Meikle Barfil - Lovely place to relax (Meikle Barfil Farmhouse (Lochfoot))

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	Meikle Barfil Farmhouse (Lochfoot)
Date:	25/08/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet and roomy

Disadvantages: Hard to find

Location and Directions.
**************************
=


Meikle Barfil Farmhouse is located on the outskirts of Lochfoot, which is close to Dumfries in Scotland.
The easiest way to get there is to use a satnav, as the cottage is difficult to find when you are just using directions from a route finder. The post code for the satnav is DG2 8RP.

If like me you are unlucky enough not to have a satnav then you'll find the area located between Dumfries and Castle Douglas, you need to follow the A75, but this is where is gets difficult, because the actual cottage is located about half a mile up an unmarked track. I say unmarked, there is a small sign for the cottage, but it's extremely easy to miss as you're driving along.


Unless you are a great walker you'll need a car because it's a few miles to the nearest village.
Price
*****


Prices range from £299 for a week to £499 per week in the peak season. Prices include heating and electricity, bedding and towels and a selection of tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival.

Facilities
**********

The cottage has 3 bedrooms, one twin room downstairs and a double and a twin up stairs. There's a large living room, dining room, a large kitchen and bathroom downstairs. There's also a separate toilet upstairs and a small room suitable for a travel cot.


In the kitchen you have all the amenities you'll need, like a kettle, full sized cooker, microwave and fridge. Next to the kitchen is a utility room with a washer and a fridge freezer. There's also plenty of space in the utility room to store any sports equipment, and the floor is covered with ceramic tiles, so it's easy to keep clean if you have muddy equipment.

There is a huge garden, with a small play area at the bottom for children, also outside there's a patio for eating and a barbeque available. There's enough room for parking two cars comfortably, you could probably fit 3 or 4 if you needed to.

My Thoughts
**************

This is a lovely cottage, and extremely roomy. When we went there were two adults and two children plus a rough collie (so not a small dog), and we were rattling around in the house.


Starting at the kitchen, you couldn't ask for more, there are plenty of cups and plates, etc for six people, there are all the gadgets that you'd have at home (most important of all a corkscrew !!). And since there are two fridges there's more than enough room for a little bit of food amongst the beer.

The kitchen opens with double doors onto the dining room, which again in nice and spacious, and the dining table has more than enough room for six people to sit comfortably around the table. In the under stairs cupboard you'll find a highchair for anyone who's taking a baby with them, which would also fit around the table comfortably. The dining room also has a small TV and a DVD player in case you don't want to watch the same as everyone in the main room. We tended to use it more as an area for laptops though.


The main living room has two big couches and a couple of comfy chairs, there's a large TV and a DVD player in here as well. The owners have left a small selection of DVDs, but you'd be better off taking your own if you want a decent selection. The floor in the living room is wooden, so the dog had a few problems walking around at first, although he got used to it after a couple of days.

The bedrooms all had plenty of room and plenty of cupboard space; even the most extravagant packer would be able to fit all their clothes in the wardrobes here. The bed sheets were all pristine and the beds were very comfortable. The bedrooms upstairs afford the best views, and they are beautiful views across the area. From there you can get a good view of the garden area, and the pond which is in one of the fields adjacent to the garden.


Talking of the garden, there's a trampoline and a see-saw in the garden, as well as a little play house. The owners of the cottage (who live in a cottage close by) also have children, so their children will play in the playground on occasion.

The only bad point about the cottage is the difficulty finding it. As I mentioned earlier I don't have a satnav, but it was lucky the person we were meeting at the cottage did. They had to drive down to Lochfoot so we could follow them back, however after driving to the cottage a couple of times from the village I soon got my bearings and could recognise the landmarks in the area.


Obviously if you enjoy wild parties and nights out, then this cottage wouldn't be for you, due to its location you have to drive everywhere, so at least one person needs to be a designated driver. However, it's the perfect place to get away from it all, and a good base location for exploring the area.

The cottage is so well kept it's surprising they allow any pets; you have to confirm with the owners in advance that you want to take a pet, and they're not allowed upstairs or in the bedrooms. But there are so many places that won't allow dogs that it makes a nice change to find somewhere that will. The owners also have a dog, so you'd need to be sure that your dog can socialise with other animals.


I can also testify that the heating works very well, our companion on the trip was somewhat cold blooded and needed the heating on, despite it feeling rather warm to me. Unfortunately it was left on overnight once and we all woke up sweltering, so if you need to use the heating, make sure you adjust the thermostat before going to bed.

Summary: Well recommened