Mr Whitbread - verified booking

"A quiet comfortable place with lots of space inside the cottage, its location for beamish, the railway museums at shildon and darlington is great as well as several country parks for walking, the dog friendly properties are comfortable as are the beds and in particular the bedding. a good sized well appointed kitchen meant cooking was not an issue and we adjusted our plan to eat out most of the time and ate at the cottage. the shower room had a wonderfully good shower which on the really hot days (all of them were +25) was very welcome. the lounge has a large sofa and arm chair a descent table for eating at. the laundry is done in the camp site section of the development. (there is only 1 washer and 1 dryer) on the campsite side there are glamping pods and caravan pitches but the vans never moved when we were there. I believe people leave vans long term and I really can't blame them. there is a paddock to walk your dog round which is nice and large with tall grass and path ways cut through it giving fido somewhere to explore. our cottage didn't have an enclosed yard or garden but others on the site do if you have a dog that likes exploring whether your with them or not it's worth having that option so do ask when you book, the folks there were very nice and polite and to be honest we hardly saw them as we were out and about. go less than a mile down the road and there are walks near a river, the closest supermarket is in darlinton or bishops auckland there is also all the usual suspects for takeaway food in both places. the area is beautiful and I would like to recommend some places we went; Beamish open air museum, the Bowes museum, Bishops Auckland retail park is not big but it packs in alot of shops for those wishing to bend some plastic. Equally barnard castle has a great many small shops to visit, we didn't explore Darlington this time but I hope to do it one day. I would recommend Ivy cottage to anyone who want to visit the area it is very quiet and is perfect to just tune out. the only minor drawback is a little issue with flies. inside they seem to appear from nowhere not masses of them but enough to be annoying, it could have been the weather I don't know. 1 last thing the pop up cafe they sometimes have is great especially the breakfast. full English and one of my kids had pancakes not shop ones, fresh made the rest of us had.............. well I'm sure you can imagine, what you'd like yourself."

Kate - verified booking

"We were disappointed that the garden wasn't enclosed having taken two dogs and it being on a very busy main road. The house was nice, however, needed some maintenance such as broken toilet seats, oven fan and heating elements and overall cleanliness. We found evidence of mice, bedding looked like it had been screwed up before being put on which made us question the cleanliness, evidence of balloons and party poppers from previous guests that hadn't been cleaned up. Overall, location was okay- even near the busy road- lots of nice walks with the dogs and easy to access local area. Owner of the property very nice and lovely welcome pack. The cleanliness was the biggest problem. You don't expect to go to a property and see mice droppings, stains of what we assume are from animals on carpets and broken facilities. We wouldn't stay again as we felt it was expensive for what it offered, asked the enclosed garden and had very poor standards for arriving guests."

Hazel - verified booking

"lovely property and very central. We worried about parking but this was not an issue. There is a multi storey across the road and a long stay car park in the opposite direction both a short walking distance from the apartment. The multi store car park you can pay £6 for the week and the long stay was very cheap at £3.50 for 18 hours !! The property is on 3 levels and all the rooms are large and comfy with comfortable beds. Only slight issue is there is only 1 bathroom but there is 2 toilets. The owners met us on arrival and supplied bread and milk and wine - all good. At night there are bars near by and you could hear music from them but it stopped around 1 am . Lovely town and lots of nice shops and walking round about. Went a day out to Beamish and the weather was great and had a fab time. Definitely worth a visit."

Steph - verified booking

"Durham House is clean, comfortable and spacious. It is ideal for large group holidays with six double/twin rooms in the main house, all with en-suite and most providing an extra bed, ideal for a younger family member. We stayed over the Christmas period. The house was warm and tastefully decorated. There is a bar with a pool table and a good sized sitting room close by so the group can be together but not on top of each other. The kitchen is well stocked with cutlery and crockery and has plenty of storage space and two ovens and dishwashers. There is ample parking which is gated making it safe for children and dogs, and an outside sitting area. Sedgefield is a lovely village with a range of pubs and cafes and the grounds of Hardwick Hall, within walking distance, are ideal for a gentle stroll."

Mr Andrew Cumming, , - verified booking

"Tick Tock cottage was perfect for our two week stay with our 6 and 4 year old children. The cottage is beautifully furnished inside with all new facilities.There was everything you would need for younger children and babies, including a cot and high chair. A very peaceful and idyllic location. Relaxing evenings spent on the balcony looking out onto fields with grazing sheep and a friendly horse. The owners were extremely friendly, helpful and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable and easy. The location is excellent, with easy access to Weardale, Barnard castle, Durham, the railway museum at Shildon. So much to do and see in this delightful part of England. We would definitely stay here again and recommend to all our friends. "