The Old Forge

We have found the cottage first class in every respect, just excellent.

Only a couple of minor points which do not in any way reflect on the thoughtful and friendly owners or on the cottage itself: for us as people used to a straightforward and user-friendly refuse collection regime, the complicated and time-consuming regime imposed on occupants by the local Council means you spend too much time sorting and dealing with your refuse, only to find that the Council itself doesn't necessarily stick to its collection schedule anyway; and the cottage parking is under trees visited by birds which tend to leave droppings all over your car - but these are but minor irritations which did not detract from an enjoyable stay.

The cottage itself was fantastic.

But we had a problem with the boiler, the fumes were filling the house. The owner called and told us about it late on the Saturday after we had arrived. He said the caretaker had told them about it in the morning and had left a window open to clear to the fumes, and it should clear very quickly. He said after we leave in a week he has a break in rentals so he would get a plumber in then! We shut the door to the bathroom where the boiler was situated and stuffed a blanket under the door to stop the smell of the fumes, however by monday the fumes were still unbearable so we turned the heating and hot water of. I contacted the owner by text and he said he will get someone to after we left, also he said luckily the weather was warming up! Apart from the boiler issue and the infestation of ants under window sill by the sink in the kitchen, the cottage would have been great. The location is fantastic, we loved the bells tolling every hour from the church next door. If you get a chance have a look around the churchyard. Dont park your car anywhere near the house or you will be washing it everyday. The birds from the trees are relentless. I eventually parked around the corner. In conclusion we should have left straight away, but because we travelled 300miles to get there we stayed. If it hadn't have been for the boiler and no offer of compensation, this review would have been great as the house was lovely

Beautiful cottage in a great location for exploring Dartmoor.

The cottage is a real home-from-home, very well equipped, comfortable and spotlessly clean. A short walk to a lovely local pub (book for food) and a well stocked community run village shop. What more could you want!

Fantastic cottage in a stunning and peaceful location.

It’s like the tardis, much bigger than it looks from the outside. The owners have thought of everything. Had a wonderful week and came away energised. Loved being next door to the church. The garden is a gem and we spent our late afternoons after returning back sitting out. I wouldn’t recommend parking outside the cottage as the crows will make a mess of your car as I found out! Easily rectified by popping to a hand car wash near Newton Abott and for the remainder of our stay parked in the village hall car park, which is a couple of minutes walk from the cottage with no charge.

The cottage is maintained to an excellent standard with first class facilities and it's a lovely cottage in a great location - and we had a very enjoyable week there.

We found the fairly complicated recycling rules rather frustrating but that's one for the local Council not the owners!

Great location for exploring South Devon.

Very well equipped cottage with all your needs. Welcome bottle of wine and milk was a very nice touch.

Well-equipped, comfortable beds, everything worked as it should

The old forge cottage was stunning.

It was perfectly quaint with all the modern necessities. We were comfortable and felt at home. Mikes communication was welcome and not intrusive. Recycling seemed to be an issue for others but it was very easy to follow. I adored the home and would love to go back. If I had one small piece of feedback I would say the stairs need a fitted runner for grip. I stayed on the ground floor since my mum and dad could not join us. If I had been upstairs, as originally planned, I would have struggled with the stairs. Polished wood and rope banister would have been a disaster for me. But honestly, that’s just a sideline. The place was beautifully maintained and the perfect mix of old and new. The wooden stools and the collection of mini pillows were adorable! Thank you

Lovely, well- equipped, comfortable, characteristic, clean, well maintained and felt very welcoming for our family.

Loved the personal touches - very thoughtful and appreciated the phone call on arrival night. Would recommend to friends and family without hesitation.

This is a gorgeous cottage full of charm.

Very comfortable and everything you need. The shower at the back had excellent power and no shortage of hot water (we didn't use the front one!). Loved the bedrooms upstairs with the sky lights and the beautiful sounds of the church bells. A lovely warm cottage to come home to after a day of sight seeing. Set in a lovely little village with a lovely local pub. We really enjoyed our stay, thank you.

The cottage was charming.

It was really clean and well maintained. It was well equipped and everything was clearly labelled and organised. The showers were good and easy to use. The small bedroom downstairs didn't have much clothes storage but then it is an old cottage with quirky spaces. The kitchen /diner was perfect. A lovely place to stay in a quiet village with a nice pub and handy shop.

A cosy cottage over a few days of horrible weather offering our family respite after hikes across the Moors.

Thank you for all the little extra touches - perhaps the only thing worth adding would be a hand towel for each of the shower rooms would have been useful, but we managed! Great communication from the owners - Thank you!

I was concerned about parking outside the cottage but it was ok, and some very large vehicles went past with no problem.

I don't know what I was doing wrong but couldn't get the door open when I came back from shopping and was very stressed about no mobile phone signal. My son did a video call on whatsapp to try and help, then two passing good samaritans opened the door for me. I had no problem subsequently.

The Old Forge is such a nice place.

We had a great time.

Property was as described and very clean, warm and welcoming.

Showers were good and towels provided were lovely - soap provided. Only one small point that no shaver points in the bathrooms. Kitchen/Diner was spacious and very well equipped, and well provided with T Towels, dishcloths, washing up liquid etc Welcome gift was also very welcome - thank you so much x

The cottage is very comfortable and warm, with all modern kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Gorgeous cottage in sweet village with decent shop and pub.

Ilsington is well placed for exploring Dartmoor

It's quite difficult to find interesting, quirky, and comfortable smaller holiday cottages that are suitable for the elderly.

I booked The Old Forge as an 80th birthday treat for my mother (who now struggles with stairs) and she was absolutely over the moon with the accommodation – with the lovely downstairs bedroom and shower rooms (there are two so we had one each!) and with the quality of the interiors, and everything you could ever need provided for. It must be one of the nicest cottages I’ve ever stayed in – and I felt like a kid again, climbing the little staircase up to the wonderful upstairs bedrooms. The village is so lovely, with a shop and proper village pub ‘The Carpenters Arms’ – where we were made to feel extremely welcome by the owners and locals. I hope we can return in the future.

We had a great stay at the Old Forge which had everything we needed for a comfortable and relaxing week.

Ilsington is lovely village, with a useful shop and a good pub, The Carpenters Arms. The location is perfect for quick access to Dartmoor.

We booked The Old Forge over New Years and had a wonderful stay!

It was in such a beautiful location and incredibly cosy and welcoming inside. The property got warm very quickly which was great considering it's age. The kitchen was also very well equipped and one of our group even braved making a full roast dinner in there! Having two bathrooms was super handy with 6 of us staying there, and even the little touches like umbrellas in the porch (which we unfortunately needed to use) were so thoughtful! We would absolutely stay here again in a heartbeat! Thank you for such a fantastic stay :)

Thank you for a lovely stay at your cottage.

We really couldn’t fault it, a very comfortable and enjoyable time was had by all. Only one observation, we did have an issue with the bathroom sinks being slow to drain away.

Comfortable, cosy cottage with access to lovely walks and great restaurants.

Quite probably the best property we've stayed in over 10+ years of holidays around the UK.

The Old Forge is beautifully laid out and thoughtfully decorated; and it's even better equipped than our family home! The position next to the Churchyard is fabulous, and we really enjoyed the peace and quiet in Ilsington, despite being only a short distance from Hay Tor and the best of Dartmoor. The Carpenters' Arms just across the Churchyard is a great pub with friendly owners and locals and very good food, and the village shop is excellent. Up the road the Hotel does an excellent afternoon tea, and the spa looks great. We highly recommend The Old Forge and would definitely return here.

Fabulous bolthole to explore Devon.

The house was well equipped and comfortable, much bigger than it looks. Perfect for our family of four, but spacious enough for 6. Highly recommend if you are looking for a quintessentially English retreat - even church bells on the doorstep.

wonderful holiday cottage.

well equipped, very nice kitchen, nice garden and cozy and comfortable rooms. village shop although very small, remarkably well stocked. if I would have to name one potential improvement: soft cushions in the garden seats would make a stay even nicer (we had nice weather so we spent a lot of time in the garden). thank you for having us!

A lovely cottage.

Quirky, full of character yet comfortable and well equipped. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here while mountain biking around Dartmoor.

What a perfect place for visiting Devon and especially Dartmoor walking.

The cottage, like the owners are, is warm and welcoming. We had everything that we needed and more for our delightful stay at The Old Forge. The village of Islington is charming and having a local community run shop and welcoming pub round’s everything off. Would love to return without hesitation. Geoff and Shirley.

The Old Forge is a lovely, comfortable, warm cottage for a lovely break.

Set in a picturesque village with Dartmoor all around is a big plus.

Cosy cottage but plenty of space for family of four, very well equipped, clean and tidy, good location,

The cottage was the perfect, quiet hideaway.

A great base to get out and about. We would come again

Great place to stay between high moors and coast.

Beware of sat navs, it tends to direct you down very narrow lanes with little if any passing places. Very good village shop and very reasonable prices. Lovely pub also. Very Covid secure. Ideal for two generations of family. Thank you very much for a very enjoyable holiday.

Beautiful cottage which was deceptively larger than I’d imagined.

We had everything we needed and more. We loved the cottagey feel and the beautiful surroundings. The local pub was excellent and the village shop was surprisingly well stocked. We didn’t go to any supermarkets as we had all we needed from the little shop. The memory foam mattresses are probably due for replacing but other than that everything was perfect.

The TV was very difficult to Operate due to some wobbly and dodgy sockets at the back of the human box.

This meant that reception came and went which was very frustrating. I always feel that when paying a significant amount for a rental that the kit in it should be similar to home and with 5 of us using our phones constantly there really should be a WiFi enabled music system. Same goes for the TV really.

A delightful cottage in a very special and quiet place.

We were reassured that the wonderful local pub and shop still employs social distancing rules. Be mindful of narrow roads and drive carefully, but so worth being off the beaten track.

Lovely cottage, very clean and comfortable.

Good area for exploring dartmoor and coast. Local village pub good.

This is a great cottage, a home away from home.

Very clean and comfy place to stay. Good location to visit Dartmoor and the coast. Clear instructions from the owners about how things work if there are any issues (which they weren’t), and on how to leave the cottage at the end of your stay. Would definitely recommend

Wonderful cottage.

Well kept and extremely helpful/ welcoming owner. My main gripe was that I used Vbro and ended up with Sykes and so had to pay extra for that but then I assume it was the owners choice not to list it directly with Vbro and I wouldn't have found the cottage otherwise.

Comfy beds, well equipped, clean, great location.

Just what we hoped for.

Cosy cottage with great local facilities - pub, country house hotel and village shop, all within walking distance.

Loads of great walking from the door or a short drive away.

Good location for walks and exploring Dartmoor: well equipped, clean, tasteful decor, lots of helpful information about the cottage and the area made available, friendly contact from owners.

Convenient pub and well-stocked local shop.

A lovely cottage, well kept and cleaned for our arrival.

Local pub (literally just round the corner) was very good as was the food (not a huge menu but had 2/3 vegetarian options) and friendly staff. Parking by the cottage means under trees full of crows etc so car will take a good clean afterwards!!

The cottage is beautiful and in a lovely village with a good pub and local shop.

It is comfortable, well equipped and clean. We all enjoy sitting on the patio at the back, listening to the birds singing and the church clock chiming. My older relatives appreciate the downstairs bedroom and shower room with grab rails. Also, having 2 shower rooms is very useful.

The old forge is a lovely cottage in a beautiful little village.

The cottage has everything you need and was clean,tidy and warm. The two seperate toilets and showers were very handy and there are well thought out additions throughout the cottage. The moor is only just up the road and there are footpaths very nearby. The local pub has good ale,cider and food. We had a great time over the New Year holidays. We would definitely go back.

The cottage is an ideal place to stay whilst visiting beautiful Dartmoor, it's cosy and practical but stylish and quirky .

Islington is a friendly village with a good pub and shop. Wouldn't hesitate to stay again if we come back to Dartmoor!!

A very cosy cottage with everything you need.

It is in a good location to visit the Moors or coast. The village shop and pub is a short walk away. We had good meals at the Welcome Stranger and the Half Way Inn. It was a nice touch to have a bottle of wine and a pint of milk. I will definitely book this lovely cottage again.

Just two marginal inconveniences: 1) parking at the cottage is complicated.

2) it would be great if one could get through to the care taker via phone. Cottage itself was superb, comfy and great to stay in! :-)

A perfect location for Dartmoor, lovely cottage, fully equipped in a lovely village.

Everything we could have hoped for.

All went well, with ease.

No problems.

Pros Very comfortable and well thought out house.

Well equipped throughout and in the Kitchen there is nearly every aid. Location in a small quiet village but with a pub and good shop within easy walking distance. Different colour towels for each person so no chance of mix up. Hooks on the back of every door for practicality WiFi that works The hot water failed and was fixed very rapidly. Eventually one of our boys, 41 years old French admitted to going through the English menus on the the thermostat and possibly causing the problem. Cons These are very minor cons Close to road. One wall and several windows are directly on to the road. Not really a problem as 1. The sound insulation is very good. 2. Theere are only about 5 cars per hour and it is not a problem. 3. There are only about 2 people per hour who pass on foot. Access to the village is by some single track road so passing can be interesting. Again traffic is very light so the chances of encountering another vehicule is low. Only one medium sized frying pan. If you are cooking eggs for 6 people it has to be done in batches.

excellent cottage in a local village Thanks

heavy winter duvets should be changed lighter, low tog for summer use.

we bought two low tog duvets much more comfortable.

This is a beautiful cottage both inside and out.

It is well situated for us, being in the village and near the moors. We find having two shower rooms particularly useful, especially having grab rails in one. The kitchen is well equipped and all the rooms are comfortable. We love sitting out on the patio and listening to the church bells. There was plenty of information to hand and we had no difficulties using anything. We had a fantastic week - thank you.

The owners of the Old Forge had anticipated all our needs and much much more.

..A beautiful cottage with a delightful courtyard (we had all our meals out of doors as the sun shone for us...)and, inside, the furniture together with excellent china, glass and cutlery more than met all our expectations, down to tasteful stylish furnishings and lovely pottery on the windowsills with the feeling everywhere of being in a centuries-old much-loved home. The kitchen was well equipped which suited us as we spent the days out delighting in Haytor, Widecombe, Parke, Hound Tor and many other local places, on the way exploring whole fields of bluebells and buttercups and delighting in the ponies and sheep who wandered not only on the moors but also in the road...and then we came back to cook in the evening, eating either in the courtyard or in the dining room which had a large pine sideboard table and chairs, interesting paintings and wall art and a wooden floor. The village shop, open 12 hours a day, and run by volunteers, stocked a very wide range of comestibles including local cheeses jams and chutneys. Everything was perfect.

Forge Cottage was set in a beautiful village.

Cottage had all the facilities you need for a comfortable break. The village pub and shop were excellent. Roads were a challenge but that is Devon, if you can drive in Devon you can drive anywhere.

Very comfortable cottage that was full of charachter.

Very well located for walking on Dartmoor and local shop and pub. Our three teenage children were happy with it too.