Kemps Yard Retreat

31 Customer Reviews

• "Lovely little cottage, hidden away, but close to Thirsk centre, everything you could possibly need, was provided, shower head was a little wonky, but my husband fixed it."

  Reviewed by Susan5.0★Jul 2025

• "Absolutely lovely house and would definitely rent it again."

  Well equipped, extremely clean and very comfortable bed and sofa. Only one very tiny niggle, the holder for shower head needs fixed.

  Reviewed by Lizzie5.0★May 2025

• "This is the 3rd time we have stayed at Kemps Yard Retreat."

  The word retreat is well deserved when you go down the lane off Kirkgate you feel cut of from the rest of Thirsk but less than 5 minutes walk and you are in the market square. Location is excellent for visiting the World of James Herriot York or the Moors and Dales. The accommodation is good clean and has all the essentials for a self catering holiday. We were very comfortable there

  Reviewed by Lawrence5.0★May 2025

• "The overall property was lovely with some bits being a bit tired, especially the bathroom."

  The shower head was perished with very poor flow. The mattress in the master bedroom was uncomfortable and the single beds a little on the high side for small children, they had to be pushed together to reduce the risk of them falling out. Nice quiet area and had plenty of facilities in the cottage.

  Reviewed by Elaine4.4★Apr 2025

• "This was a lovely cottage in a great location, generally very clean and well presented."

  Other reviews were accurate regarding the narrow lane (we were cautious in a Volkswagen Up) and there isn't really enough seating for 4 in the living room, but parking was available on the street very close by and our party fit in snuggly. There were a few kitchen items we would have liked to see - particularly oven gloves - but overall this was a comfy place to spend a few days.

  Reviewed by Andy3.8★Feb 2025

• "Not possible to park by cottage."

  We had to pay to park in nearby car park. Cottage is in a quiet location. Didn’t cook during our stay but the kitchen appeared to have everything that would be needed. Bizarrely there was an ironing board, but no iron! Not enough seating in lounge for 4 adults. One of us had to sit on a dining room chair. Twin beds not long enough for tall adults. Shower tray looked dirty in places and the extractor fan was grim. Some creaky floor boards. The neighbour kindly put the bin out for collection. Overall we had a good stay and the location is very close to the market place.

  Reviewed by Jayne3.4★Jan 2025

• "Kemps Yard is a lovely, clean and cosy cottage, and the cleaner who lives close by was very helpful with information."

  However, it has to be pointed out that to advertise this cottage as having ' onsite parking' is ridiculous. Most cars will struggle to access the very narrow lane beside it. I tried many times to speak to someone at Sykes before our stay about this issue. Eventually I had a WhatsApp conversation but it was obvious that the company have never seen the property.

  Reviewed by Jane3.4★Sep 2024

• "Absolutely lovely little cottage 90second walk from the centre of Thirsk."

  The property had everything we needed (apart from a jug in the kitchen) the adjoining neighbour was extremely friendly and gave us the use of a single garage to store our bikes. The so called off road parking was completely unacceptable, the vehicle access was dangerously close to a wall and the front of the property - an inch at best either side of the car with no room for error. (Renault megane size vehicle) Larger height vehicles or bikes on roof etc would not pass under the arch way from the road either! The front neighbours also blocked access by parking in front of their garage door in a way that made it impossible to get by for the majority of our visit. The cottage does provide a parking permit to allow roadside parking when it’s available. This is not ideal when you have a dog and bicycles etc to move to and from the cottage. If you have a tiny car and are brave enough the cottage has a type of off road parking, if not, its roadside only. In my opinion it should be clearer about the parking situation. The cottage is lovely apart from that!!

  Reviewed by Catherine4.4★Aug 2024

• "Absolutely loved this property."

  There was everything we could have needed and more ,the location was fantastic with loads of amenities in Thisk from pubs and restaurants to really nice shops. We would definitely stay here again and would be really happy to recommend it to anyone. If I had to be really really a negative nelly about any thing (and this is me being extremely picky) ,It's the drive way down to the cottage is really tight and not very easy for parking but please believe me this would not put us off staying there again .Just glad we had a small car .

  Thank you very much for your wonderful review! Really pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay and all that Thirsk has to offer, and we'd be very happy to welcome you back to Kemps Yard Retreat at any point in the future! All the best Property Owner

  Reviewed by Susan4.7★Jun 2024

• "Our second visit to Kemps Yard, excellent location for the world of James Herriot, visits to the moors York, a good train service."

  Only observations last year there were 2 parking permits for on street parking , this year I could only find 1. This was no problem as we only had one car. Overall an excellent cottage

  Thank you very much for your wonderful review! Really pleased to hear you enjoyed your second stay with us and all that Thirsk has to offer once more. Unfortunately, the change to the permit situation has been made by the local council and is out of our control - but hopefully between the offering of that pass, and the access to parking area for smaller sized vehicles, it will accommodate for most needs. Hope to welcome you back again in the future! Thanks again Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lawrence5.0★Apr 2024

• "What an absolutely stunning cottage!"

  My sister and I have stayed in quite a few holiday cottages over the years and this one is the best ever! The cleanliness and decor was second to none and everything you needed was there. So handy for the Market Square and buses to various places. Love Thirsk as a whole, the people there are so friendly and welcoming as was the next-door neighbour, Shane. I hope, whoever stays there in the future, enjoys the cottage as much as we did! Certainly home from home!

  Thank you ever so much for your wonderful review and kind words on the cottage! That's truly excellent to hear! Really pleased you enjoyed your stay and all that Thirsk has to offer, and we'd be very happy to welcome you back to Kemps Yard Retreat at any point again in the future! All the best to you both Property Owner

  Reviewed by Janice5.0★Apr 2024

• "All in all a great stay but niggly bits croped up to dissapoint us."

  .. Only a telly in the lounge area, no radio anywhere... Seating not possible for 4 adults in the lounge area, we took 2 camping chairs... Heating not on for our arrival (beginning of February), no simple instructions for Heating, oven and hob, toaster only works for 2 not 4... Entrance is indeed tight but manageable with care, enjoyed leaving car parked up and enjoyed short walk into town..

  Thanks very much for your constructive feedback and we will take note to improve on those areas wherever we can. All the best! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lyn3.8★Feb 2024

• "Fantastic location in the heart of Thirsk and to access many other areas of interest."

  Directions provided made everything very easy to find, fantastic information pack with information of the local area. We had a warm and comfortable stay. As previously mentioned access is tight but we had no issues once we went through the first time. Shame there is no garden to speak of other than the little seating area but we would definitely stay again.

  Thank you very much for your wonderful review! Really pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay and all that the market town of Thirsk has to offer. We'd be more than happy to welcome you back to Kemps Yard Retreat at any point in the future! All the very best Property Owner

  Reviewed by Rachel4.4★Dec 2023

• "Lovely cosy place to stay- very warm and great location."

  So quiet too. Just a couple of suggestions would be that as the cottage is for 4 people it would have been useful to have had a larger coffee cafetiere and tea pot! We found the visitor parking permit really useful as the passage way was tight for our car and we had a roof box on! Thank you.

  Reviewed by Gwen4.4★Dec 2023

• "Such a lovely cosy cottage, suited our purposes perfectly, and thank you for letting Poppy cat stay, she loved sitting on the window ledge behind the TV, watching anything going passed!"

  Just to give other visitors an idea of the narrow gap for cars, I have a VW T Cross which just squeaked through!! I would recommend and definitely return when I'm back in the area.

  Reviewed by Jill4.7★Nov 2023

• "I have already submitted a survey on this property, sent to you the week following our visit."

  Reviewed by Brenda3.1★Oct 2023

• "A clean cottage, very convenient for the centre of Thirsk and its attractions."

  Not sure though why it deserved its 5tick rating by Sykes :we have stayed in much better standard Sykes 4 tick properties It wasn't a particularly welcoming cottage and had none of the homely touches we have found in other Sykes cottages (initial tea /coffee etc , cleansing materials, books, games,etc) , parking access was awkward with the narrow gap and cobbles, the parking area itself overgrown , it was a dark dingy cottage , the lighting was not well thought out for practicality either upstairs or downstairs, the lounge seating was Ok for 2 adults but not 4 (see other guest comments) , the outside sitting area for 2 was basic and close to the waste bins, the beds weren't particularly comfortable or warm, we had to buy our own hair dryer (normal provided in Sykes cottages) , no laundry basket provided, some sort of divider/curtain for the opening between the kitchen and lounge to reduce the noise when using eg the washing machine would have been appreciated, the kitchen/diner layout was not ideal use of space and the oven /microwave both quite complicated to work out how to use, the washing up bowl wasn't large enough to fit the dinner plates ,the cloakroom downstairs was quite cramped ................

  Reviewed by Jim3.8★Oct 2023

• "A clean and warm cottage in a very quiet location and only a 5 minute walk from the town centre."

  The thing that let it down were the very uncomfortable settee, too soft and too low. If we had been a party of 4 adults there was no comfortable seat for the forth person. A useful addition in the bathroom would be a squeegee for use in cleaning the shower. The driveway leading to the cottage is cobbled so probably not ideal for any one with mobility problems. Did notice that the light on the bathroom mirror didn't work nor did the extractor fan over the hob. We would like go thank Shane for his help The Thai resturant is very good as was the golden fleece which is card only. Car owner need to get aware that the space between the cottage and the neighbouring wall is ver y tight, a skoda octaves just fitted

  Reviewed by Susan3.8★Sep 2023

• "Absolutely gorgeous place to stay."

  Everything was exactly as described. We felt completely comfortable within hours of arriving. Neighbours were very friendly. The driveway was a bit narrow but presented no difficulty for us in a medium sized SUV. The location was perfect, so near to the centre of a beautiful interesting town.We would definitely recommend this place to have a relaxing holiday.

  Reviewed by Thomas Gerald5.0★Sep 2023

• "Although described as having a garden, there is no garden at all, Only a small decked area right next to the wheely bins and a disrepaired brick wall beyond."

  Steps down to the back door not mentioned in description. No 'views' at all. Gernerally, the accommodation was very tidy and clean. The ony seating in the sitting room is a modern sofa which is very uncomfortable for any length of time. There is a space under the stairs but not really useable as seating. Sitting room has two window areas that are easily overlooked. Lace curtains would be useful. People pass directly outside the window. Narrow cobbled road, bad to walk on. A very good plus is the location, right in town.

  Reviewed by Julian3.1★Aug 2023

• "Lovely stay, super clean and all of the essentials there."

  Parking was hard for us but we have a big car, the neighbours were super helpful and lent us their permit so was quickly resolved. Only downside was the beds ( the 2 singles) they are laid on a sheet of wood so are abit uncomfy/ hard but didnt ruin our stay.

  Reviewed by Elle4.4★Aug 2023

• "Lovely cottage , very clean and the bed linen smelled amazing , It would of been a squeeze in the living room for seating if our daughter didn't sit on the cut away under the stairs ."

  Very quiet and peaceful

  Reviewed by Dawn5.0★Jul 2023

• "Kemps Yard was excellent, had all we needed, clean and comfortable."

  We came to Thirsk to see The World of James Herriot, it is just across the road. Access by car mention in other reviews could be a problem for cars larger than my Astra, however on street parking using the permits provided was easy , we always found a space. We enjoyed our stay and explored the North York Moors and coast, hopefully we will have a return visit to Kemps Yard

  We're really glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay in Thirsk and thank you very much for your excellent feedback! Happy to welcome you back to stay again in the future! All the best Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lawrence5.0★May 2023

• "Lovely cosy, well equipped cottage in a quiet area but close to all the amenities, there’s a Tesco Extra and Lidl a short walk away."

  It made an ideal base for exploring the area, we were lucky to be there when Thirsk races were on, also a short walk away. Would benefit by having Wi-Fi though.

  Thank you very much for your wonderful review! Really pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay and all that Thirsk has to offer! Also for your feedback on WIFI - which we’re pleased to say has now been added to the property since your stay. Many thanks again Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alison5.0★Apr 2023

• "First time at this lovely little Cottage and Will no doubt return next year when my caravan closes down."

  Cottage was immaculate throughout it had everything we needed as the kitchen is well stocked. Decor and furnishings are lovely and beds are comfortable. The neighbour, Shane and his wife were most helpful and welcoming when I struggled to set heating, nothing was a bother for Shane. I would recommend a stay at this cottage, it was perfect.

  Thank you for your very kind review - we’re delighted you enjoyed your stay at Kemps Yard and would look forward to welcoming you again in the future! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Valerie5.0★Feb 2023

• "Stayed in cottage waiting to complete on a new build."

  Lovely warm, clean, comfortable cottage. Well stocked kitchen with lots of cleaning materials. Very helpful caretaker. Downside, it would benefit from having a tumble dryer and broadband. Off road parking is a bit tricky, but owner supplied a resident pass to park in the street. Very central for shops and visiting local attractions. Would definitely recommend it.

  Reviewed by Susan4.7★Dec 2022

• "Parking an issue could not get down the side of cottage with vehicle."

  No hair dryer.

  Sorry to hear you had an issue with your vehicle. Please note though that the maximum access width of -2m, if using the off-road parking area, is indicated within the property listing summary / notes. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Joanne3.4★Oct 2022

• "Beautiful cottage in an ideal location furnished to a high standard."

  We booked the cottage for three nights and would definitely stay again.

  We're really glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay and thank you for your excellent feedback! Happy to welcome you back to Thirsk anytime! Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alison5.0★Sep 2022

• "Wonderful cottage and great place to visit."

  We're really glad to hear you enjoyed your stay and all that Thirsk has to offer! Thank you for your feedback :-) Property Owner

  Reviewed by Richard5.0★Sep 2022

• "A stunning cottage, superbly decorated in a very good location in Thirsk (perfect for our visit to The James Herriot visitor centre!"

  ) We loved everything about it, just found the access to park our Seat Arona car a bit tight. The washing machine was sadly not working when we stayed, which was a bit disappointing- as I was hoping to keep on top of our family of four holiday washing! The man who lives next door was super friendly too and offered us lots of tourist information. Overall we had a lovely week and would come back again in the future!

  Thank you for your feedback - delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay and the attractions on offer in Thirsk! We're really very sorry to hear that the washing machine wasn't working during your stay though and for the inconvenience that this caused - note this issue has now been rectified with a brand new one now installed. Happy to welcome you back anytime! Thanks again Property Owner

  Reviewed by Marlis4.7★Aug 2022

• "Lovely cottage, tucked away down a cobbled lane but so close to the centre of Thirsk."

  We had a lovely week here. Cottage is beautiful, loved the decor and the table set ready for us to sit down to our evening meal on arrival was so nice. Very spacious bedrooms and gorgeous bathroom. Getting the car in and out was a bit tight for us with a bigger car but the lovely owners of the Cross Keys next door let us park in their car park. Fab xxx

  Reviewed by Elaine5.0★Aug 2022

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