Freemantle Lodge

We enjoyed our stay at Freemantle Lodge with its unique location, amazing views and choice of walks around the area.

The cottage was clean, comfortable and well equipped. I do echo previous comments about it being tricky to find - Google maps is useful to a point but the odd sign wouldn’t go amiss. I wouldn’t want to try and find it in the dark. We also struggled with the heat the first few nights- the upstairs was stifling and I would urge the provision of fans in the bedrooms for future heatwaves. There were also mosquitoes so it’s advisable to provide sprays or plugs too. I also wasted time like previous guests trying to work out the recycling because the welcome pack hadn’t been updated! The window locks still need mending (previous comments refer, again). With these minor corrections the Lodge does provide the perfect holiday break and is in easy distance from most main island attractions.

Very sad we have decided not to stay here again, was my disabled children’s happy place.

Never had a problem on previous visits and we have always done things exactly the same way. Yet on our last visit the cleaner has apparently said we left too much rubbish , even though it was all in the bins provide(no food bins or green bins) we did leave our incontinent sons nappies in the bins which we have always done on previous visits without complaint. Also we had an email saying we had broke something(without telling us what it was) ! Very sad that we have felt we had no choice to cancel our next visit due to what we feel is very unfair circumstances. We always respect other people’s properties. I did email Sykes and txt the owners but have received no reply .we are not in a position to lose our £375 deposit so our children will more than likely have to do without a holiday next time.

Our 3rd time at freemantle inside a year, a wonderful calm oasis , no cars , no light pollution, just the odd walker or cyclist .

We absolutely love it here .

Our stay at Freemantle Lodge was everything we had hoped for and more.

Living in the city, it was the perfect countryside retreat and exactly what we needed. The views were absolutely spectacular, and the cottage itself was full of charm and character. It was cosy, comfortable, clean, and had such a welcoming feel. We loved every moment of our stay and are already missing it. The visits from the sheep and even a badger made the experience even more special and added to the magic of staying here. The walks around the area were great fun especially to the donkey sanctuary. The only suggestion we would make—and it’s a very minor one- We spent most evenings outside enjoying the stunning views, and while the small bistro table was lovely, a picnic bench would have made it even easier to sit together and enjoy our meals outdoors. We honestly couldn’t recommend this cottage highly enough. Thank you so much for such a wonderful stay. We will definitely come back again in the future!

Guest information book was out of date.

The property requires some maintenance. The recycling, and waste food bins were missing. We did have the company of a mouse in the kitchen which didn’t bother us as we live in the country but could really upset some people. All that said it is a lovely cottage which just requires some tlc and we had a lovely week.

We had a wonderful stay in the cottage which is in a great location, if a little hard to find.

The cottage was well equipped and we had everything we needed. I would just mention that the plumbing was very noisy, especially over the twin bedroom.

We book with Sykes fairly often and Freemantle Lodge has been our favourite so far.

We always wanted somewhere with a view and here it was. At the same time, Godshill is an easy and pleasant walk down the hill, although the general store isn't up to much. There's also something impressive about staying next to the Gate, which is on the point of having the ironwork put back. The IOW has so much to do: we visited Osborne, the Donkey Sanctuary, the steam railway, Carisbrooke Castle, Quarr Abbey as well as Ventnor and Ryde and could still have explored the west of the island. I'd recommend completely. Just note that to reach the cottage, you need to go through the gate at the end of the track opposite Appuldurcombe House.

Freemantle Lodge is ideally situated for exploring the surrounding countryside, we found a different walk everyday and it was good not to have to use the car.

It was a pleasant walk to Godshill where we ate on a few occasions, again walking to and from the pub. The Lodge was spotlessly clean and comfortable with a generous welcome pack. A little more detail with the driving instructions would have been helpful.

Clean, Beautiful, peaceful, warm property.

Lots of amazing walks just out of the back door! The only thing we would have different was the bed is super soft and we are used to quite a hard bed. But this hasn't stopped us already booking the property for next year. Thank you!

Property excellent.

Temperature of hot water needs turning down. it,s scalding hot in the bathroom and wasting oil to make it that hot.

Unbeatable holiday location, secluded yet comfortable, safe and surrounded by beautiful nature.

We spent a lovely 2 weeks at Freemantle Lodge.

The cottage is clean and has everything you need for your stay. The welcome pack was really well thought of! As we knew the location we were prepared for the driveway and the remote area which suited us. It's a 15 minute walk into Godshill with all that is there to enjoy as well as being on the Red Squirrel Trail. We would highly recommend a stay at the lodge!

Lovely cottage and we enjoyed the five days of our stay there.

Perfect location, although like others have said, a little tricky to find.

I was lucky, i stumbled across the chap locking up the car park at Appuldurcombe house and he pointed the way! I loved the isolation and the walk into nearby Godshill was lovely. The rooms were a lovely size, it was clean and more or less had everything you would require. However, there were a few niggles. The garden was not secure for my little dog and i couldn’t rest when the door was open as he could get out under the massive gap beneath the gate. I found there was not enough storage in the kitchen for groceries and a decent frying pan wouldn’t have gone amiss. The welcome pack was very nice indeed, but it was all stuff i had brought with me. Salt and pepper, cooking oil and stuff like that would have been better. The washing machine leaked and the outside grid overflowed into the garden. A grab rail is needed in the shower, i nearly came a cropper a couple of times. I found the bin instructions a tad confusing too as there was only one bin and nowhere to recycle anything. Very disappointing. Also the vacuum cleaner was just ridiculous. I could barely lift it and certainly couldn’t take it upstairs. A rechargeable Shark or equivalent would be far better. I didn’t like the covers on the sofas, they just rumpled up and always looked a mess. A couple of lamps would have been nice too. It’s an isolated spot so what 3 words location would have been good, for emergency purposes. Also the patio needed a good clean, it was full of moss and the outside mats were just dirty and pointless. Yes, all minor issues but they all mount up. Having said all that, i enjoyed my stay in the cottage and loved watching the bats whizzing by at dusk. Thank you xx

We went to freemantle Lodge for a week last year and found it so relaxing so this year we decided to stay for 2 weeks, and it was still perfect, we will definitely be back next year.

Everything about the lodge is fantastic, the drive along the dirt track makes it feel like your away from Everything and everyone. And lovely to see the fox and badger, and I would like to say a big thankyou to the cleaner she does a fantastic job. And the welcome pack was lovely, and the wine went down lovely

We appreciate from other reviews that's it not the easiest lodge to get to but is that part of the fun We can honestly say this one our favorite holiday lodges we love the fact we had no neighbors only sheep and foxes for company Freemantle lodge was clean and comfortable and had everything you need for an amazing vacation and a brilliant base to explore the isle of wight And when you return after a day of exploring you can kick back and relax in the quiet and listen to the birds of pray Would we recommend freemantle lodge a massive YES you will not be disappointed

Outstanding character property with wonderful views .

Very comfortable and well maintained .Facilities were all very good . Maybe some comfortable outdoor chairs would have been nice . Very helpful owner and cleaner . Would highly recommend this cottage if you are looking for tranquility in the countryside .

Our stay at Freemantle Lodge was very enjoyable.

The house is comfortable and well fitted out, there is good heating and plenty of hot water. Ample towels and extra blankets for cooler weather. All the appliances worked as they should. We found the beds comfortable and slept well. Plenty of TV stations and the wi-fi was fine. There is ample space for visitor's things. A generous welcome pack was provided. The cottage sits on its own well away from any other properties, so it's very quiet which suited us. Lovely views. Parking is easy (once you've got the gate open!). We will be back I'm sure. A hint for first time visitors. To get to the cottage, turn off the main road signed towards Appledurcombe House. When you reach their entrance there is a track on your right, immediately after their small car park. It is not signed to Freemantle Lodge. Go up the track and you will come to a field gate which says To Freemantle Lodge. Go through the gate and continue until you arrive at the cottage. Not knowing this we made a detour through the farm and if it had been dark we would have not spotted the sign on the field gate!

We stayed at the property last year, lovely place, but it was really cold when we arrived.

No heating or hot water. After a lot of phone calls discovered that the oil had run out. We arrived on the Friday, the oil arrived the following Wednesday. We liked the position so decided to give it another chance. This year the lack of basic maintenance was evident. Window latches broken, the main gate post to the property is rotting, so the gate has dropped, making it difficult to open and close. The water hammer every time you flush the loo, or turn on a tap is dreadful. On the last day the water turned cloudy and tasted awful. In your details of the property you fail to mention that the hob is induction, which as someone with a pacemaker, I was unable to use. Unfortunately we will NOT be staying there again.

A great location for walking to many different places and also has regular bus services we used if you were prepared to walk a little way.

The cottage was very comfortable and homely. We were grateful that the heating was on when we arrived. Thank you for the food hamper which was very appreciated. An ideal place to relax .

Advantages.

Great location, perfect view. Easy access to the donkey sanctuary, Godshill and Appuldurcombe. Love the sheep and horses. Disadvantages : tape keeping a sofa together, shower very weak, drive to house needs levelling. Not everyone has a four wheel drive!

Freemantle Lodge is the absolute perfect getaway from modern-day hectic life.

Set in a historic location, nestled amongst stunning countryside, very atmospheric and magical after dark. The ultimate place to clear your mind, relax and feel true happiness

It was a lovely property in a perfect location for us to stay in so it was nice

Home from home, we loved our visit, perfect spot and interesting to see all the walkers, cyclists going by, also the horses sometimes.

Great place.

The property is surrounded by fields and in an ideal location if you like piece and quiet and time to relax.

The views are stunning. Ideal if you prefer a get away from it all holiday. The WiFi isn't great but given the location this shouldn't come as a surprise. We have stayed before and will definitely book this property again. It would be good to have a visitor book where recommendations could be posted as the island has lots to offer. The welcome pack requires slight amendment as food waste is now not recyclable and there is no need to separate recyclable items. This is our 20th year of visiting the island

The cottage itself was very clean and comfortable, and well-equipped.

Unfortunately, the WiFi was sporadic for the first few days, and dropped out altogether for the last 4 days of our stay. Also, the directions to the cottage were not very clear (especially to those unfamiliar to the area). The track leading to the first gate at the entrance to the drive is not marked as Appuldurcombe Road, we thought it was a private farm track and spent a long time driving around until we eventually asked a dog walker!! - we would advise amending directions to something like "Drive down Appuldurcombe Road and turn right immediately after the carpark, follow the track to the gate for Freemantle Lodge"

We loved our week at Fremantle lodge it is in an amazing location.

It is well equipped and comfortable. Would definitely return and recommend to anyone.

Very clean and very comfortable beds and sofas.

We enjoyed our stay at the cottage, it was home from home, would definitely stay there again, plenty of walks from the cottage, and lovely not hearing traffic going by. Only thing is the dip in the road between appuldurcombe House and the gate the bottom of our car scraped, and our car is not a low riding car. Was not a nice sound to hear lol

Lovely cottage.

Fully equipped for a very comfy stay.

What a beautiful location and cottage.

The views are amazing to wake up to every day especially as the sun shone for us! The dog loved the garden and all the smells each morning plus the many walks directly from the cottage through Freemantle Gate. We saw lots of visitors every day going through, one even ended up in the garden as didn't realise where they should be going. The cottage itself is much bigger than I expected with a well equipped kitchen, fairly comfy sofas, lovely soft bed, excellent shower and masses of light. We could've done with more than 1.5 toilet rolls, 1 sheet of kitchen roll and only 1 tea towel but not a massive issue. The upstairs is really warm so we opened up the windows every time we were home. The gardener came on our last day and cut the grass which made it look even prettier. I loved this cottage and the peaceful feel and even missed it when we went onto our next cottage in the New Forest! Filling some of the potholes and repairing the massive "ledge" on the road between the gate and the car park for Freemantle House would be appreciated as I scraped my car every time. Also, better directions/sign posts as we ended up somewhere completely different twice whilst finding the property. Luckily it was daylight. After that though, we felt like Lords of the Manor approaching the cottage every day!! Just beautiful :)

Oh what a splendid cottage!

Capital views, peace and quiet, and in a lovely part of the Island. Nice welcome package greeted us on our arrival. Plenty of wildlife on view. The kitchen is well equipped. Plenty of room inside and out. A lovely base for walking as well. This is our second visit to this particular cottage and I’m sure we will return for a third. We would certainly recommend this cottage to anyone knowing they would not be disappointed with their visit.

Good cottage in an excellent location.

Good rural vibe with plenty of walks on the doorstep. Cottage was very well service with lots of local information. Dog friendly with lots treats in the cottage.

We have stayed at Freemantle Lodge twice so far this year.

The property is very comfortable and homely and is situated in a beautiful and peaceful location. We are already planning our next stay later this year.

We really loved our stay at Freemantle Lodge.

It is a clean and cosy cottage with plenty of room for our family (2 adults, 2 children and a medium sized dog). It feels very rural, with lovely views over the fields and great walks from the door into neighbouring villages and along walking trails, but is well-located near Ventnor, beaches and attractions.

We expected this time of year unsettled weather as I used to live on the island.

The briddle path is used frequently even in bad weather and it was lovely seeing all walks of life passing by. But some of the potholes were really bad,so maybe just check some and if they can be filled in if needed in best way possible that would help cars for renters immensely. It was in need of a deep clean in areas. Especially the kitchen. And bath and shower door didn't look good. I did my best with what was there to clean it. Maybe also leave more cleaning products for renters to use when on a stay. And plenty of bags for rubbish and recycle luckily we travel with spares. Sofas are a bit tired but still comfy. The bedrooms were roomy and comfortable and even in bad weather still lovely views. The place is well equipped and great to let the dog have a run around in the enclosed garden. And so peaceful and quietLovely touch welcome pack partner loved the wine after a long journey. Couldn't leave a message as no book left to thank James for otherwise a lovely stay in Freemantle.

Freemantle lodge is a fantastic location for a getaway break, ideally suited remote from the world it is a fabulous place to unhide and relax.

Dog friendly there is even a lovely mat for your favourite pal. We stayed pre pandemic at the lodge (2019) and little thankfully has changed. The property could do with some TLC where the sofas are worn and the boundary fence is not 100% secure (mind you doggie don't chase something and escape), but overall it is a fantastic unique location.

We wanted to go somewhere special for a 50th birthday celebration weekend and we couldn’t have found a more perfect property and location.

The property was beautifully presented and very comfortable. We took our dog out for his morning walk straight from the front door, it was perfect. We have already booked our next stay.

What a fantastic property.

We stayed here over the New years break as we wanted somewhere quite for a family break. This ticked all the boxes, it was lovely and cosy and great for walking. The property had everything we needed for our stay and was not too long a walk to the pub. Would highly recommend if you want to be tucked away but able to walk to some great places

A unique, quiet place to stay with lots of character.

Plenty of places to walk, and if your quiet and patient you can see Red Squirrels from the window.

Fantastic cottage, well appointed and homely.

Will certainly revisit.

Had a lovely stay here, was very quiet and remote, views spectacular, no sound of traffic apart from occasional emergency vehicle sound going through Godshill.

Saw walkers, cyclists and horse riders when they went past. This was one of the best places I have stayed in on the Island, really comfortable and well equipped. One minor snag, it was difficult to find the location at first, but got better directions via the booking page at Sykes when my sat nav couldn’t locate it.

This is the 2nd time staying at Fremantle Lodge and have booked to return next year.

The cottage is comfortable, very homely and well equipped. The location is amazing, nice and peaceful with stunning views and enjoyed watching the sheep grazing. There are plenty of walks straight from your doorstep. The only comment to make is that the shower head and hose could do with being replaced and also the small patio area to be swept to stop leaves being taken indoors. I would recommend this property to anyone.

Overall the property was very nice but The bathroom radiator kept coming on full - as it was a hot week this was a problem - we left the window open to cool it down.

The track from the farmhouse to the lodge was covered in sheep poo which was very unpleasant and stuck to the car every time we went out. This was not in the description of the lodge and due to this we would not visit again

We holiday on the Isle of Wight every year, have done so for more than two decades and this is one of the finest cottages on the Island.

We first found it during lockdown, when we wanted somewhere quiet - and that's what you get by the bucket load here, peace and quiet! You also get a very well equipped and comfortable place to stay in a glorious location. There are cyclists and walkers doing the Worsley Trail plus the odd horse rider, but mostly they don't disturb you. The cottage is clean and well presented - although I'm personally not a fan of artificial hanging baskets :) ! My only very minor niggle is the lack of a shower caddy and a grab rail in the bath, although the power shower is a big plus. There's a well-equipped kitchen and we can very much recommend staying in for the evening and just watching the wildlife. Red squirrel, green woodpecker and from the late afternoon the buzzards emerging from the copse and circling the fields. But beware - if you leave the door open after dusk keep a glass and a piece of card handy - two nights running we were visited by hornets! Highly recommended place to stay and already booked for next year.

This is truly a beautiful little gem of a property.

Before staying at Freemantle Lodge we had walked or cycled past this place on our regular annual Isle of Wight family holiday - always admiring it as we passed it! To have a stay there was absolute perfection for us! This is an away from it all, peaceful retreat, with so many nice little home comforts. We would 100% stay here again without any hesitation. Walks and cycling tracks are outside the front door, literally! The views are just gorgeous in every direction and also from every window in the property. The property was really well equipped with everything you could possibly want. The owner was lovely too, making sure everything was ok, and sorting out any problems during our stay. All in all a truly fantastic property to stay in!

Delightful setting with very adequate facilities.

Would willingly recommend this property to others. Provided a very rural experience including sheep, red squirrels, jays, woodpeckers, wrens, rabbits etc. An opportunity to really relax and regenerate in a somewhat remote location. If you like peace and quiet, this is the place to stay.

Beautiful cottage in an amazing location.

We were sad to leave. The kitchen has everything you need, the bedrooms are comfortable and beautiful. The lounge is the perfect place to relax in the evening. If you like to walk, be away from everything and enjoy the country side, then this is the perfect cottage.

So we have stayed at a number of Sykes Cottages, all of which had much to commend them, Freemantle has been our favourite to date.

I had never seen red squirrels before in my life, so to see them close up in the garden was special. As someone who has a passion for butterflies it was also a great location. The view, associated history, rich blend of nature and remoteness made it for us, but it may not be to everyone’s taste. I was extremely glad I had located the property prior to our journey on Google Earth, as it provided me with confidence on which track to follow. I would recommend this to all guests.

What a wonderful place Freemantle Lodge is!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Extremely clean interior, and everything has been thought of to make one’s stay comfortable. We’ve already booked another week at this superb property.

Dear Mike and Eve, we had a wonderful and absolutely lovely stay at Freemantle Lodge.

The cottage with its surrounding enclosed garden (perfect for our dog) as the rest of the countryside are beautiful! Excellent footpaths leading to Godshill or Wroxall which are also great to ride with a bike. The atmosphere of all Appuldurcombe estate is very peaceful. We enjoyed our stay on the Isle of Wight very much and hope to come back. All the best Merle

Very comfortable cottage, and well equipped.

There is a long rough drive as warned on the website, no use for a low slung car. There are a lot of draughty doors, which did not affect us as the weather was perfect, but might be a problem in winter. Perfect for a walking holiday.

Property could do with some improvements to the doors and windows to prevent drafts and so reduce the amount of heating that is required to keep the house warm.

The washing machine was in need of a good clean as dirt/mould was visible around seals. Otherwise the property was excellent with good facilities. The Sykes listing should make it clear that the property is isolated and at the top of a steep hill and that it would not suit anyone who has mobility issues, but is ideal for ramblers and hikers as it is adjacent to numerous paths and bridleways.

A lovely, comfortable property in the countryside, ideal for bringing the dog.

A quiet, scenic location with plenty of passers-by on the public path nearby. Pleasantly surprised by a welcome basket of bread, butter, eggs and wine.

Beautiful place, very welcoming and homely.

We're hoping we'll be back.

Wonderful cottage in a beautiful location.

Host was really helpful. Couldn't rate it highly enough.