Booked this cottage in March to avoid the worst of the winter weather. Arrived by train in deep snow, which simply enhanced the beauty of this part of the Colne Valley. Sparth Cottage is wonderfully situated with glorious views across the reservoir and canal to the hills opposite. Aside from being a lovely, well-heated cozy cottage, we really appreciated the little touches like quality ground coffee, a bottle of milk, cookie biscuits, high quality hand-wash, shower gel etc.
There are beautiful walks along the canal in either direction. We loved to pork pies and coffee shops in Slawit and the Riverhead Brewery Tap (superb restaurant) and New Inn in Marsden. Had an interesting circular walk taking in the Pennine Way - the snow had largely melted in Marsden by then but was over 18 inches deep in some places high up. Standedge Tunnel visitor centre (free) is well worth a visit to learn about the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in the UK.
Overall, Sparth Cottage is a great base for a relaxing break with endless quality walks from the Cottage.
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
Service |
Friends getaway | Older travelers |
Families with young children |
My husband and I stayed in this lovely cottage with our two dogs for a week. It is very well equipped and whilst we were there the weather was awful, rain, gales and very cold so it was lovely to come back at the end of the day and light the fire, very cosy. It is ideally situated very close to the canal for a walk into Marsden, walking boots were required because the towpath was muddy in places because of all the rain. We would definitely stay in Sparth cottage again.
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
Service |
Friends getaway | People with pets |
Had a long stay at this cottage and really enjoyed staying here.
The cottage is quite basic, but is very well equipped and quite suitable for a long stay.
The location is the key to this cottage, I didn't have a vehicle and quite frankly, didn't need one while I was there but you definitely need one to get there, it's quite off the beaten track. And unless you only have a backpack, you won't be able to make it to the cottage on foot from the train. Which is actually only about 15 - 20 minutes away on foot. Then only a 10 minutes train journey to Huddersfield station.
The reservoir and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal is literally on the doorstep with easy but muddy walks to Slaithwaite and Marsden. The bakery on the canal in Slaithwaite is well worth the 25 minute walk but beware - no baking on Mondays!
The Brewery Tap pub in Marsden is well worth a visit as is the local stores in Marsden and there is an Aldi in Slaithwaite which has most things you will need. I had a delivery from Sainsbury's so they do deliver there which was very handy!
For a brisk, uphill walk, take the Cats Hills walk under the railway bridge behind the cottage with an extended walk along to the Standedge Tunnel. Fantastic!
Also, there is no wifi at the cottage which is a real shame, but BT offer wifi hourly, daily or monthly availability which was easy and not very expensive and connection to the cottage was good.
Plus I had weekend visitors who had a dog and he was allowed to come too.
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
Service |
Friends getaway | Families with young children |
People with pets |
Stayed at this lovely cottage in October 2015, it's a good location if you want peace and quiet and enjoy the outdoors, lots of places to walk, cycle. The cottage was very well equipped, lots of towels. we had the log burner on in the evening and it felt very cosy, we also has some friends come to visit us and they also said how lovely the cottage is, beautiful bedroom furniture in the main bedroom and a very comfortable bed. The folding table was a bit of an issue so we moved it to a different position so that we could leave it up for the duration of our stay and found it much better. The bathroom was a bit chilly in a morning as it had no heating in so maybe a wall heater or a heated towel rail could be put in and a handrail on the wall of the bath for the less able to get in and out of the bath and as the stairs are quite steep a better handrail on the stairs would be better than the curtain pole for support.. Kitchen floor also cold so a hall runner would be ideal.
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
Friends getaway | Families with young children |
People with pets |
How easy was it to book the property? | How helpful were the directions to the property? |
How easy was key pickup/access to the property? | Overall condition of the property |
Bedding & mattresses | Kitchen & utensils |
Bathroom cleanliness | Other facilities & amenities |
Service |
Friends getaway | Older travelers |
Families with young children |
After a hectic few months this was the perfect break for our family. The location is peaceful and the cottage is well equipped with everything that we needed. After a long journey from Dorset with young children and dogs, the cottage was easy to find and we even arrived to coffee, tea milk and biscuits provided by the owner. All the effort the owner has made to make this a lovely holiday cottage really shows in all aspects.
The location is ideal for walks and visiting areas of Yorkshire and the cottage is equipped with lots of information about local things to do, places to eat etc.
We would recommend this cottage and we will definitely return again.
This break at Sparth Cottage was just what we needed having spent the first few days of our break at a hotel with bed and breakfast! The kitchen was very well equipped and the microwave oven came in very handy. The central heating kept us very cosy and there was plenty of hot water.. The bath was a good size for a nice soak and the owner had left us plenty of towels.
The cottage is a perfect way to get away from it all.and it is so peaceful and relaxing.