The Old Shady Oak
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Fernilee · Whaley Bridge · Goyt Valley · Peak District

The Old Shady Oak Cottage

A former Peak District pub, now a two-bedroom cottage for four, with the old painted sign still on the gable and the Goyt Valley at the door.

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5.0 from 19 reviews · Sleeps 4 · Two en-suites

Book direct

Book with us, not through a middleman

Book through a listing site or an agency and up to a quarter of what you pay disappears in fees. Come direct and that money stays in your pocket.

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No booking fees

No service fee, no cleaning fee, no surprises at checkout. The price you're quoted is the price you pay.

Best price is here

Because there's no commission to cover, our direct rate is always the lowest you'll find for the cottage.

Talk to the owner

Your enquiry goes to Eddie, who owns and looks after the cottage. Not a call centre, not a ticket queue.

Availability

Pick your dates

Live availability for the cottage. Book here and you'll pay no booking fees and get our best rate, direct from the owner.

Tell us your dates

The live calendar is on its way. In the meantime send Eddie your dates and he'll confirm availability and a direct price, usually the same day.

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The story

The pub on the Long Hill road

For generations The Shady Oak served the Long Hill road between Whaley Bridge and Buxton: a stone inn on the shoulder of the Goyt Valley, with the moor above it and the fields falling away below. The painted sign on the gable, a white oak under an arch of lettering, was the landmark. It still is.

When the pub closed, our family kept what mattered. The sign was repainted rather than covered over. The exposed stone, the old clock, the carved horse on the stairs and the pub pieces dotted through the rooms are all still here, alongside two en-suite bedrooms, a proper kitchen and a living room that looks straight down the valley.

The result is a cottage with the character of the old inn and the comfort of somewhere finished last year. Sit in the window seat with a coffee and watch the light move across the hills, and you'll see why people come back.

Deep window seat with a shaggy Highland-cow cushion, looking out through a large sash window over green fields to the hills
The painted 'The Shady Oak' sign and white oak on the stone gable, with hills behind
The original sign
Dining area with wooden table, bench seating, exposed stone wall and a large clock
Stone walls, pub clock
Hallway and stairs with a carved wooden horse
The horse on the stairs

The cottage

Two en-suites, one big view

Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, sleeps four. Everything included: fuel, power, linen and towels.

King-size bedroom with carved wooden bed beside the window Twin bedroom with wall-mounted TV

Bedrooms

A king-size room with a carved wooden bed and its own dressing area, and a twin room with a desk and a wall-mounted TV. Both have their own en-suite shower room with a walk-in shower. Three beds in total, so a family of four or two couples fit comfortably.

  • King-size
  • Twin
  • 2 en-suites
  • Walk-in showers
Living room with corner sofa, stove-effect fire and wall-mounted TV Long wooden dining table with benches, looking through to the kitchen

Living and dining

A spacious living room with a corner sofa, a stove-effect fire and large windows looking out over the countryside. The dining area seats everyone at a long wooden table with bench seating, under the exposed stone wall and the old pub clock.

  • Countryside views
  • Stove-effect fire
  • 3 Smart TVs
  • WiFi
Kitchen with navy shaker units, integrated oven and microwave Kitchen corner with exposed stone wall and framed pictures

Kitchen

Navy shaker units and plenty of worktop. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge freezer and an air fryer, with everything you need to cook properly rather than just get by. A private laundry area with a washer/dryer is tucked away separately.

  • Electric oven & hob
  • Microwave
  • Fridge freezer
  • Air fryer
  • Washer/dryer
Courtyard table and fire pit under the pergola Courtyard with planting and views over the hills

Courtyard

A private flagstoned courtyard at the back with a pergola, patio furniture and a fire pit for the end of the day. There's ample off-road parking right by the cottage, so you can leave the car and walk into Whaley Bridge.

  • Pergola
  • Fire pit
  • Patio furniture
  • Off-road parking
  • Sleeps 4 in 2 bedrooms
  • 1 king-size, 1 twin (3 beds)
  • 2 en-suite shower rooms
  • Electric heating, stove-effect fire
  • 3 Smart TVs and WiFi
  • Washer/dryer in a private laundry
  • Fire pit, pergola and courtyard
  • Ample off-road parking
  • Fuel, power, linen and towels included
  • No pets
  • No smoking
  • £200 good-housekeeping bond

Accessibility: please note there is a step between rooms, so the cottage isn't fully step-free. Ask Eddie if you'd like more detail before booking.

Rates

Straightforward pricing

Typically £140 to £147 a night, with fuel, power, linen and towels included. No cleaning fee, no service fee, no surprises. A £200 good-housekeeping bond is held and returned after your stay.

Ask for a direct quote

The full rate card is coming soon. For a price on your dates, drop Eddie a line — you will always get our best rate booking directly through this site.

Get a quote

Why direct is cheaper: listing sites charge a service fee and agencies build commission into the price. Neither applies here, so the same week costs less booked with us.

Guests

Five stars, every time

5.0
out of 5

19 reviews on Airbnb.
Every one of them five stars.

  • Cleanliness5.0
  • Accuracy5.0
  • Check-in5.0
  • Communication5.0
  • Location4.9
  • Value5.0

What guests mention most

  • The view
  • The hospitality
  • The location
  • Walkability
  • The kitchen
  • The decor

  • “The place was super comfy, better than you can appreciate in the pictures. The views just outstanding. It had everything you need, really well equipped kitchen and relaxing areas… Definitely a place we would come back.”

    — Airbnb guest

  • “It was nice to see the old local pub features dotted around the place — I can imagine that many merry evenings were spent there over the years. It was fully modernised with everything you would want, would recommend!”

    — Airbnb guest

  • “One of the very best rentals that we have stayed in over the years. Everything about the accommodation, the area, places to go, sights to see, and of course the host, Eddie himself, who was friendly, helpful and on the ball when needed.”

    — Iain, Sandra & Susan

Read the reviews in full

All 19 five-star reviews are on our Airbnb listing. Read them there, then book here and skip the fees.

See the reviews on Airbnb

Where you are

Gateway to the Goyt Valley

The cottage sits on Long Hill above Fernilee, right at the top of the Goyt Valley. Walk out of the door and you're on the way to Fernilee and Errwood reservoirs, the ruins of Errwood Hall and the open moor beyond. This is proper Peak District walking, with nothing to drive to first.

Turn the other way and Whaley Bridge is within walking distance: shops, pubs, cafés and the canal basin at the head of the Peak Forest Canal. The railway station has direct trains to Buxton one way and Manchester Piccadilly the other, so a day in the city needs no car at all.

Courtyard with planting and views over the hills

On foot

Whaley Bridge village, its shops and pubs, and the Goyt Valley reservoirs and moorland walks, all from the door.

By train

Whaley Bridge station: direct to Buxton in one direction and Manchester Piccadilly in the other.

By car

Chapel-en-le-Frith 3 miles. New Mills 4 miles. Buxton 7 miles. Ample off-road parking at the cottage.

  • BuxtonPavilion Gardens
  • BuxtonBuxton Opera House
  • BuxtonPoole's Cavern
  • Chapel-en-le-FrithEccles Pike
  • CastletonBlue John Cavern
  • BakewellChatsworth House
  • DisleyLyme Park
  • By trainManchester's museums

The Old Shady Oak Cottage, Long Hill (A5004), Fernilee, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 7HD · Open in Google Maps

FAQ

Good to know

Is it cheaper to book direct?

Yes. Listing sites and agencies add their own fees on top of the nightly rate — up to a quarter of what you pay. Booking directly through this site means no booking fee, our best rate, and you deal with Eddie, the owner, rather than a call centre.

Is there parking?

Yes. There is ample off-road parking at the cottage.

The cottage is on a main road — is it noisy?

We are honest about this: the cottage sits on the A5004 Long Hill road between Whaley Bridge and Buxton, which is how the pub came to be here in the first place. It is a rural road rather than a busy one, the bedrooms and the courtyard are at the back, and guests consistently tell us it was not an issue. As one put it: “Don’t let the main road location put you off.”

Can we bring a dog?

Sorry, no pets.

Is smoking allowed?

No. The cottage is strictly non-smoking throughout.

What is included in the price?

Everything you need for the stay: fuel and power, bed linen, towels and WiFi. There is no cleaning fee or service fee on top.

Is there a deposit or bond?

A £200 good-housekeeping bond is held for each stay and returned in full after check-out, provided the cottage is left as you found it.

What time is check-in and check-out?

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am. If you need something different, just ask: we're flexible where we can be.

Is the cottage suitable for guests with limited mobility?

There is a step between rooms, so the cottage is not fully step-free. Both bedrooms have walk-in showers. If you have specific needs, ask Eddie before booking and he will give you an honest answer.

How many people can stay?

Up to four, in two en-suite bedrooms: one king-size and one twin, three beds in total.

Enquire

Ask Eddie

Dates, a quote, a question about the cottage: send it here and Eddie reads it himself. You'll usually hear back the same day.

  • No booking fees
  • Best price, direct from the owner
  • A real reply from a real person

hello@shadyoakcottage.co.uk

No fees, no obligation. Replies usually the same day.