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"We had an amazing time at Shiel cottage."
It was exactly type of holiday we were looking for and our dog enjoyed it ! The garden is fenced off, which was helpful to keep an eye on our dog. Supply of wood for a logburner was good. The cottage was clean, well equipped but remote. It was extremely quiet, picturesque and tranquil, just what we needed. You can access in a normal car like we did, but SUV is beneficial due to the state of the road in some places. A little bit of cooking oil, pepper and some cleaning stuff (cloths, cleaning liquids) would be beneficial, so that we could do our own cleaning and cooking as shops are far away. That's the only things that were missing. Thank you for providing a comfortable & relaxing stay.
Reviewed by Tanya4.7★Feb 2024
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"We wanted some peace and quiet and this place delivers."
Complete and utter silence except for whatever tune nature plays! The location, for us and our high energy Staffie, is perfect, just stunning. Plenty of sheep around but long stretches of countryside we could let him run free - great idea until he found a dead pine marten (?) to eat! The cottage is the picture perfect country cottage and we found everything (apart from only 1 loo roll) to be spot on. Can’t comment on the tv system as we never turned it on, why would you somewhere like this! The wood burner easily heats the whole cottage and the u/floor heating is a nice bonus. All the furniture and bed are comfy and we had no issues at all with cleanliness, towels clean and fluffy, bed well made, all good. We’re already planning our next trip because it is such a beautiful, peaceful place. Yes the walking routes aren’t great, in options, but are stunningly beautiful, and the road, a good 30 minutes long, is one of the worst I’ve driven on but it’s all part of the charm, you are forced to drive slowly which prepares you for the tranquility of the cottage. Loved it, loved it.
Reviewed by David5.0★Nov 2023
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"We absolutely loved our stay here and will be back!"
We could not have asked for a more idyllic setting and the owners gave plenty of information so we knew just what was available and expected. Very comfortable beds and furniture, plenty of what you need in the kitchen and lovely complimentary toiletries. Only two tiny things that would have made it perfect and easier for us: a dishwasher, and some help with recycling/rubbish removal. Taking our rubbish and recycling all the way back to the farm at the end of our stay alongside a jam packed car, two kids and a dog was not ideal (but was doable)! If you ever think about selling this place please let us know! Thank you for getting it ready at such short notice too, much appreciated.
Reviewed by Jennifer4.4★Apr 2023
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"We had a wonderful week at Shiel Cottage."
We had booked based on the location but based on some previous reviews were concerned it may not be especially clean. It was. The cottage was absolutely lovely, clean, comfortable and warm. The peace and quiet of this remote location was perfect for us.
Reviewed by Claire5.0★Mar 2023
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"There was no information in the cottage re."
how the heating works, apart from a sheet about how to light the wood burner. But the lighter to light the fire didn’t work, so couldn’t light the fire.
The website gives details that the cottage has “Electric central heating with underfloor heating in kitchen/diner and bathroom”. So we assumed that there would be instructions of how to control the central heating, when in fact, there isn’t central heating but portable radiators. The underfloor heating in the kitchen/diner was not working, until we discovered the switch hidden behind the kitchen door. But with no information, how would we know?
There is a sign saying the water is OK to drink, but no information to actually know what to expect – cold water brown and green bits in the hot water.
The ‘Preparing for your holiday at Shiel Cottage’ email listed ‘Helpful items to consider taking with you’ includes ‘bin bags and oven gloves’. We knew it was an isolated cottage so brought everything with us, so that we didn’t have to drive the 12 miles to a shop. Why doesn’t it say ‘matches and fire lighters’?
And a couple of things that would have helped:
A larger cafetière.
A drainer for crockery, to be on the draining board.
Hi
many thanks for your comments,
we now have information sheets in the property information file that is in the sitting room - including all the above
we would be delighted to welcome you back to The Shiel Cottage
Property Owner
Reviewed by Mark2.8★Dec 2022
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"It’s our second visit to the cottage."
It’s a lovely place to stay. The enclosed garden is great for the dog.
There are no cleaning supplies provided (mops etc…) so cleaning the property for departure is harder than normal which is frustrating as there is a £200 cleaning bond.
If you need strong wifi do not book.
It’s great for an escape from life and has stunning views.
We were comfy and the kitchen had most of what we needed.
Reviewed by Rachel4.4★Oct 2022
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"Hoover left full needed emptying before we hoovered the carpets and kitchen floor, bag of dusters left out on trunk with kitchen cleaner spray in which appeared to be watered down bleach not what was stated on bottle."
cardigan left on back of bedroom door. Very few cleaning products in fact none in property. Mould on bottom frames of bedroom windows. Cobwebs on lights dust on mantle pieces and hearth needed sweeping as debris left. Whole property needs good clean.At least Beds were made up with clean linen . Sykes need to inspect these type of owned properties for standards of housekeeping.
Thankyou for posting your review and I hope you had a lovely holiday
Your comments of cleanliness has surprised me as my cleaning company are normally very thorough and I will review your points and address accordingly.
Please may I remind all visitors that we do not provide cleaning materials
Property Owner
Reviewed by Linda2.8★Sep 2022
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"Beautiful well equipped cottage in complete seclusion."
Cleaning pre arrival wasn’t perfect with cobwebs on the light fittings and 2 of the kitchen draws had crumbs in them. The location is potentially challenging to get to in winter without 4WD. the lack of a standing shower was not a super but would be a welcome addition. Watching the Red Kites around the area and in the garden was a great surprise. Unfortunately no deer for us. The listing stated prefect for walkers but with only one walk on the road available from the cottage we would disagree, we didn’t expect to have to drive to be able to walk!
Reviewed by Simon3.8★Sep 2022
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"Beautiful cottage delightfully decorated in a fabulous location."
I was a bit nervous about booking Shiel Cottage due to some of the reviews online about the "track" to the cottage, lack of various things, etc. In fact it was lovely. Yes, the road to it is single track and seriously potholed, but it's tarmac all the way and you hardly meet anyone else. Plenty of soap, loo rolls and milk on arrival, definitely has wifi, underfloor heating easy to operate, there are chairs to sit outside, so really dont understand others complaints. Loved it - takes ages to drive in along the valley, but it's a beautiful valley (complete with Belty bull) especially in evening sun and the cottage's remoteness is part of its charm.
Reviewed by Christine4.7★Jul 2022
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"Cosy cottage in a Wonderful location."
Great dark night skies.
Reviewed by Philip4.7★Mar 2022
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"A warm and cosy cottage in a beautiful remote rural setting."
Reviewed by Roger3.8★Feb 2022
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"We had a fantastic stay in October in this wonderful remote,cosy cottage."
Very comfortable and well equipped with a lovely big garden surrounding the cottage. One negative though which I relayed to Sykes who, in turn, relayed to the owner: I was told by Sykes a couple of days prior to our arrival that a new wood-burning stove was due to be installed on the Monday at 10am. That was all I was told, no details about arrangements for access for the workmen. I waited in on the day to let them in, they had to return following day at 10am to complete the job but they were late. I had to take our hired bikes back by a certain time the same day. As I could not leave the cottage till the workmen returned, I incurred extra expense from the bike hire place which the owner, at my request, reimbursed but with no apology! To date I have received zero acknowledgement from the owner for the inconvenience of having to stay in - it goes without saying that it is not the role of someone holidaying in a cottage to help out in such a situation! Plans obviously should have been made by the owner to minimise any inconvenience caused and I am upset about the owner's lack of courtesy.
Reviewed by Sarah4.4★Oct 2021
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"Great cottage in a lovely area."
The scenery is great and the area is really quiet and peaceful. Close to Drumlanrig castle and some good walks in the region. The cottage has a good, enclosed dog friendly garden. We had deer, foxes, rabbits and pheasants visit the garden during our week, along with lots of birds for the seeds. Great stay and hope to return.
Reviewed by Jason4.1★Sep 2021
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"Lovely house great area."
Really quiet and peaceful.
Reviewed by Tim5.0★Aug 2021
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"Toilet not working (One day without a working toilet)
One bed not fully made up (caretaker brought later, which we made up)
Drive to the cottage, rough not suitable for low or sports cars
Single track road for about 7 miles (Be careful some massive potholes)
One toilet roll
No first aid kit
No dishwash soap, small milk etc on arrival
Cottage is very nice with the exception of the fake deers head
Views from the cottage are stunning
Nature and wildlife around the cottage plentiful
Fantastic location."
Bring some midge repellent in the summer months
Nice garden with lovely old trees to wander around, could do with a outdoor seating area
Nice friendly gardener, very helpful
Reviewed by Mark3.8★Jul 2021
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"Sheik Cottage is a wonderfully equipped holiday home in a remote and peaceful location far from the nearest neighbours or village."
The cottage is surrounded by stunning views in all directions. Sheil cottage exceeded our expectations - everything seemed new and the owners had made a real effort to equip it to a very high standard. Lovely diffusers and quality items throughout
We used it as a base to walk each day in the unspoilt countryside.
You need to be well organised here as the nearest shop is a good 90 minutes round trip so bring everything with you. We arrived to find NO toilet roll or hand soap - thankfully we had brought these with us.
Little touches were evident - bird feeders in the garden attracted a large variety of birds. The gardens were immaculate but maybe an outdoor table would add to this?
We worked out that there was wifi and how to get hot water but maybe some helpful instructions could be left for users of the cottage?
Overall a well equipped cottage in a stunning remote location in the heart of nature. Would highly recommend to those who want to escape the madding crowd and want total peace and isolation. Would give it 10/10
David and Claire (and Marley the border terriër)
Reviewed by David5.0★Jun 2021
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"Only problem was having to travel 3 miles to get a signal on phone so could use the internet"
Reviewed by Darren5.0★Jun 2021
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"The cottage and location was absolutely wonderful, took a while to work out the under floor heating in the kitchen."
Disappointed no WiFi had to travel 3 miles to get a 4G signal on the phone to plan for the days activities. But if you want total seclusion with no technology, it’s perfect. But does need WiFi. Otherwise we had a wonderful stay. Managed to get out and about even had a resident male pheasant to wake us early.
Reviewed by Darren4.7★Jun 2021
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"The cottage is very well equipped and extremely comfortable."
However, as another review has mentioned, the underfloor heating in the kitchen does not seem to be working. And the wood burner smoked and set off the fire alarms.
But an idyllic spot if you enjoy remoteness and beautiful countryside.
Reviewed by Eileen5.0★May 2021
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"The area is stunning and the cottage is set in a magical location, very quiet and peaceful, which was just what we wanted."
The interior of the cottage is fitted out to a high standard, it was both warm and comfortable. The obsessive decorative theme focussing on deer and antlers in every room isn't really my thing, but I expect some people think it adds some degree of authenticity. I think it would be useful to provide a bit more information on arrival about using the facilities - we got a little bit confused in the first day or two about the water controls - I'm guessing the cottage has a borehole system, with a control panel on the wall, and also the underfloor heating controls seemed a bit erratic. We met the cleaner / gardener later in the week and she was really friendly.
But really enjoyed our stay and we are already thinking about making a booking for next year at the same cottage , possibly for two weeks this time.
Reviewed by Timothy4.7★May 2021
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