“I have written quite a long review, so accept it would have to be edited for publication
The Lawson family has just enjoyed a long weekend in The New House ,in a very rural part of Cumbria.”
Take the advice of Sykes Cottages and don’t arrive without that essential bottle of milk, as you can’t just pop out to the shops.
The house is very spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room for a family of 9 adults, as we are. The main living, cooking and recreational area is open plan and most attractive, leading out to a furnished patio, within extensive and beautiful gardens.
The kitchen is well equipped for self catering, which we mainly did, but we also enjoyed a very high quality and reasonably priced dinner at athe Crossings, about 20 minutes away.
All the bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs, quite a long and steep climb to be expected in this high ceilinged property. There is a downstairs toilet and utility room with an extra fridge freezer for all those provisions. There are empty cupboards in the kitchen for other groceries.
For anyone wishing to be away from the biz of the family room, there is another attractive and comfortable sitting room, leading through to a library, with its extensive and eclectic collections of books. There is also a small, formal dining room, which we didn’t even think of using, as the large (very covetable) table in the family room accommodated us perfectly.
From the house there is a fabulous panoramic view for miles around, totally unspoiled by any modern intrusions, pylons, etc., giving a wide open feel to the hilltop house. It is set in a truly historic landscape, with the 4th century Bewcastle Cross, all 15 feet of it carved beautifully in sandstone, to be found at the bottom of the hill. A special exhibition, housed within the churchyard, is well worth a visit.
A visit to Birdoswald Roman fort is a must. A huge amount of excavation has been done, and a fine exhibition and cafe all make for a great visit, ideal for Wall enthusiasts, like us.
The New House is advertised as a family home, and it certainly has that feel, not at all a sterile holiday let. However, we felt the, to us, rather off colour cartoons in the main bathroom would not be to the taste of many renters.
Probably because of its remote position, the WiFi was quite patchy.
These two comments apart, our family would highly recommend this lovely house and setting to any prospective customers, particularly anyone seeking peace and quiet.
And it was a lovely place for celebrating our 60 th wedding anniversary, the diamond geezers as we became known!
Moira Lawson
