The Old Dairy Cottage @ Ainstable Ainstable

The Old Dairy Cottage is just outside Ainstable village. It's a detached place, so no neighbours on the other side of the wall. It was a dairy before, so it's a good size for two people. We finished refurbishing it last year.

It sleeps two, in one bedroom with an en-suite shower room. Everything is on the ground floor. The main room is open plan, with the kitchen, dining and sitting area together. There are some exposed beams. The bedroom has a patch of original stone wall, which we left in.

The garden is enclosed, which is handy if you're bringing a dog. There's a conservatory at the back. The view from there looks out over fields. You can sit in there when it rains.

Ainstable itself is quiet. There's a pub in the village that does food. For a bigger shop, you'd drive to Armathwaite, which is about a mile and a half away. The Settle to Carlisle railway stops there. It's a beautiful route if you fancy a trip without driving.

The River Eden is good for walking and fishing, and it's a short walk from the cottage. You're right on the edge of the North Pennines area.

In terms of driving, you're quite central. Carlisle is about twenty minutes away. Hadrian's Wall is maybe thirty minutes. The Lake District National Park is roughly forty minutes to an hour, depending on which bit you're heading for. Scotland is close, you can be over the border in under half an hour.

Facilities are what you'd expect: WiFi, TV, washing machine, parking right outside. Bedding and towels are included. One well-behaved dog is welcome.

Useful links for planning: Lake District National Park, North Pennines AONB, and English Heritage for Hadrian's Wall.