Ivy Cottage

Ivy cottage is one of those little gems that you discover and feel compelled to tell everyone about. From booking our room with Donna, the owner, the communication throughout was brilliant. On arriving at Ivy Cottage at our arranged time of 4pm we were greeted by Donna who gave us our key and allowed us to make our way to our room which was absolutely beautiful. Everything within the room was spotlessly clean, nothing at all was missed and it was beautifully decorated. There was ample storage, 2 lovely comfy armchairs and lots of windows so the room was lovely and airy and bright. The views from the room we stayed in (we stayed in the king size room) were absolutely stunning. One window looked out onto the village green and the other looked out onto the fells which looked so dramatic and inviting. The room was warm enough with the heating coming on in the morning and on an evening. We were actually too warm in the morning but the window opened up widely so we could air our room well. The bathroom again was spotlessly clean and the shower although not a power shower, was powerful enough and was lovely and warm. This was particularly enjoyable after a long day out walking. There was a good selection of teas in the room, instant coffee and fresh milk on request. We also had some little biscuits provided. The full English breakfast was delicious. The food was crisp and not greasy in the slightest. Local sausages and bacon were really yummy and poached eggs cooked to perfection. There was ample choice for breakfast with options of cereal, yogurt, fruit and cooked breakfast. All delicious. Donna is super organised and requests your breakfast order the evening before so it's all cooked fresh with no waste and breakfast is served up until 8.30. We felt that would be a little too early for us so Donna very kindly offered to do our breakfast at 8.45 instead. She also provides packed lunches and flasks of tea on request for walkers as well which is a lovely touch. In a nutshell, Ivy Cottage really is a little gem which I would highly recommend, particularly if you're a walker as the walks are stunning and the village of Reeth is on the coast to coast path. Donna also has a number of walks on printed cards for her guests to borrow too. There are also two fab pubs doing lovely food in the village, the black bull and the buck. The nearby village of Grinton also has a lovely pub called the Bridge inn so there's plenty to choose from, along with a few cafes and bakeries aswell. I would definitely recommend a stay at Ivy Cottage. It really is a gem.