“Your description stated that there was an enclosed patio, but there isn't an enclosed patio and there is no area that is secure for a dog.”
Which meant we had to keep ours on a lead at all times for her safety and to stop her approaching the caged cats that were on the patio adjacent to the front door of the barn. In fact, quite a bit of your description is a bit fanciful in its accuracy! The barn is comfortably furnished, and the bedding is of good quality, excellent shower and it the barn was pretty clean, although some of the window frames could do with a good scrubbing and the carpet is WELL past is sell by date and very stained. The kitchen equipment and crockery look like it is leftovers from another kitchen! Far too much old and chipped crockery in the cupboards, a good basic, reduced size, matched set would be much more appropriate. The pan rack blocks access to the dishwasher, but if there were less useless items in the cupboards, the pans could go in the cupboards and the rack could be discarded. I think the coffee machine was the black item in the back of one of the window ledges, but it was so far back, there was no way of reaching it, luckily there was a good cafetiere present. There are no basics provided i.e. milk, sugar, coffee, tea, soap, handwash, but there is a good supply of cleaning products, but no dishcloth, just one small sponge. The fridge is also ready for the scrap heap, the shelves don't fit, so they are all on a backwards slope, the door doesn't have proper bottle shelves, so anything you put in there, falls out when you open the door and the bottom of the fridge was quite dirty, with evidence of past spills. Welcome basket of biscuits and wine was nice, but possibly the basics would be more useful. Information folder is scruffy, out of date and indicates that any queries should be addressed to Sykes Offices not the owner, not helpful when you can't get the tv to work on a Saturday night! Talking of which, the TV picture was very washed out and despite managing to alter the settings to get a watchable screen, it kept reverting once it had been switched off, very irritating! We met the housekeeper, who was lovely, very helpful with regard to recommendations and information, but it did appear that she wasn't given much time to prepare the barn for guests, since her duties also included the owner's cottage! The dishwasher was full of clean crockery when we opened it! However, at least we knew which items were ready for use! One huge positive of the barn is the garden, which is beautiful and extremely well maintained, however, it is not separate from the owner's section, so is not dog proof and obviously the caged cats are right next to your holiday front door. There is also a very steep/high curb from the lane to the parking area, which may not be suitable for some low cars, this should be mentioned in your description. The location was peaceful and quiet, yet close to the town and good walks. Nearby Fairfield mill is definitely worth a visit, excellent cafe and very interesting history.
