The Mistal Holiday Cottage

We cannot fault this property. We are a family of 4 adults and one dog (Monty). We felt that every room throughout the Mistal served its purpose for each of us. Large and spacious throughout. The lounge room is situated through the kitchen and is a room of its own away from everybody, with a front window looking out across the countryside over the side of the road making it private. The entry room is spacious and bright where large double glazed doors can be opened either side for fresh air to flow through. However, do expect to be watched by the cheeky chickens that created entertainment. The fully furnished kitchen with its beautiful matching crockery and country styled theme was joy to eat in each day. In my opinion the best part of the large garden is through a little gate that opens up into a small field with a lovely duck pond and wild ducks. The views were stunning and with the parasol, table and chairs, it was the ideal spot to take a drink and relax with a book - which we often did. They even have a big goal and football and swing ball for the more energetic. Having the owners (and their family) in close proximity to us gave us security and peace of mind should anything go wrong. We occasionally saw them but on very rare occasions. When we did see them they were friendly and polite. If you are looking for a relaxing, peaceful get away in a well decorated home with gorgeous views this is the place for you!

Our first visit to Mistal Cottage and it won’t be our last. The Cottage and the Grounds are beautifully presented, with lovely views which all made a great holiday for us. The owners of the cottage Carol and Richard made us very welcome, and were such nice people. The welcome hamper on arrival was excellent with local produce, fresh eggs and milk and an amazing Fruit cake baked by Carol. The Mistal is very dog friendly cottage having two jars of dog treats on arrival, which our Springer Spaniel took full advantage of. The Cottage is ideal situated within easy reach of many places of interest and beautiful walks. We would highly recommend the Mistal.

We rarely write reviews but felt compelled to this time. The major issue is the garden is not private and shared by the owners and their extened family who live adjacent. More on that later. To provide a fair/balanced assessment, the positives. The house is nicely decorated inside. The location is convenient to visit the Yorkshire Dales NP. There are some lovely walks/gardens in the area. Now for the issues. First, we rented the house for my wife, dog and myself. They offered a discount of £200 if they closed off one bedroom which is generous and seemed right for us. It did not state which room would be locked. On arrival we learned that the room they close off is the master with ensuite. That leaves you with a small standard bed in one room and twin beds in the other. We should have checked as we would have preferred to pay more and keep the master open; not excusing the owner for not making this clear. The remaining bathroom for us was in the hall (not really a problem) but there is no separate shower so you must step over a very high bathtub rim to shower. Secondly, the house sleeps 6, so if you plan to have breakfast daily or cook meals, be aware that the only plates and bowls are plastic; very odd and frankly a negative. There are only 2 tiny bowls for cereal so you will need to share one glass mixing bowl amongst yourselves in order to have cereal (as the small bowls wouldn’t hold any amount). The family's recycle bins & trash bins are located steps outside your front door and to the left wall. Not in their yards but the one you are renting and they walk past your lounge window to use them. The main issue is the little to no privacy outside the house and garden. This was the biggest negative and got more annoying over the week. The one area that is private in the front of the house contains a very uncomfortable picnic bench seat/table and no umbrella; blazing hot in the week we were there. That’s not great but in addition you are, literally, steps from the road. The house is situated at the beginning/end of a 30 to 60 mph speed limit. What this means is everyone leaving the village or entering is accelerating or decelerating so lorries, farm vehicles, etc. are speeding past at 45mph+. Not relaxing or private and very loud. The property is also in a family compound. When given a tour of the outside property (within the first 5 minutes of arriving) I was instructed that we were NOT permitted to use what really is the nicest part of the garden. The family has a gazebo, loungers, chairs and a BBQ grille on a raised portion of the outside property, very shaded and with views over the country side. During our stay, they used the area most afternoons/evenings, including a get together with multiple people on the Saturday night with guests trooping by the lounge windows all evening. You are instructed to only use an area adjacent to the duck pond in a field - and you have to walk by the family/retsricted area to get there. Their private area is just yards away and overlooks it. Their family laundry spinner is within direct view outside the lounge. If you are sitting in the lounge enjoying TV or a movie, family members walk by routinely and hang their laundry out directly in your view. Unfortunately, they are continuously in and around your rental house - watering plants, feeding chickens, enjoying their garden space, emptying trash/recycling or hanging out laundry or taking it in. If you value privacy this house will not be for you.

beautiful setting, fantastic location and lovely well-equipped accommodation. This was almost completely ruined by the worst most bizarre approach to customer service i have ever witness. The owner was unwelcoming, abrupt and on occasion plain rude. She complained about the number of guests despite having 6 adults and a one year which was clearly advertised on the website. She complained about the amount of cars despite advertising ‘ample parking’ and implied we would destroy her property. In spite of the owner we had a lovely time but won’t be returning

We thoroughly enjoyed our second stay at The Mistal. Very clean and comfortable cottage with beautiful gardens which the children adore exploring. Highly recommend.