Derbyshire Self Catering cottage, Grey Roofs, Ashbourne, sleeps 4

Fantastic cottage in a peaceful location
Just got back from a week in this beautiful cottage in gorgeous countryside. The cottage is furnished to a really high standard and was spotlessly clean. The owner Dean is really helpful and friendly and the cottage has everything you might need to provide a home away from home. The enclosed courtyard garden is beautifully laid out and fully secure for children/ pets. Would have no hesitation in recommending this cottage to anyone and will definitely be returning again in the future. Only wished we had booked for two weeks instead of one.
janul36
2020-07-31

Second fabulous stay
We came here for a long weekend in December 19, and immediately booked another 3 weeks in 2020. This is the nicest holiday accommodation we have ever stayed in, and we have been having this type of holiday for over 20 years. The barn is very comfortable, warm and cosy. Very tastefully fitted out and well equipped with everything you need. Spotlessly clean and it immediately feels like a home from home . Dean, the owner is incredibly helpful and the welcome hamper is both well received and very generous. He is always on hand with helpful advice. There is even an emergency phone in consideration of poor/no mobile reception. You should never need to use it but it is useful for people to ring you if needed. Internet is very good. No noise at all and complete privacy thanks to a surrounding wall, which is also great when letting the dog out. The location is perfect, with walks from your front door or the lovely Ashbourne and the start of the Tissington Trail within 3 miles. The Duncombe Arms is superb and only a mile by road or quicker across the fields in better weather.
Neil M
2020-03-05

Easiest 5* Review I have Ever Written
We have stayed at Grey Roofs for the whole of the last month and have had a wonderful stay. It truly is a home from home. The property completely lives up to expectations from the description and photographs listed. Everywhere in the property was spotless on our arrival, including all the kitchen cupboards, microwave and oven (things that are often not as good as they could be). The bedding and towels were obviously all freshly laundered and although we actually brought our own towels (we always do) I would have had no problems at all with using the ones provided. Dean, the host has been welcoming, helpful and friendly. We have had particularly bad weather whilst we have been here and he has offered to bring us shopping in from the local supermarket on more than one occasion. He should be very proud of what he provides in his holiday rental. On our arrival we were greeted with the fullest welcome hamper I have ever seen, everything for a full english plus treats for the dog, a packet of sweets and even suet rolls to put in the bird feeder outside. Watching the birds through the lounge windows, of which there are many and varied has been a real treat. The property is situated down a long lane which is bumpy to say the least so be aware that there are huge potholes at the beginning of the lane. There is a secure garden area so we have been happy to let our little dog have a roam around and explore with no concerns that she could get out. Despite the weather, we have been out walking every day but it has been nice to come back to a lovely cozy property and settle down for the evening in front of a TV which is connected to a wide variety of channels (Netflix / I-Player to name a few). There is also a fabulous contemporary log burner but we found the property so lovely and warm that we never had to use it. I was very surprised to read the review below about the charges for the landline. I felt the comments were really unfair. The landline has been provided for emergency purposes due to the lack of mobile coverage at the property (there is a signal as soon as you are half way up the lane so if you really really need to make a call it's easy to do so!) I have never stayed at a property where the owner has been thoughtful enough to provide this service and he has asked guests in the information folder to show respect and ask people to return calls where a call is necessary. I have found this service invaluable because it has meant my 81year old Mum has been able to call me each morning, giving me peace of mind and keeping her connected to us. We have also made a number of phone calls via WattsApp with no problems whatsoever so I'm confused as to why the reviewer couldn't make an internet call??? There is a lovely walk accross the fields to the local pub The Duncombe Arms in Ellastone. Due to the excessive rain this month it has been extremely muddy for us (nothing our wellingtons couldn't cope with), but it has still been a great bonus and I am sure when the weather improves, this will be even better. The market town of Ashbourne is only 4 miles away with all of the necessary shops and amenities. The Tissington Trail is also only a short drive so there is plenty of opportunity for some fabulous walks. All in all we have had an amazing stay and I can't really think of anything negative to say apart from the lack of sun!! :)
Roy H
2020-02-27

Fantastic place to stay
Just got back from a lovely stay at Grey Roofs. The place is a decent size, very clean and pretty much has everything you need in the kitchen department! We had an issue with one of our dogs (nothing to do with the place, an ongoing illness) and Dean helped us with vets numbers and giving us some special food to try and get the dog to eat. He was lovely and really went out of his way to help. We was welcomed with a lovely hamper with everything for a full English and all nice and fresh and locally sourced, it even had some treats in for the dogs! You have absolutely signal there but it's good to take some time off of your phone! There is internet provided free of charge and it was very fast broadband, someone has left a review saying you can?t use it but we had no problem making video calls to family at all so don't listen to that! The garden is very secure we have a husky who can escape anywhere and she couldn?t get out, there's also keys to lock the gate too if you're worried about people coming in (even though it's in the middle of nowhere). We would definitely stay here again! Only thing it was missing was a hot tub :)
Keeley I
2019-12-10

Beware - Nice place, but stung months later
Grey roofs was a lovely place to visit for a week in August. It's set off the beaten track a little, so not easy to find. I called the owner for directions, however due to its remoteness, I had no reception (more on this later), so eventually lost him and found my own way there. After 15mins of driving back and forth I found the place and settled in nicely. Great base for visiting local attractions. Had trouble understanding the heating instructions (Not very helpful) so called the owner from the landline for advice. Several weeks later I received a WhatsApp from the owner saying the phone bill had arrived and I had to pay it!? Due to there being no mobile phone reception, I had to use their landline, as there was no other way to talk to the outside world! I even tried phoning over their broadband. Sadly it was ADSL and being remote, was pretty much impossible to use for internet calls. I explained this to the owner. The answer I got was the internet was capable of calls. Unbeknown to him I work in IT and from the tests I did using a few tools on my phone, it was pretty clear the bandwidth was not upto calls. I had to ask for a copy of the itemised bill, which finally turned up today. (over 2 months later) The owner was even trying to make me pay for calling him about the heating questions for his accommodation! I was up front with the owner and said it was unfair me being asked to pay the bill when there was no other means of calling anyone. I was a captive audience you could say. The owner wasn't interested, he just cited "it clearly states in greyroofs information booklet that you may use the phone as a emergency". What he clearly didn't make me aware of was the lack of any type of mobile phone reception in the area, poor internet capable calling and that you would have to use the landline, not it was an option to for emergencies. I did suggest he do this and inform future guests that phone charges will apply, but he didn't accept my feedback or answer, only asking for payment. Nice. Overall I feel that being asked to pay a phone bill on top of what I paid to stay at the accommodation and use its services, being misled, the underhanded way of blaming the internet as an option and not being transparent about the itemised calls until I requested it, has left a very bitter after taste in my mouth. I wouldn't recommend this to any friends or family. Avoid in my opinion.
randomtaskdave
2019-11-04