Comments from the visitors book

Over 50% of our customers come back every year and some enjoy two or three weeks every year. We are always interested to read the comments in our visitor book. If someone makes a reasonable suggestion (sorry, we can't guarantee the weather) we will always try to make sure that this is done. Our aim is to make people feel at home as soon as they walk in the door.

Here, week-by week, (assuming we have the camera with us so that we can photograph them for transcribing later) are the last 20 comments from the barn's visitor's book.

7th January 2012 (19th visit)
Thank you Linda for the great welcome much appreciated. A great week for relaxing & re-charging after Christmas. We had a lovely walk in the Goyt Valley in bright sunshine & an inch of snow on the ground. A gentle stroll around Tittleworth Reservoir, a short walk due to gale force winds round Buxton & a walk from Hulme End to Wetton Mill in bright sunshine. We are looking forward to coming back later in the year. Thank you again.
Lynn & Andy
Bedfordshire

29th October 2011 (18th visit)
Another great visit. Weather really good - sunny every day bar one. We have been coming to the barn for 10 years and never done the walk to Pilsbury Castle - we will do it again - absolutely beautiful scenery. Walked in the Longshaw Estate and at last found the discarded mill stones and walking across the appropriately Lawrence Field (in the rain!). Also walked to Dimmingsdale from Oakamoor along the mill pools - another beautiful walk. What a brilliant week. Looking forward to new year.
Andy & Lynn
Bedforshire.

22nd October 2011 (2nd visit)
This is our 2nd visit to the delightful Bear's Barn. Once again we have found it still with high standards, very clean, well equipped, warm and comfortable. We have had two very enjoyable weeks so much to choose from to do in this ideal location. Recommend Biddulph Grange Gardens, especially the Chinese garden. Kedleston Hall - beautiful mansion and parkland with stunning displays in its rooms. Castleton supplies the full package - caverns, a castle, very informative visitor centre and a lovely village to explore. Weather has been very good, couldn't have wished for more. Hopefully will be back again very soon, thank you.
Jean & John
Cornwall.

24th September 2011 (1st visit)
Our first visit to Hartington and the very lovely Bear's Barn (I can see why people return). Tried all the local pubs which were excellent but particularly liked The George at Alstonfield, nice distance to walk to and from. Enjoyed cycling the Monsal Trail from Blackwell Mill very good bike hire and avoided the crowds by starting from the Buxton end. Great weather for walking, water in the rivers at Manifold and Wolfescote but Lathkill Dale largely dry. A very interesting area, will not be long until we return to see more of the Peak District. Warm, comfortable and very relaxing week, thank you.
Rob & Liz
Wiltshire.

6th August 2011 (7th visit)
Another wonderful week at the Bears Barn! The weather was perfect for some new and some very familiar walks. Great food in all the usual local pubs and a new find - The Coach and Horses at Fenny Bentley. We'll be back.
Graham & Linda
Watford.

16th July 2011 (4th visit)
Our 4th visit to the Bears Barn and another wonderful holiday. We managed to get out and explore a few new places this time as well as a couple of our old favourites. Sadly Chatsworth is looking very sorry for itself this visit and some of the new interior schemes are very strange - especially the pink walls and purple plastic chairs in the courtyard restaurant. The farm shop is brilliant though. We look forward to coming back soon and hopefully the scaffolding will be down. Thanks as always for a lovely week. Hope to be back in 2012.
Colin & Sam
Kent.
(Note from Linda - the scaffolding is at Chatsworth, not the Barn ;-)

25th June 2011 (1st visit)
Welcome pack much appreciated! Lovely base, comfortable and well equipped. An ideal position for exploring the area on foot and one wheels. Have really enjoyed our stay - despite the weather!!
Derek & Marilyn
Warwick.

11th June 2011 (17th visit)
Lovely as ever, we managed to dodge most of the showers. Memorable moments - being "dive-bombed" by two curlews in the meadow behind the barn, being serenaded by a cuckoo for over three hours on a walk at Burbage Rocks, lastly to watch a heron fishing on the river at Beresford Dale from only six feet away. Thanks for the cottage - always a comfortable haven. Bring on October.
Andy & Lynn
Bedfordshire.

21st May 2011 (2nd visit)
Our second visit to Bears Barn and just as enjoyable as before. Weather good enough for a few walks and we enjoyed several 'Derbyshire Car Tours' from the book. Tried to eat at the Jug and Glass but it looks like they have closed or not yet open for 2011. The Black Lion in Butterton was open and doing two main courses for the price of one. Would have been very good if we hadn't been the only people in the whole pub between 7 & 9pm. Mobile chippy excellent on Friday as before. Manifold Inn brilliant as was the Farmyard in Youlgrave. Overall an excellent week. Thank you Linda & Paul.
Colin & Barbara
Pontefract.

23rd April 2011 (1st visit)
What a wonderful week! The weather was amazing, super-friendly village and the 'home from home' that is Bears Barn - we couldn't have asked for more. Thank you for providing such a comfy and well-equipped cottage. I'm sure we'll be repeat visitors.
Miriam & Jaap
Kapelle
The Netherlands.

26th March 2011 (2nd visit)
Our second visit to Bears Barn, and again, amazing weather! We have done four lovely new-to-us walks, including walk 18* from Hartington in the OS Peak District Walks Book on the bookself here. Walking along the River Dove is lovely. Spent Monday in Bakewell going round the market and enjoyed a lunch at the Red Lion of hot roast pork in a bap with salad and chips. We have eaten twice at the Devonshire Arms and twice at the Manifold Inn, the latter still being our favourite. Today, our last, we are going to have an easy day by driving to the famous stepping stones and having a short walk before coming back to pack, tidy up and sample the fish and chips from the mobile van. However, normally when we say a "short walk" we end up doing 10 miles! Thank you Linda & Paul for helping our holiday be so memorable. We love it here and will no doubt come again one day.
* Oops no, that was 2009, it was from the Short walks book walk 19.
Jacquie & Craig
Hilsea, Portsmouth.

6th November 2010 (16th visit)
Brilliant as always. Thank-you for supplying all we need for a really comfortable stay. We had a fantastic walk along Dovedale where we found that 'money really does grow on trees'. Looking forward to our next visit.
Andy & Lynn
Bedfordshire.

30th October 2010 (10th visit)
Another good week at the Barn. The weather was great for the time of year apart from one day when we were forced to go shopping! Great homemade chips at the Waterloo Inn in Biggin. As usual the Bears Barn offers everything one can need for a relaxing week. Thank you, we look forward to our next visit.
Pauline & Peter
Hants.

11th September 2010 (1st visit)
Thank-you for letting us use your Bear's Barn for the last two weeks. It has provided an excellent base to walk many of the Footpath Trails around the White Peak. The barn is very comfortable and has always been a welcome place to come 'home' to after a day walking the ups and downs of the dales and moors. We have been fortunate with the weather only one partially wet day, though if it was bad just curling up with a good book at the Barn would be a most agreeable way to while away the time. We have to agree with other entries in this book that the village folk are friendly, the Manifold Inn a great place to eat and the cheeses from the Cheese Shop worth our stay in Hartington. Thank you once again for sharing the Barn and its' family of Bears with us.
John & Barbara
Sydney, Australia.

28th August 2010 (1st visit)
We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay and had a great holiday. The cottage is very well equipped and very comfortable with everything we needed. The welcome pack was lovely! Enjoyed some lovely meals at the Manifold Inn at Hulme End. Visited many National Trust properties and enjoyed several walks. Many thanks.
Annette and Angelo
Gloucestershire.

14th August 2010 (1st visit)
Had a wonderful stay in Bear's Barn, very clean, comfortable and well equipped. Particularly enjoyed a few pints of Hartington Bitter in the Charles Cotton Hotel and eating eggs for breakfast laid by hens you can see from the bedroom window. Wasn't very impressed by the Devonshire Arms, but had a lovely meal in the Manifold Inn (get there early as they were turning people away at 8:15pm). If you make it to the end of the Tissington Trail the Flower Cafe on the market place in Ashbourne does fantastic home made scones. We didn't spend the entire holiday eating and drinking (though perhaps most of it), had some fantastic walks (and some very wet ones) but most of all enjoyed the fresh air and greenery.
Jessica & Steve
London.

7th August 2010 (1st visit)
Our stay at Bear's Barn has been very comfortable if a little cool at times. All creature comforts are here and we wanted for nothing other than perhaps mobile phone reception(O2) in Hartington. Great walks are literally on the doorstep and the weather has been reasonably kind. All in all a most enjoyable week and we would definitely like to return sometime in the future.
Colin & Marie
Rayleigh, Essex.

10th July 2010 (1st visit)
We have enjoyed a lovely week at Bear's Barn, so comfortable and relaxing. Loved the 'bears theme' in every room, very cute. Hartington is a lovely picturesque unspolit village with great charm and character. Our visits to Carsington Water, Castleton, Bakewell + Tittesworth Water were all great days out. Weather has been very good couldn't have asked for more. Thank you. Jean & John Carr
Cornwall.

19th June 2010 (1st visit)
We had an absolutely brilliant week, weather couldn't have been kinder, sunshine all week. Went walking every day, the Bears Barn was nice to come home to. We are avid bird watchers and we weren't disappointed. Red Start, dippers, spotted fly catchers, curlew, grey wagtails, tawny and little owls to name a few.
Marlene and Roger
Leicestershire.

12th June 2010 (15th visit)
We arrived in sunshine little knowing we wouldn't see it again all week. On Tuesday evening driving home from Leek we came through thick fog!! Apart from the weather we have still had a great week. A gentle walk around Tittsworth Reservoir, along Lathkill Dale with beautiful orchids and just revisiting other beautiful places. Thanks again for the Barn, always great to come back to.
Andy & Lynn
Bedfordshire.

5th June 2010 (6th visit)
A beautiful sunny week (unlike last July!). We've discovered some lovely new walks and re-visited some old ones. Sunday lunch at the Devonshire remains very good as do the meals at the Packhorse in Crowdecote. Our first meal at the Staffordshire Knot in Sheen was excellent. We liked the new additions in the Bears Barn and look forward to coming again.
Linda & Graham
Watford.