Gilmore House Alston

This is Gilmore House in Alston. It's a terraced cottage right near the middle of town, so you can walk to everything. Alston itself is a proper old market town with cobbled streets, and it's the highest town in England.

The house sleeps four. It's got two bedrooms and one bathroom. The rating is 3 Star. That means it's comfortable and clean, not luxury. There's an open fire in the main living room, which is nice when it's cold. There's a second sitting room too, if people want to spread out a bit.

The stairs inside are worth mentioning. They're the original Victorian cottage stairs, so they're steep and a bit narrow. Just take your time.

Outside, there's a small garden area with seating. It gets the sun in the morning, good for a coffee.

You're about 100 yards from the local shop, and 200 yards from a pub and a restaurant. They're both fine. The pub does food.

If you're here to walk or cycle, you can start right from the front door. The coast to coast cycle route goes through the town. For a bigger day out, you're on the edge of the North Pennines area, and the northern Lake District is about a half hour drive. Penrith, Keswick, and Ullswater are all within that sort of range.

What's here: the open fire, a dishwasher, a washing machine, TV, WiFi, a cot and highchair if you need them, all bedding and towels, and parking for one car right outside. You can bring up to two dogs.

It's a good base if you want to be in a small town but have easy access to the hills.