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Spinney Lodge

Spinney Lodge

4.4
out of 5
Ratings from 12 reviews
83% of guests
recommend
Cleanliness
4.4
Comfort
4.3
Condition
3.8
Location
4.8
Value
4.2
Customer
Service
4.9

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  • Sleeps 6 in two twin rooms and a kingsize bedroom
  • Additional double bed upstairs and single trundle bed
  • 3 downstairs bedrooms and one downstairs bathroom
  • 1 upstairs bedroom/bathroom
  • 6 dogs welcome (can be flexible) free of charge
  • Open plan kitchen/living area
  • Secure fenced garden area at the back of the house
  • Fence height to 4.5ft and backed with mesh
  • Parking for up to 4 cars, off road.
  • 3 acres of separate grass and woodland area to explore (not securely fenced)
  • Wonderful for wildlife watching and access to Hickling Broad
  • Play boat in the grassed area - great for children
  • All booking income (less costs) for this property go to the local FAITH Animal Rescue
  • Tours of the Animal Rescue can be arranged

Potential to be a dream holiday cottage

Review submitted on Sat, 20 Apr 2024
4.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
3.0
Condition
3.0
Location
5.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
5.0
The bungalow is nestled in woodland only a few minutes from the main A149. easy to get to and once you're in, it's so easy to forget about the rest of the world, The accommodation is deceptively large featuring 4 double bedrooms although comfortably holds 4-5 people. It is cosy, it has a gorgeous double sized log fire set into a brick fireplace ceiling high. A great addition for a cold wintery day and the room layout is semi open plan from kitchen through dining to lounge.
The bedrooms are through a closed off corridor which is a great place to put the dogs if they get a little over excited when the Tesco man arrives or the much needed take away one night!

The small garden which is enclosed with wire mesh and a log-top fence is cute and looks right into the woodland. Very relaxing, there is a typical garden table and plastic chairs provided along with some wooden seating dotted close to the fenceline, however if like us the bugs love to feast on your blood!!, you may want to bring your own lounger or camping chairs for extra comfort when soaking up the sun.

The property is in need of a little TLC, the guttering would benefit from a clear out of all the wintery muck weighing it down, the downpipe clips are broken reducing the safety structure of the downpipe and the floor next to the backdoor is very bouncy with some skirting board missing but these things don't affect your holiday as such, just some general maintenance things that should be on the radar of the owners.

The woodland itself is glorious and leads to a vast open space of grassland where the dogs can real play and run about, you can see a fair distance in either direction so even for those doggies that don't like to be around other dogs, they can have some time offlead here as you can see far enough in either direction to get them back under lead before any passers by approach on the public footpath that runs between the woodland and the long grassed area.

There are longer walks from the back grassed area if you want to explore further towards the broads also.

The woodland attached to the property is private to the property however during our stay we did see a local walking through with their dogs as its an easy cut through from the public footpath at the back of the property to the main lane.
We also had an incident where our reactive dog saw people sitting on the bench outside the property beyond the fenceline and ran towards them, gave a few barks and came back on recall. It may have been a different sotry if there was a dog in sight!

The fence line around the woodland is not meshed therefore any one can access it and despite signs saying "Private property", we witnessed people ignoring the signs and walking through with their dogs on occasion. This means that we've had to keep our boy's muzzle on at all times and since seeing people ignore the signs to keep out, and with the incident with the people on the bench, we have had to keep him on a lead for his own safety, and that of the ignorant dog owners coming through. This is what really changed our mood from pure relaxation to hyper alert and no longer feeling carefree when running the dogs on the property.

We did ask the owners of their intentions to close off the entrance to the woodland by secure fencing both at the back of the woodland and the gate leading to the village lane but it seems there is no intention to do so as they'd prefer not to upset the wildlife and prevent deer etc from coming into the woodland, which again leads me to the point of ensuring your dogs are on lead or have great recall. The last thing you want it the dog running off chasing a pheasant or deer!

If dogs are not part of your household, it’s a great place to bring the kids, lots of space to run around the little garden and there is a tree swing and boat for the kiddies to play on in the woodland as well as the fun adventure walks towards the broads, just be mindful of locals and their dogs coming through.

If they ever decide to secure the woodland perimeter, we will definitely become a regular here but for now, we are on the hunt for a holiday home which prioritises its guests and dogs.

I would recommend this property to families without dogs or dogs without behaviour issues and with a solid recall / no prey drive.
i would not recommend this property to anyone has has dogs with behaviour issues, poor recall or a high prey drive unless you are happy to keep them on lead at all times in the woodland. Also be mindful of dogs that could jump the inner garden fence (circa 5ft) if seeing a local walk through the woodland.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Ok for dogs.

How likely are you to return?
Not again (but do please let us know why)



Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 2 days ago
Thank you so much Lisa for taking the time to leave this very fulsome and honest review. We can only apologies for the issues with the dog walker trespassing on the property. I do know that the owners padlocked the gate that accesses the woodland area from the footpath to prevent anyone else going through it but am aware that they are not keen to back up the fence with mesh to stop dogs running through because of the access for wildlife. We have made the owners aware of the maintenance issues and hopefully these will be addressed soon. We have reviewed the website description to make sure that guests are fully aware that the woodland and main paddock are are not fenced and that the fence separating the woodland from the footpath at the back could allow dogs (ones not under control on their walk) to get through. Also that guests here will need to be in control of their dogs in these unfenced areas. Obviously the fully fenced and meshed garden right outside the house is the more secure area. Thanks again for taking the time to do this review - it really is very much appreciated! Sue

Cozy cottage in a stunning location.

Review submitted on Sat, 23 Mar 2024
3.7
out of 5
Guest doesn't recommend this property
Cleanliness
3.0
Comfort
3.0
Condition
3.0
Location
5.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We really enjoyed our stay at Spinney Lodge. It is a warm cozy cottage in a beautiful setting. With a walk to the Broad one way and a nature reserve the other. The wood was a fabulous place to walk through or just sit and admire. We found the Kingsize bed a bit uncomfortable so slept in the twin which was lovely. We erected a bird feeder and this attracted numerous species. The house could do with a good spring clean and some of the furniture needs updating for this reason we thought it was a bit overpriced.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Ok for dogs.

How likely are you to return?
Not again (but do please let us know why)



Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 32 days ago
Thank you so much for your honest review Barbara and I am very sorry that the cleaning standards weren't as good as you will have experienced at other ERC properties and we have fed this back to the owners. The setting itself is truly lovely - very unique - and the outside area is great for wildlife so I am glad you were able to enjoy that part of your stay. We really do appreciate your review and look forward to having you back to stay with us again.

Dogs Paradise

Review submitted on Sat, 16 Mar 2024
5.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
I spotted Spinney Lodge ( was Birches) on ERC web site over a year ago when I was sighing through all their fantastic cottages when illness stopped me from having my usual ERC holidays. My dogs suffered not going away ( so their eyes told me ) & seeing Spinney Lodge had attached woodland of their own I was determined to go and I wasn’t disappointed. The cottage was comfortable & with a dual frontage log fire warm and cosy for the first couple of nights when it was colder. Didn’t need it for rest of week.
The excitement of my 3 dogs to see not only had they have a great garden but a few acres of attached woodland as well. That was our am & pm walks leaving us the rest of the day to revisit our favourite places like Cart Gap beach & Poppylands 1940s cafe. Deer foxes rabbits were seen enjoying the woods at times.
The cottage had everything we needed except a dishwasher that I personally prefer to a washing machine but the Hubbie did well with that.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Never been anywhere so dog welcoming before!

How likely are you to return?
Would love to come back!



Highly Recommend.

Review submitted on Wed, 25 Oct 2023
5.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
What an absolute gem of a property. Excellent for reactive dogs and excellent for humans too. We had a super relaxing week walks from the door and private wood to walk in too. It was just so lovely to go away and not worry about Milo reacting to everyone and other dogs. All credit to the owners for the work they do with Faith Animal Rescue Centre and knowing we are helping a little by staying at Spinney Lodge makes it just perfect Thank you for letting us stay at your little gem.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Already booked!





Ideal for reactive dogs

Review submitted on Sat, 16 Sep 2023
4.5
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Lovely cottage with its own piece of woodland. Well fenced, large garden for our small dogs and away from any other properties, making it the perfect stay for reactive dogs. Very peaceful and a place where you can truly relax, without stressing about passing dogs or people! Ideally located for fantastic wide, sandy beaches and the broads. Owners very helpful and quick to respond to queries.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Would love to come back!





Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 191 days ago
Thank you so much for your great review Sarah. Really good to hear that you enjoyed the peace and quiet of Spinney Lodge - it's a very special location.

Great location

Review submitted on Sun, 16 Jul 2023
4.3
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We enjoyed our stay the location of the property is very rural but great for our dogs . The woods were lovely but we did get bitten a lot something to remember to put on repellent. The property was very comfortable had most things we needed . Could do with some tidying up outside but on the whole we loved the property

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Would love to come back!





Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 284 days ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to review Spinney Lodge! Much appreciated. Summer is the time for bugs and midges, especially in such an unspoilt rural location and near to water too (the amazing Norfolk Broads) so it is definitely possible that there could be bites in the warmer months and hopefully this will remind future guests to bring insect repellant if they are worried about it. I have passed on your comments about tidying up the outside to the owners and I am sure they will take note. I know that running the local animal rescue - FAITH - just up the road, does take up a lot of their time but I am sure they can get some tidying outside done immediately round the house and leave the more wildlife friendly areas of the paddock and woods to be wilder and encourage the insects and birds that form such an important part of this natural area. Huge thanks again for your review and I hope you will come back to another of our properties in the future - you would be most welcome!

Garden overgrown with all sorts. No outside light so very difficult to watch 6 dogs .Best for humans

Review submitted on Sat, 10 Jun 2023
3.8
out of 5
Guest doesn't recommend this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
3.0
Location
3.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
4.0
Wasn’t very relaxing with the bird scarer banging from 7.30am till 8pm. Floors very slippy for dogs.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Ok for dogs.

How likely are you to return?
Not again (but do please let us know why)





Sue Allen (East Ruston Cottages) replied 317 days ago
Thank you so much for your review. We do always try to respond to the ones where issued are identified so I hope the following comments will help others who read this too. I am sorry that the garden was overgrown and I know from talking to the owner that there had been a problem with the gardener and I understand that they resolved this during your stay. One of the key points of Spinney Lodge is its deep nature location. Its detached and just a few hundred yards from the Nature Reserve at Hickling Broad and Hickling Broad itself. With the woodland also included in the property boundary (home to many nesting birds) we do feel the light pollution needs to be kept to a minimum and ask that guests bring their own torches to watch their dogs in the garden at night. I am sorry that the bird scarer caused a problem, unfortunately this is something very much out of our hands. Being in such a rural location and with the majority of agriculture in this area generally being arable rather than livestock, it is something that can happen. Whilst we do have good relations with the farmers in the area we can't really expect them to let us know if and when they will be using bird scarers.

Just pack and go.

Review submitted on Sat, 27 May 2023
4.8
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
The property has everything you could ever need, it was so well equipped for humans and dogs. Literally only need your suitcase and the dog food.
It was clean and comfortable and really homely.
Coukd easily host a large family and wiuld be a great family Christmas location. Short drive to a supermarket, not from lovely walks or go further afield to explore North Norfolk.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Never been anywhere so dog welcoming before!

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Certainly will consider it.





Ideal for multiple dogs

Review submitted on Sat, 22 Apr 2023
4.3
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
3.0
Location
5.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Comfy and clean, the woodland was the icing on the cake, ideal for our 5 dogs to stretch their legs before breakfast.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Never been anywhere so dog welcoming before!

How likely are you to return?
Certainly will consider it.





Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 191 days ago
Thank you so much for your review and I am so pleased your dogs were all able to enjoy it!

Overall a wonderful stay

Review submitted on Sun, 26 Mar 2023
4.5
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
3.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Overall, myself and my dog had a great stay at The Birches. The cottage is perfectly situated for a dog who is reactive to people and dogs (as mine is). There are no immediate neighbours, the road is quiet and the secure garden and adjoining woodland are fabulous.
The kitchen, bathroom and bedding were clean. Some areas of cleaning had been overlooked - there was quite a bit of dust on some surfaces and cobwebs.
I think it would be helpful if there were digital kitchen scales (for weighing dog food), a hairdryer and a bath mat (if for no other reason than protecting the wood floor from water).
Some information in the guidebook is wrong. There are no instructions for the heating/hot water/appliances. The days for bin collection are wrong so I put the bins out on the wrong day. It would be helpful to have some instructions on using a wood burner, as not everyone has used one before.
I would be happy to return for another stay!

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Certainly will consider it.



Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 191 days ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to add a review. All of your comments and suggestions have been passed on to the owners. Delighted that you had a good time and were able to enjoy the location and area.

dog heaven

Review submitted on Sat, 14 Jan 2023
5.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
perfect location for us and the garden and woodland area is awesome for dogs. it could be made more secure however as the dogs can get out onto the road-whilst not busy is 60mph. house very cosy and warm and everything was there we needed. the wi-fi was great as it was a working holiday for me, great local pub and easy access to broads and beaches and shops. would definitely come back -thank you for letting use you cottage.

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Great for dogs!

How likely are you to return?
Would love to come back!





Sue Allen - East Ruston Cottages replied 191 days ago
Thank you Nikki - always very much appreciate your reviews and suggestions! All passed on to the owners and we look forward to having you stay with us again.

Autumn break

Review submitted on Sun, 09 Oct 2022
3.8
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
3.0
Location
4.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
5.0
The cottage is very quiet with no neighbours. It is well situated both for the broads and beaches . There is a nice walk through the wood at the back of the property onto a little used public footpath leading to hickling broad or the nature reserve. The garden is fenced although the fencing is only suitable for small dogs as there is a large gap at the top between the wire mash and top pole that an agile dog would get through . We did find the electric heating insufficient on cold nights and the wood burner was in the middle of the room so we did not use it as we did not feel it was safe with our springer .

How dog friendly was this property for you?
Ok for dogs.

How likely are you to return?
Not again (but do please let us know why)