Guests say
Cargoes in Craster is a well-loved cottage praised for its superb location, cosy comfort, and thoughtful touches. Guests enjoy the scenic harbour views, spacious interiors, and the property's charm. While some maintenance issues are noted, the overall experience is positive, with many expressing a desire to return.
Most guests found the property clean and tidy, but there were mentions of dog hair, dead woodlice, and a need for a deeper clean in some areas. The cleanliness is generally good, but there is room for improvement.
The location is consistently praised for its beauty and convenience, with the cottage being right on the harbour and close to local amenities. It's an excellent base for exploring Northumberland.
Guests find the cottage comfortable, with spacious rooms and cosy furnishings. However, some minor issues like a problematic step and cold drafts from a letterbox were mentioned.
The property is well-equipped, but several reviews mention broken or missing items, such as kitchen utensils and bathroom fixtures. Maintenance appears to be an area that could be enhanced.
Guests appreciate the welcoming touches like tea, coffee, and milk upon arrival. However, it should be noted that such gestures, while delightful, are not guaranteed for every stay.
About this property
Resting in the pretty harbour town of Craster, Northumberland, Cargoes offers spectacular contemporary accommodation ideal for a family or group of adults, and is within easy reach of local amenities and attractions. Arrive at this stunning coastal cottage, noticing the lovely sea view as you park a short distance from your property and make your way through quaint cottages. Upon entering, you will be drawn to relax in a contemporary sitting area where black and white furniture combines with a woodburning stove and tasteful décor to add a sense of opulence, so why not settle down here and enjoy a cup of coffee beside the fire? When mealtimes call, head over to the kitchen, where sage furniture nestles away all of the home-from-home amenities needed to cook up a storm, and there is a great range oven for family meals. You can enjoy your meal in the sitting room where leather chairs line a large wooden table, and here there is also an attractive window seat settled into the bay windows and overlooking the sea. Set over three storeys, this property offers four bedrooms, as well as a children’s play room, a ground-floor shower room and a bathroom, so choose between two beautiful double bedrooms, the first with stunning cream and brown décor and wonderful metal feather ornaments hanging above the beds, a truly lovely place to settle down for the night, and the second sports green décor with a hint of red. On the first floor you can also find a lovely single room with storage, however, on the second floor there is a stunning bedroom with three single beds, all matching in grey and yellow with contemporary décor and a real feel of opulence. For alfresco dining, cross the road to the garden where you can enjoy a view of the bay where there is a garden table for 8 people. Craster is a quaint seaside town with a picturesque harbour and historical harbour wall only a short walk from the property, so why not head down to the beach and enjoy the salty air and sea views with a picnic? Craster has plenty of eateries, including Pipers Pitch and The Jolly Fisherman Inn, and you can stock up on essentials at the local fishmongers, or head over to Embleton, where there is a convenience store. Craster boasts beautiful countryside walks through Dunstanburgh Heughs and the Northumberland Coastal Path, and if you love history you can head over to the nearby Dunstanburgh Castle, and from here the beach at Embleton is easily accessed. Make a seaside holiday to remember with a stay at Cargoes.
A picturesque village that seems to tumble into the sea, Craster was an important fishing harbour in the 17th century and is still famous for its oak cured kippers which have graced the best breakfast tables for more than 150 years. The village offers a pub serving food, a fish restaurant and Robson's famous fish shop. There is also an excellent children's playground. Nearby are some of Northumberland's finest sandy beaches. Just south of Craster is Howick Hall, which was built in 1782 and has associations with the Grey family, including Earl Grey the great social reformer and tea enthusiast. The gardens at Howick Hall are open to the public during the spring and summer and are especially worth a visit during the rhododendron season. A walk along the coastal footpath to the north of Craster brings you to the dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle - the largest ruined castle in Northumberland.
Accommodation
Set over three floors.
Four bedrooms: 2 x double, 1 x second-floor twin with extra single, 1 x single.
Bathroom with bath, walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Ground-floor shower room with walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Kitchen.
Utility.
Dining/sitting area with woodburning stove.
Children’s playroom
Oil heating with woodburning stove.
Range style oven, range hob, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher.
TV, WiFi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Off-road parking for 3 cars a short walk from the property.
Enclosed beachside garden with shrubs and gravel area across the road from the property.
One well behaved dog welcome.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 0.1 miles, pub 0.1 miles.
Note: Some steps up to ground-floor bathroom.
Note: Garden is across the road from the property
Nearby points of interest
- Alnwick Castle
- Bamburgh Castle
- Northumberland Country Zoo
Reviews (13)
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Cerisa
Sitting in a window with a warm mug of tea (or cold glass of something) is a true blessing. Welcoming and roomy, the cottage has everything you need for a relaxing, casual stay in a cosy coastal village. Right on the harbour, looking out to sea - I only wish I could wake to this for the rest of my life. Lots of beds with fresh linens and towels, ample storage areas and seating places and a fully equipped and large kitchen. However, there are some areas that need a deep clean - the skirting boards and hard floors all could do with a scrub, especially when little toddler feet are on the tiles getting grubby from the word go. Iâm sure itâs just after a hard summer of use and will be addressed during the quieter months. We had an issue with our supermarket delivery, who couldnât deliver to us on the arrival night as planned and this left us without any food or drink for that evening or next morning, with a 20 month old. I think it needs to made clearer upon booking and in documentation in the property, that there is now nowhere to buy provisions in the village after 5pm and to bring bits with you. Thereâs no mobile signal, so you wonât get calls or texts, but there is however, a landline in the cottage and fast Wi-Fi. Also the cafe/deli in the village has closed, so this could do with refreshing in the literature. We sometimes struggled with parking - in the summer I can see this would be an even bigger issue. It should be made clearer to non-residents that they shouldnât park along the street and use the village car park, but every day they parked there, blissfully unaware they werenât abiding by the village rules. The cottage mentions use of a space at the rear, but we couldnât work out which one it was, others were clearly marked, but no mention of Cargoes or No. 11âs space, so again, this needs addressing and making more direct. Other than that - dreamy. Book Cargoes even with these little niggles and I can assure you, youâll have one of the best located properties in Northumberland and like us, will long to return.
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Mark
Our poor score is aimed at the letting agent Northumbria Cottage and hereâs why. So weâre paying £2k to stay here for a week. When we arrived all the bins at the back were overflowing. Yes of course the cottage information has a line ( buried in pages of other information) about bin day. A lot of the stuff was from a hen party whoâd clearly rented it before us . There was a ballon left inside too. What a horrible site and how awful for neighbours. We contacted the letting agency by email . As it was Friday afternoon we got no answer. On the Monday we sorted the rubbish and recycled what we could locally (glass). The remainder has to be driven to the nearest top (an hours round trip). I didnât get a reply to my email till mid the following week. The tawdry delay was said to be because the email was in my name and not my husbandâs name who booked it. Iâd identified the property. They could have checked the name on the system and replied to him! It simply said it was a nuisance when people donât t put the bibs out. How rude? Northumbria Cottages will charge a fortune to the owners. It should be part of the clean up/:management of the property to deal with ignored rubbish. We also requested a high chair which wasnât put out. We found it eventually but weâd arrived after a six hour journey with a five month baby who needed feeding! The WiFi was also disconnected? That took longer to locate. Northumbria Cottages suggested thé previous occupants must have done that ⦠as if! The latter points are minor. The rubbish situation and the lack of an appropriate response is what prompted the poor review. The bed linen was immaculate and the kitchen very well equipped. Northumbria Cottages are lazy and not customer focussed. You should refund part of the hefty price tag. To the owners we say find another letting agency.
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Eve
Several near 'trips ' ! Maybe a line along the edge or some sort of indicator that there is a step there .Otherwise a fantastic position and lovely warm cottage. One of the best out of a lot of years of booking in various parts of the Northumbrian Coast through NCCC who are excellent !