For my first break of 2021 and my first post-lockdown trip, we headed up to the Yorkshire Dales for a stay at the beautiful dog friendly Georgia cottage. Georgia is part of Holly House Farm, a group of holiday cottages near Richmond which are managed by Holiday at Home Yorkshire.
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I was really looking forward to staying in a holiday cottage as it is such a chilled out stay. It’s literally like a home away from home and I love cosying up at night time and self-catering.
Also, the pubs were only open outside at this time so it was great to have all the facilities to cook for ourselves.
Georgia is dog friendly so we were able to take Alfie with us so we could enjoy a couple of days away all together.
Holiday cottages in Yorkshire
Georgia is a beautiful country cottage with a hot tub. It has three bedrooms and sleeps up to six people.
There is ample parking outside so if you were going as three couples, there’s plenty of space for all of your cars.
Inside the ground floor is open plan with a kitchen with an island, dining table and chairs and cosy lounge area with a lovely log burner. It’s super bright, airy and spacious.
I loved sitting at the breakfast bar and catching up on my emails while Lee did the cooking.
The interiors have really got the wow factor thanks to their high ceilings and stylish decor. We were really impressed as soon as we arrived.
We didn’t try out the log burner as it was super warm and we didn’t want to waste any logs but I can imagine how cosy it would be snuggling around this during winter with some films and snacks.
There’s a bedroom on the ground floor and then two other bedrooms upstairs plus a bathroom, although the downstairs room is the only one with an en-suite. We slept downstairs to be close to Alfie but all the rooms were gorgeous so there isn’t a short straw if you’re travelling with a larger group.
We had a super comfortable night’s sleep on the huge king-sized beds. The landing is pretty special too with a gallery view over the floor below.
Without a doubt my favourite part of the cottage was the hot tub. Situated behind the cottage, it looks out onto trees and so it feels super relaxing and like you’re actually in a hot tub in the woods.
There are glass holders for you to put your prosecco into too!
It also felt really private, despite being next to two other cottages. The back garden areas have been designed really well so that you can’t see the other hot tubs from your garden.
We didn’t even see anyone the whole time we were there, except our neighbour’s dog who Alfie of course had to bark at through the fence.
At the front of the cottage is a gravelled area with a barbecue and table and chairs. At first we thought it would have been better to have these with the hot tub but actually it was quite nice to have two separate areas to go into.
We used the front area to sit out in when we got home from our days out and then we went into the hot tub later on.
One thing to be aware of are the check in and check out times. Because of Covid but you couldn’t check in to the cottage until 4.30pm and you had to check out by 9.30am.
The teams at the cottages are having to work separately at the moment and make sure that everything is cleaned and sanitised to ensure that the cottages are safe for guests and so cleaning processes are taking slightly longer than usual.
We had a lovely relaxing couple of days with Holiday at Home and I felt like it was just what we needed after the last few months.
Dog friendly stays
Holiday at Home properties are dog friendly which meant that we could bring Alfie with us. I love taking him on holiday with us in the UK and he always seems to really enjoy himself.
There were dog bowls and dog treats on arrival which was great as it meant that we didn’t have to bring them with us. Anyone who is used to travelling with a dog knows that you have to bring a lot of extra stuff with you!
Also, both the back garden and the front garden were fully fenced off. Alfie is the master of escaping from wherever we go but even he didn’t manage to find any ways out so we could fully relax without feeling like we needed to watch him closely at all times.
Dogs aren’t allowed on the furniture or on the beds and there is a handy screen that you can pull across the staircase which will stop them from going upstairs. This was great for us as Alfie has a mind of his own and very rarely listens to his owners!
There are plenty of places to walk nearby to tire your four legged friends out before you get home.
Things to do in the Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is full of stunning countryside and postcard-pretty villages. We only spent a couple of days here so we only just scratched the surface of what the area has to offer.
I haven’t spent nearly enough time there so I will have to go back as soon as I can.
Hawes
We had a bit of a travel fail in Hawes as we got a flat tyre. Because of the stress of it and waiting for the RAC, I felt like I couldn’t relax and explore Hawes as much as I wanted to.
Hawes is a chocolate box village which is absolutely gorgeous and it’s also the home of Wensleydale cheese.
The Wensleydale Creamery is a visitor centre and a shop which sells the famous cheese as well as other dairy products and hampers.
Richmond
We spent a full day in Richmond (well, after our full English in the cottage of course!) as there is just so much to do. Richmond is known as the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales and it is a pretty market town.
It’s only a half an hour walk in from Holly House Farm. If you did to bring your car, there’s free parking in the town centre with a disc which is available from any of the shops.
We walked the Richmond Town Trail which was about four miles in length and took in historical sights like the Obelisk in the market place, the ruined Easby Abbey and Richmond Castle. I’m going to write up a blog post about this trail so you can save it for when you go yourself.
We paid to get into Richmond Castle which is an English Heritage site. It was around £6 each which I think was a really fair price as there’s quite a lot to look round and learn while you’re there.
Aysgarth Falls
On our way home we stopped off at Aysgarth Falls which was the scene of the famous fight between Kevin Costner and Little John in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. There are three different levels of waterfall here and they’re really impressive sights.
This would also be a great place for a picnic, if the weather is fine, and you can grab a coffee and a piece of cake or an ice cream at the visitor centre.
Why not book Georgia for yourself? Prices start at just £670 for three nights.
Have a look at some of the other holiday cottages I recommend on my travel resources page.
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