Cottage historique avec salle à manger privée donnant sur le jardin et vue Dale

Glad you enjoyed your stay, Valery, and hope you will return soon! Charles

Thank you for your review, Simone. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay and hope to welcome you back in the future!

Thank you for great review, Tess! I’m really pleased you both enjoyed your stay at Swift Cottage and look forward to a return visit soon! Kind regards, Charles

Thank you for your review Carol and I’m glad you enjoyed your stay. Just for clarification, as per the Property Description on this listing, “Main access is via the shared level footpath across the fronts of the neighbouring cottages on the terrace”. The steps through the front garden are a later addition, providing secondary access, having only been installed around 15 years ago. The main footpath has just one step and is fully accessible for wheelchair users or those with impaired mobility. I’m sorry if this wasn’t clear.

Thank you for your review, Timothy! I'm delighted you enjoyed your stay! Charles

Dear Anja, Thank you for your kind comments left in the guest book and for taking the time to write this review. I'm glad all 5 of you and family enjoyed your two week stay at Swift Cottage while visiting from Germany, making the best of the local sights and amenities and even fitting in a visit to Old Trafford! We hope to see you again.

Thank you for this great review, Dean! I’m delighted you and Kirsty enjoyed your stay and found Swift Cottage a comfortable and pleasant holiday home for your winter break. You certainly made the best of your visit to Tideswell and it was admirable how you and the dogs braved the elements! I hope you will pay a return visit soon - perfect guests! Best wishes, Charles

Sadly, there is a certain type of guest who seems to delight in complaining about issues via internet sites after their stay when there is nothing that can be done about them, rather than notifying the owner so they can be rectified during their holiday. In 12 years of business this is only the second time I have received a less than 4 star review, and on both occasions the guests fell into the aforementioned category. I accept that I omitted to remove the medium-sized barbecue from the shed (it’s lightweight and on wheels so not a difficult task) and I apologised to the guest at the time. Had it been a struggle for him as he infers he could have asked me to move it which I would have gladly done. When they arrived I received a phone call from the guest saying he could not get into the bathroom. I was over within a few minutes and was informed that it was no longer a problem. I offered to take a look so I could determine the cause and address it but the guest declined and assured me it was sorted. The door handle had not been at fault before although, when cleaning that morning, I had noticed it catching briefly. This did not happen again when I turned it a few times. I advised the guest of this and asked that he let me know (as he confirms) if he encountered any further issues with it so I could rectify them. I heard nothing further regarding the matter. When cleaning ready for the incoming guests on the day this couple departed I noticed they had locked the bathroom door without closing it which seemed strange. I unlocked it and closed the door without thinking only to find I was locked out (fortunately I was outside rather than inside the bathroom). The guests obviously had encountered problems with the lock - which was now impossible to open - but had not informed me as requested. In the end I had to call out our maintenance man who had to resort to drilling the lock off, which he managed to do without damaging the door. I was able to source a replacement locally and have it fitted in time for the next guests’ arrival the following day. It transpired the handle itself wasn’t at fault: the new lock also jammed when I first closed it though luckily this time I was able to free it. The problem was down to too small a hole drilled for the latch when it was originally fitted. The hot humid weather had apparently swollen the wood exerting pressure on the latch and causing the handle to lock. Drilling a larger hole resolved the problem. All in all, it cost me time and money which it needn’t have had the guest simply let me know that he was still having problems with the handle. The parasol issue was reported to me a day or two later. There was no mention of the handle flying back and hurting the guest’s hand. The wind-up handle was not clicking into place as it should have so I collected some tools, took it apart and retightened it. I tested it a couple of times and it seemed to be functioning normally, as it had been the previous week. Again I asked the guest to let me know if he experienced any further issues and said I would look for a replacement. The next day I visited two local DIY/garden stores, hoping to pick one up for the guests but was advised by both that parasols had to be ordered online. I ordered one (with a drawstring rather than a locking handle to avoid future such issues) but it did not arrive in time for these guests. Having heard nothing further from them regarding this, I again assumed all was well (as far as I’m aware the parasol caused no further issue - I have used it a couple of times myself since and it’s been fine) and I was not unduly concerned. The towel rail (there is no radiator in the bathroom) is left on for 2 hours in the morning and evening year round because most people like warm towels. When it gets hot I turn it off (I clearly omitted to do so this time). I do ask guests not to adjust the timer settings having had problems as a result of this in the past. If it was causing the guest discomfort then why didn’t he just let me know and ask me to turn it off? He could have mentioned it when I came over to fix the parasol. Instead he preferred to log it as a further fault to add to his litany of complaints for publication online. Part of the back garden fence had fallen down. I asked 3 different tradespeople to fix it (they are in very short supply in Tideswell at present due to the demand for work): two of them never turned up when they said they would and the third called me yesterday to say he was finally available to start work. He is halfway through replacing the entire fence and expects to complete it tomorrow, ready for our next guests’ arrival at the end of the week. It is entirely safe for children. I pay a professional and very competent gardener to look after the garden once or twice a month and she keeps it well-tended and in good order. She carried out a morning’s work on it 18 days before the guests arrival. Vegetation growth is rapid at this time of year and beyond my control but I certainly did not notice “bushes grown over one side” of the bench. If it was causing the guests discomfort why didn’t they either let me know so I could have rectified the issue - or simply moved the bench a little (it’s a two person one and not much heavier than a wooden garden chair)? Surely that's what anyone with any sense would do? Broken springs on the sofa were something else not drawn to my attention. On reading this review I immediately phoned a local sofa repairer who is coming over tomorrow to replace them. The guest folder was updated when I recently upgraded to a Smart TV. A sheet relating to use of the old TV had been left in inadvertently. Likewise there was one out of date brochure among the ample supply of current ones. I have removed the brochure and the page from the guest folder. Both administrative errors that would have been drawn to my attention without broadcasting it to the world. I can assure the guest that I most certainly do not do the “bear [sic] minimum” to let my property and my many excellent reviews over the years, on this site and elsewhere, testify to this. I no longer provide welcome packs for the simple reason that they add cost to the booking and most people (myself included - none of the cottages I regularly stay in provide them) would rather save that money for things they like instead of what a cottage owner - who has probably never met them and knows nothing of their preferences - imagines they might. It is very disappointing when guests like this stay and go out of their way to leave unfavourable reviews like this. Thankfully they are few and far between and I’ve only experienced this kind of behaviour on one previous occasion, though I've heard from other rental owners that it is not uncommon. It was unfortunate that both the parasol and the bathroom door handle caused problems on this occasion. I did my best to rectify matters, and thought I had. As above, both items were replaced shortly after the reviewer left. I always ask guests to let me know if there are any issues and, as a local resident, I am almost always able to address matters very quickly (as the guest confirms). If something is causing a problem however I do need guests to tell me as if they don’t, I can’t fix it. In any holiday accommodation items need upgrading through wear and tear and from time to time can fail for a variety of reasons. To date this year I have had a new, more efficient boiler fitted; a Smart TV; several sets of towels and linen; purchased new local artwork as well as sundry items such as cushions. In addition to the new fencing currently being fitted to the rear, I have commissioned work to start as soon as contractors are available for external refurbishing of paintwork, replacement fencing in the front garden and general internal renovation. It’s particularly disappointing to me when I hear guests have not enjoyed their holiday. The guests who stayed after Lynne and husband included a couple who had stayed with their family for 3 weeks in the Spring and had liked it so much they had returned for another week on their own; a couple who advised me that they “had such a great time at Swift Cottage” that they wanted to make a booking for next year; and, a family of five who advised “Had a great time, your cottage was perfect for us and a great place for exploring the area”. Our guests who left today thanked me by email stating, "We have had a lovely time at your cottage, it really is beautiful." I am always pleased to hear that guests have enjoyed their stay. Thankfully the opinions expressed by this reviewer are very much the exception. I certainly would not host Lynne and husband again, and I would not recommend them to other owners.

Thank you for your lovely review, Jayni! I’m delighted you and family enjoyed your Christmas at Swift Cottage and I hope you’ll be back again soon! Charles

Thank you for staying with us, Becky! I’m glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you’ll return again soon! Charles

Thanks for your review, Martin. It was nice to meet you and I’m glad you enjoyed your stay. I hope you return soon. Best wishes, Charles.

Thank you for your review, Susannah! Hope to see you again soon! Charles

Thank you for you review, James! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. I'm looking into the best options for some outside lighting (in addition to the existing outside porch light) for guests using the patio - there will be something in place ready for the warmer weather in the Spring. Charles

Thank you for your great review, Firien it was a pleasure having you to stay at Swift Cottage and getting to meet you and Mike! I hope you decide to stay with us again. Regards, Charles

Thank you for your review. I’m glad we were able, as village residents, to address the issues you reported regarding the loose saucepan handles, difficulty opening the fridge door and the loose step outside, without delay. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you will return soon.