel apart from draping it across the heated towel rail next to the loo.
The kitchen was well-equipped and the instruction books were provided within the information pack. It had the quietest fridge freezer we have experienced. There wasn’t much storage for the food items we had taken. The only two empty cupboards were on the lounge side of the kitchen island meaning you couldn’t just grab items as you were cooking.
The lounge was a good size, with two good-sized settees. Neither were particularly comfortable but, as there isn’t much of a view from there, we spent very little time in it. It had a couple of board games to play and a piano if that’s your kind of thing. The local information booklets were all slightly out-of-date but, in this digital age, I suppose it doesn’t matter for most people. We couldn’t figure out how to tune the radio on the music system.
As for the dining area, as it was the only place you could fully enjoy the magnificent view, it seemed a shame that there was nowhere comfortable to sit. We tried the outdoor seat pads, on the dining chairs (too thin), and the bed pillows (too cumbersome) and, at the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, we needed something that was ‘just right’. As the kitchen island had two spaces that could be described as ‘breakfast bars’, meals could have easily been taken there. Alternatively, you could reduce the dining table size (this property is only for two people, after all), move it to the lounge (by the entrance hall window), reduce to one settee and have another comfy settee by the huge picture window. We endured much discomfort just to enjoy that view (sometimes for hours at a time).
There was some conflicting information, depending on where you looked eg the framed information in the entry hall stated that the bin collection rota was in the kitchen cupboard, the information pack stated it was in the rear of the information pack. Nowhere did it state where to put any of the rubbish/recycling on collection day even if we had a rota. We were not told what to do with our rubbish bag, at the end of the stay, so had to leave it in the kitchen bin. The information card asked us to leave all bed linen and towels in the grey laundry bin in the bedroom (we could not locate it) while an email said to leave towels on the shower room floor.
So, yes, there were quite a few niggles for us, it’s true, but all of which would be easy fixes and, in reality, are minor inconveniences.
Overall, the property is beautifully presented but we think the image was a little misleading on the website. Although it does clearly state it is a ground floor property, the main image shows the full house. And, in saying this, we feel it also needs to be explicit in stating that there will be noise from the owners living above. This was the biggest issue for us. We had truly hoped for some much-needed peace and relaxation. If you do not want to get up at 7am and stay up until 11pm, you will be disturbed by the owners as they go about their daily lives. If you do not go out every day, and simply want to enjoy the view, you will be disturbed by the owners. As there is very little noise from outside, it was like being in a vacuum. You could hear every foot step (including the dog’s), every fill of the kettle, every use of the coffee machine, every stir of the cup, every scrape of the chair, every muffled (yet loud) conversation etc. We spoke to Leanne about this and she said they would try hard to minimise the noise. With the best will in the world, and without proper soundproofing, it would be an impossible task.
Would all of this noise put us off returning? The jury is still out. The view, and being in Arnside itself, are the reasons we stayed at Shady Bowers. The view did not disappoint us once. Rain, or shine, day, or night, the view is spectacular. The property has very easy access to Arnside and we loved being able to stroll to the promenade, watch the bore, eat ice cream and take a train ride to Grange-over-Sands, all without needing to worry about parking the car.
