Old Hall Byre

35 Customer Reviews

• "Very nice and interesting converted barn."

  Pity about the brown mains water, which is more likely after heavy rain, as it comes from a local bore hole, we understand. We were lucky with good weather in October but some warm curtains would be advisable for the large window in the dining area during winter months. Very comfortable cottage set in an area with lovely walks, a very good village pub for food and some interesting towns. Ideal accommodation for three generations.

  Reviewed by Susan5.0★Oct 2024

• "Beautiful and cosy property in a lovely location."

  .Would highly recommend the local pub, The Foresters Arms. Only a 5 minute walk and serve home cooked food. We had everything we needed apart from a corkscrew.!!!! Which we then bought and left in the drawer.!! The only downside was on the morning of our departure all the water went off which also affected the whole village so I presume that has now been resolved. I would definitely visit again.

  Reviewed by Diane4.4★Sep 2024

• "This place is absolutely gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed it."

  Our only gripes would be the beds and the fact that the previous visitors didn't clean up their dog mess from the front garden. We done that as didn't want our dog treading in it. Beds not at all comfortable. Mattresses very thin. Could really do with some quality beds to complete the luxury feel the rest of the place gives. Location is great with a fab friendly pub down the road.

  Reviewed by Clare4.4★Sep 2024

• "Great accommodation."

  Pub down the road serving excellent food. Walks from the door step. Well worth a visit.

  Reviewed by Rob5.0★Jul 2024

• "Had a great stay at The Old Hall Byre."

  The house is in a beautiful location in a lovely village, with plenty of walks straight from the door. The pub in walking distance was also a bonus. The house really is like home from home. Everything that you could need is there. We loved spending time in the rear garden with the bi-folds open, it was so peaceful, and luckily for us we did have great weather. The bedrooms are very comfortable, just one thing to mention in the beautiful upper bedroom with the en-suite, as my elderly mum was staying there, we checked the door to the outside steps and it had been left un-locked, which could have been dangerous, had she been dis-orientated in the night. This is just a something maybe for the cleaners to check. But we would definitely like to return one day, it was a beautiful house in a beautiful village and a great base to which to explore this stunning area from.

  Reviewed by Nicola5.0★Jun 2024

• "Lovely house all amenities are there, all you need is food."

  We slept in the upstairs en-suite bedroom and found the bed mattress a bit uncomfortable, the window blind in the downstairs bedroom was broken so would not open ( we left a note for the cleaners saying we had not broken it) otherwise all ok.

  Reviewed by Katherine4.4★May 2024

• "Sykes sent a message prior to departure reminding us of what was required from us as occupants prior to our departure."

  This was not necessary as there were numerous lists & notices requesting we cleaned the property to the standard as found upon arrival otherwise we might incur a fine! It left us wondering what we paid an additional £35 per dog for the week & what the cleaning company actually did other than change the bed linen & towels plus a a packet of biscuits! I did as told leaving disappointed as to the holiday experience needing to work hard on cleaning, not an experience in other holiday cottages, B&B's & hotels. I don't think we will be rebooking or could recommend unless the tone of instructions changed & I did not need to work hard in doing the cleaning companies job!!

  I am sorry that you found our instructions on leaving the holiday cottage neat and tidy an imposition. This is merely a guide for those who are unsure. Over the years most guests understand what is expected but some do not and we have found that it is better to be clear. We provide some cleaning materials as some guests have requested them. We rarely fine people and it is usually when things have been broken or when the guests have left the place in a state. We have allowed dogs and the majority of owners are happy to tidy up any evidence . Occasionally some have left dog mess in the garden area and hair and marks over the walls. This thankfully is rare. It is very hard to please everyone and I can assure you that there is no intended tone in the ‘what to do when you leave’ instructions. As an owner we try our best to provide a comfortable well equipped and clean place to stay. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Helen2.8★Apr 2024

• "The property is in a quiet village set in a valley with beautiful scenery and there are lots of walks that can be done without driving anywhere."

  There is a community pub serving great beer and decent pub food. It has a big open fire and is very welcoming. The property is very comfortable with lots of room for 6 people. When the wood burner is lit it is very cosy in the sitting room and ground floor bedroom but I did find the kitchen diner too cold to sit in other than at meal times which is a shame as it is a beautiful room with a lovely aspect. The underfloor heating was working as the floor tiles weren’t cold but they didn’t get warm enough to heat up the rest of the room. Obviously this is only a winter issue and we did have some frosty mornings so the weather did make a difference. Overall this is a lovely property in a great setting and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a peaceful break.

  Reviewed by Juliet4.7★Feb 2024

• "The cottage was lovely and the surrounding were lovely."

  Firstly, there weren't enough empty cupboards to put all our food in. The fridge freezer wasn't on and it took us ages to find out that the on/off switch was at the other end of the kitchen. When I contacted the owner she said perhaps the previous occupants had been helpful by turning it off but it wasn't helpful to us when we had to empty water out of the bottom tray in the freezer and at the end of the holiday we found a note tucked right under a shelf saying don't turn off. Secondly, it was absolutely freezing! We weren't allowed to control the heating ourselves and the owner said it was at an ambient temperature, clearly not knowing what ambient meant. Our ambient temperature would have been 20 degrees, not 16 degrees. The radiators were cold in the morning and our towels weren't getting dry for a shower the next day. The owner said that if we were cold we can put the log burner on and huddle up in the blankets that were provided. She also said that we can go out in the cold, dark, wet weather to the garage to use the dryer if we wanted dry towels. We emailed several times to say that the heating wasn't on and we were accused of 'meddling' with something in the garage! All in all, a freezing stay and we came home a day early because we were fed up of being cold. PS: I bet this doesn't get put on the Sykes Cottages website.

  Really! These guests booked for a week but chose to stay for 5 nights and wanted a refund! We declined. From minute they arrived they fired emails complaining about the heating. We answered promptly with practical advice and words that have been misconstrued. Our neighbour went and checked to see if the heating was working and he found the house to be warm and all was fine. We are currently staying at the Byre and everything is working as it should be. Please read the Christmas week review and make your own mind up. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jude2.5★Dec 2023

• "Fabulous cottage in a wonderful location."

  Exceeded our expectations. Christmas decorations, mince pies and Prosecco to welcome us was a lovely touch. Would love to stay their again in the future.

  Thank you for appreciating the Old Hall Byre. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Victoria4.7★Dec 2023

• "Excellent for our family getaway."

  Large living room and kitchen areas were well used. Ideal location and a good pub within walking distance. Would recommend this property.

  Reviewed by Ian4.4★Oct 2023

• "We had a wonderful stay at The Old Hall Byre."

  The property is fabulous and very well equipped, plenty of parking and outdoor space.

  Reviewed by Stella5.0★Aug 2023

• "Delightful house in a delightful village."

  We will happily return.

  Reviewed by David5.0★Aug 2023

• "Lovely place to stay."

  Spacious and comfortable, with everything needed within the property. Great place for our dog to chill/sleep in the central area (bed tucked in front of the cupboard by the stairs tucked away nicely). The space worked really well. The chairs in the kitchen area were a lovely place to sit and enjoy the fabulous views. On arrival we were greeted by an owl perched on the wall (we arrived at 1am), which was amazing. Very rural local, great walks from the property, and fabulous local pub. Lots of places to visit, particularly the waterfalls especially good following our rainy days. Our dog (collie) did need to be in a lead in the garden, as he was capable of jumping the walls, but we knew this was going to be the case from the pictures. He didn’t jump though! Thank you we had a fabulous stay and would love to return

  Reviewed by Sarah5.0★Jul 2023

• "The cottage was all we could have wished for, a perfect base for a Dales holiday."

  Yes there were a couple of minor everyday household problems to start with, but these were soon rectified, The open folding doors in the kitchen were a real bonus, The beds were extremely comfortable as well.The setting was perfect, lovely friendly neighbours, the village was, so peaceful, and the village pub very friendly, served good beer and excellent food.10/10. the only critisism I have is that the couple of issues we had at the start which I reported to Sykes for the owner, yes Sykes apparently passed it on, but sent the owners answer to my home computer in Devon,!!! Not very helpfull I may say. There were some lovely walks from the village as well. We had a great time, thankyou for a wonderful holiday 10/10

  Reviewed by Raymond4.7★Jun 2023

• "We had a fantastic holiday at the Old Hall Byre."

  The cottage was first class accommodation and the owners have thought of everything. It is one of the best cottages that we have stayed in.The cottage was in a beautiful unspoilt part of Yorkshire, so peaceful. The local pub in walking distance was great. We would definately like to return and will be recommending to family and friends.

  Reviewed by Julia5.0★May 2023

• "Excellent accommodation in a lovely place."

  Reviewed by Nigel5.0★May 2023

• "Fantastic property."

  Views amazing. Beds the comfiest we’ve stayed in. An endless supply of logs for the burner. Great local pub with excellent food. The Owner was amazing when We had a heating problem and sorted it immediately. 10/10 we will be coming back.

  Reviewed by Emma5.0★Apr 2023

• "We had yet another lovely stay in the Dales."

  Beautiful well equipped cottage, wanted for nothing, comfortable & cosy! So nice to stay somewhere with an endless supply of logs. Stunning area for long walks. Very welcoming local pub with amazing food. A big thank you to the owner and housekeeper for organising our impromptu extra night due to being snowed it. We will be back!

  Reviewed by Samantha4.7★Mar 2023

• "We had a fantastic week in Carlton and were so lucky with the weather!"

  The Byre is beautiful and has everything you need, the views were amazing and we enjoyed walks from the doorstep. The Foresters is the perfect local pub too where we had a warm welcome and lovely food and drinks. Will be recommending to friends and family for sure! Thank you

  Thankyou for appreciating the Old Hall Byre! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Erin5.0★Feb 2023

• "We had a beautiful and relaxed stay at Old Hall byre."

  The views are second to none.

  Reviewed by Sean5.0★Jan 2023

• "Had a wonderful week in Old Hall Byre."

  Best cottage we've stayed in. Great conversion. Carlton is a lovely, quiet village & Foresters Arms is a perfect pub.

  Reviewed by Paul5.0★Jan 2023

• "The property was very nice and we had a very comfortable stay."

  It is clean and well maintained and the amenities were very good. Overall, it was a very cosy place to stay. We cannot fault the property itself or how it is managed. Unfortunately for us, the area really does let it down. We were rather upset to see preparations for a fox hunt during our stay. We have a background in wildlife conservation and we were disappointed in the state of many areas we visited in the surrounding areas during our stay. I'm sure this cottage would be suitable for anyone wanting to escape the noise of a city. If you have a keen interest in wildlife or nature, unfortunately I don't think this is the place for you.

  Thankyou for your positive comments regarding The Old Hall Byre. We try hard to provide a clean, comfortable and well equipped place to stay in the Dales. As far as fox hunting is concerned, that has been illegal since 2004 and what you saw was a drag hunt where a scent is laid by humans and the dogs and riders follow the trail. Country pursuits still happen in country areas and provide jobs in places where there are limited sources of employment. All of the activities are measured and policed but are part of rural life in countryside areas. I am am sorry if that offends you but many people live a rural life and more traditional life than urban dwellers! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Katie5.0★Dec 2022

• "The barn is in a beautiful location and it is such a lovely place."

  I would say it's one of the most comfortable places in the 13 years we've been travelling to and from Yorkshire. The only two things I could think of that may need addressing is the sofas, they look ok but they are the most uncomfortable thing to sit on of an evening, really saggy no support whatsoever! And the mattress in the double room upstairs could probably do with a little bit of an upgrade. Other than that the place is spot on.

  Reviewed by Nicholas4.4★Nov 2022

• "A minor problem was sorted quickly."

  A very lovely property in a very lovely location. Thank you

  Thank you for your positive review. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine5.0★Nov 2022

• "We had a brilliant week at Old Hall Byre."

  The cottage was perfect for our little family and there was even a baby bath and high chair! Our eldest loved the football table in the garage too. The cottage was really well located and we had some great days out at Forbidden Corner, The Saddle Rooms and Middleham Castle. We loved the local pub - The Foresters and ate there twice! We’d love to stay again in the future.

  Reviewed by Heather5.0★Sep 2022

• "It was a great holiday very quiet lovely walks close by just what we needed thanks"

  Reviewed by Reuben5.0★Aug 2022

• "Unfortunately there were issues with the lack of hot water."

  The owners did the best they could by sending an engineer to resolve the issue. I don’t think it was fully resolved as we had to use the back up water heater.

  Reviewed by Anna4.1★Jul 2022

• "Surprised that there was no milk left, especially when the cottage is so far from shops."

  We have never stayed in a cottage where there was nothing left, it makes you feel welcome! There were no dishwasher tablets and a box grater would be useful, also a sieve for rive. The flat bed sheets were also very uncomfortable. The dos and don't s for leaving the property also gave the impression that you were doing the job of the cleaner! Would benefit from a garden area which was useable for a dog. Didn't give a good feeling and we won't be staying here again.

  Disappointed with your comments but we apologise for the lack of dishwasher tablets which should have been provided. We live one and half hours drive away so we employ a house keeping company to service the property. We cannot provide fresh milk but we do leave some Yorkshire biscuits as a welcome gift plus dog biscuits. We also provide hand soap, toilet rolls and many extras to make your stay a home from home. Other guests have commented on these. There are two graters in the kitchen. The garden and parking area large enough for a dog to run around and some people prefer guidance on what we expect when you leave the property which is leave it as you find it. Hopefully people will judge from the majority of the other comments that we provide a comfortable, well equipped and lovely place to stay! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ian3.8★Jun 2022

• "Beautiful location, characterful property."

  Comfortable beds, and generally very well appointed, we didn’t want for anything…though a third toilet would have been useful. Our party had come from different parts of the country and parking easily accommodated 3 vehicles. A very enjoyable stay and wouldn’t hesitate to book again.

  Reviewed by Philippa5.0★May 2022

• "The cottage was very well equipped, very spacious and extremely comfortable."

  The views were fantastic from the bi-fold doors and a lovely pub within walking distance.

  Reviewed by Linda5.0★Apr 2022

• "The property was of a high quality situated in a lovely village."

  The facilities covered all of our needs. A wood burner that made our stay cosy, especially being in the middle of winter where temperatures could drop below freezing, with plenty of logs to use. If I had to be picky, I would have liked extra bedding (blankets) as it went really cold on the occasional night. Plenty of hot water when needed. Would highly recommend to others.

  Reviewed by Mark4.4★Jan 2022

• "I feel that the barn is more of a 4-star rating than a 5 star."

  We have stayed in many cottages around the country on staycations and this place does not compare. There is no phone signal at the barn. So if you need to have direct contact with elderly parents or dependants, then this place wouldn't be for you. As it happened, my mother was rushed to hospital and my Dad couldn't get in touch with me. We only picked up his message when we travelled to Layburn. The underfloor heating was not working. We had 2 days of snow and the kitchen/dining area was freezing. We felt the floor and it was cold. Even our dog was shivering in there. We found a heater (full of cobwebs) in the garage and put that on to keep warm throughout the duration of our stay. We lit the fire exactly according to the instructions in the lounge and there must have been a gust of wind and the room filled with smoke activating the carbon monoxide alarm and the smoke alarm. It was really frightening and our chests were really bad following this experience. There were some huge cobwebs around the barn. The water was a brown/yellow colour. It tasted terrible and we ended up buying bottles of water. The bath does not drain properly. There is a shower/toilet off the hallway. However, there isn't a blind covering the front door window so there is no privacy whatsoever especially when the people living across from the barn didn't close their blinds. Felt like a goldfish in a goldfish bowl. There is also a window without a blind in the bathroom facing the shower. Absolutely no privacy whatsoever. We placed a pillow in the window so that we could shower in privacy. We felt that the barn was tired looking and needed modernising. The oven was a nightmare and the instructions should have been placed in the folder and not stuck on the back of a unit door. We looked everywhere for the instructions when we first arrived. We had to google the symbols to be able to use the oven. The barn is also very clutted and would benefit from clearing a lot of the dated ornaments and numerous kitchen items on the work surfaces. We had just come from a 5-star barn just outside of York for the first week of our holiday. The contrast was unbelievable. I think it makes a huge difference when the owner is around to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible. In the previous barn, we had free milk, teabags, biscuits, coffee pods and even flowers left us by the owner. Whilst this is not a requirement, it is the extra touches that reflect a high standard and this was definitely lacking at the Old Hall Byre. We had to jump back in the car and travel 6 miles to Layburn to buy some milk. The information on local attractions was dated 2019. The personal touch was definitely missing here and there was a huge disparity between 5-star accommodation with Cottages.com and Sykes.

  Thank you for your feedback and we are sorry that some aspects of your stay were not as expected. We were surprised by your comments as they do not reflect the experience of the majority of our guests who enjoy the comfortable, relaxing, well equipped and character property that we provide. We are sorry if the decor and choice of ornaments are not to your taste but we feel that they are in keeping with the property and do not detract from the enjoyment of anyone's holiday. We do our best to provide essential instructions for guests to use the kitchen appliances and full instructions are kept in the kitchen dresser drawer as well as some handy ones inside cupboard doors near the appliances. Important information regarding the property is clearly labelled so we can only assume you missed these. We provide a maintenance book for guests to alert us to problems but if they write them in the feedback we may not see this straight away. The property is in an area which has a poor phone signal but it does have excellent Wi-Fi and therefore enables Wi-Fi calling. We are on a village water supply which is sometimes brown after heavy rain; it is a hard water area and is perfectly safe to drink. All this is mentioned in the essential instructions folder. Due to Covid, we have reduced the local attractions leaflets as most people look things up on the internet for more up-to-date information. The problem with the log burner very occasionally happens if it is windy. We have tried hard to rectify this by fitting a cowl, lighting the fire using the eco-Lighters to avoid it smoking. The week you were there was when storm Arwen struck and the area would have experienced very high winds. You were provided with free logs, tea, coffee, biscuits, condiments, cleaning materials, hand soap dispensers in all the bathrooms, boxes of tissues in the bedroom and many helpful extras. We live one and half hours drive from the property so are not able to provide fresh flowers or milk. We feel that we provide good value for a lovely property and hope you enjoyed your holiday otherwise. Regards, the owners. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Julie1.9★Nov 2021

• "We really enjoyed our stay at your lovely property."

  It was a perfect getaway and had everything we needed apart from kindling, We still managed the log burner though as we gathered our own. Overall it was lovely.

  Reviewed by Angela4.7★Nov 2021

• "Fabulous holiday cottage with everything you would need to make your stay feel like home from home."

  Our only real negative was our experience in the local Foresters Arms. The hosts were very abrupt and rude and he certainly made us feel we were not welcome. When we tried to have dinner there he said we needed to book but when we explained we had tried to book but got no reply he replied welcome to the dales. I certainly didn’t feel it was a very nice welcome home to Yorkshire for me.

  Reviewed by Lesley4.7★Oct 2021

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