Shepherd Lodge, Allithwaite

On arrival we were pleased with the accommodation however, I noticed the TV stand was broken and resting precariously on two pieces of wood and didn’t seem to be very safe. When I put my bags on the bed to unpack there was loud creaking from the bed frame, probably due to the legs not supporting the frame very well (see picture) I was doing the dishes one morning and the screw part of the tap exploded and sprayed water all over me. Also the sink tap in the bathroom is loose and swings round. I dropped some food on the floor while cooking and when I wiped it up I realised how dirty the floor was. Cleanliness could be improved in that sense. We went out for the day around Tarn Hows and on returning we found the tv had fallen off its wooden leg and hit the floor... the tv was then damaged and we could no longer watch it. The accommodation overall is in a beautifully secluded area and is lovely for a few nights stay but just some areas that could be improved.

We enjoyed our time at Shepherd Lodge but there are a number of things that did impact negatively on our stay. Depending on your own needs these may not by of issue to you. On arrival the lodge is at the rear of the complex so no traffic noise from passing vehicles. The hot tub at this time of year is overlooked by your neighbours as the shrubs/trees are still in their winter leafless phase. This did not present as a problem to us as they are far enough away not to be intrusive. Entering the lodge it’s designed for two people been one double bedroom and the size befits that. Its cosy, well decorated with good central heating. The welcome pack was poor compared to others consisting of a couple of small jars of marmalade (hotel style), packets of milk and coffee. The TV in the lounge is an excellent size and has smart TV capability that certainly enabled us to watch Netflix. (When the WIFI worked). There is a good size log burning stove that was good to have at this time of year. The bedroom was fine with a comfy bed. There is a single cupboard come wardrobe with a small shelf above which we filled for a week, so longer might be pushing it. There are two small bedside cabinets that had three small draws (sock size only!) Our luggage had to be stored under the bed, again not a problem for us but we would have preferred more storage space. Later on the weekend we decided to use the hot tub as on arrival we had a look and the temp was fine. However, the hot tub was stone cold. We checked instruction and whatever we tried we could not get power to the tub. Another call to an apologetic Duncan who got a person to call out the next day and whatever they did the hot tub was fine for the rest of the holiday. On the issue of logs, your given enough logs and kindling for around three nights use. We then had to go out and buy more. Again, other lodges we have stayed in have filled the log basket to overflowing with logs and I never needed to buy more. I mentioned the wifi above and this again may be of issue to others depending on need. We need reliable and effective wifi when away for many reasons. We would not choose accommodation with no or poor wifi. On arrival the wifi worked flawlessly until that evening. From there we could not connect. On the Saturday I contacted the owner Duncan who was extremely helpful and apologetic and in short after several calls to his on call IT person and my own IT knowledge we established that the wifi extender in the adjoining lodge had been turned off by the people in there. Duncan had tried to contact them, but that evening when they returned we called round and sure enough they had unplugged it. Duncan was excellent and realised that either a locked switch or note was needed to ensure it does not happen again. Duncan’s apology was to give us the code to the outside storage box to get free logs. But the code did not work. By this time I was sick of having to telephone Duncan who was lovely but I should not need to do this when away for a relaxing break. All was well until the morning when we were due to leave and the wifi disconnected again, but what appeared to be a different reason as scanning for wifi could not see the router at all. May be a wider problem... Would we go back? Probably but the wifi needs to be 100% reliable. There network setup appears modern and fast and it’s not due to been in the countryside as it has good speeds.