Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Douglas’s Barn’s turn now – once again, I will put those with specific recommendations in a separate post. But first I am going to slip in an emailed comment from a lovely couple who stayed with us in April and who have agreed that we can publish their (private) message to us. All the other comments are from the Vistors’ Book.
“Just a quick note to thank you again for a wonderful stay at Douglas’ Barn. We were absolutely thrilled with the location and the fabulous facilities. The barn itself was just perfect. There were so many thoughtful little extras that made our stay truly special. It really felt like our home for the week! The delicious Bakewell tart deserves a special mention too – one of the many personal touches that made Douglas’ Barn the 5 star experience it was. We would thoroughly recommend either of the barns to people. We wanted for absolutely nothing during our stay & we felt so welcome.
We hope, very much, to stay with you again. It was just the most relaxing, peaceful & restful holiday we have had in years! With grateful thanks & our very best wishes…”
”Perfect 10/10 second visit, not the last we hope!” May 2011
“Our second visit to this fabulous cottage! We’ve had another fantastic holiday – very relaxing and we couldn’t have wished for better weather! The lemon drizzle cake was delicious!” May 2011
“Wow! What a beautiful place, in so many ways. We knew it would be good but Douglas’s Barn still exceeded our expectations! Thank you for making it so special, amazing and relaxing! (Got engaged on Wed 27th on a hillside overlooking Dovedale!!!)” April 2011
“We really had an amazing week in Douglas’s Barn and will definitely be recommending to all our friends. The most relaxing and soothing holiday in years!!” April 2011
“Thoroughly enjoyed our stay – can’t wait to return. Clean, comfortable, cosy, so well-equipped, with such attention to detail. Thank you.” March 2011
“Now we’ve both had a week back at work we realise what a haven of relaxation Douglas Barn is!” March 2011
Below are some comments that our guests have left. I have already listed and posted separately several with useful suggestions and recommendations about where they’ve been – always helpful for others who may be looking for ideas. There is so much to do locally, no one should be short of ideas but choices have to be made and recommendations can be such a help.
Anyway, here is a selection of comments from Tom’s Barn – all can be seen and verified if anyone should ever wonder whether we sit here and dream them up!
“Yet another wonderful stay at Tom’s Barn – a warning to all – ‘Book early to avoid disappointment!’ This is a real gem and we are always sorry to leave. Even managed several smiles from the landlord at Brassington. Thanks so much, Marion and John.” May 2011
“Well, we might not have won the lottery – but we did pick up a cancellation at Tom’s Barn for Easter week and possibly the sunniest most glorious Easter in the history of the world. So, how lucky are we?!!! Thank you Marion and John for a wonderful haven. You know how much we have loved it, as we will be back in November and June 2012. Can’t wait!!” April 2011
“Many thanks, Marion and John. We have had a wonderful week, from the welcome treats when we arrived, to the lovely walks, to the peaceful surroundings. Just what we both needed.” April 2011
“We have enjoyed the beautiful landscapes here on our many walks. Thank you, Marion and John for providing such a clean, cosy and comfortable cottage. We have had a lovely holiday.” April 2011
‘We love it here! All you could want and more. Not our first visit nor will it be our last. Thank you, Marion and John.” March 2011
“With a welcome like no other (thank you, Marion and John) our stay has been very special – a real bolt hole from the issues and pressures of life. We go home refreshed and batteries truly recharged. Our thanks and gratitude.” March 2011
“What a treat! A delightful cottage in stunning surroundings. A wonderful first holiday for (baby) Ieuan and lots of precious memories for us. Thank you xxx.” March 2011
These comments below all come from the Visitors’ Books too, but as they have some very helpful recommendations I have extracted them and put in links to help any research (I haven’t repeated any links (e.g. the George, which doesn’t appear after the first one). I felt quite tantalised copying them out and have made several mental notes of places and walks for us to try – one would need lots of walks to balance the lovely food one’s being recommended.
“Our 4th visit to the wonderful Tom’s Barn. As always a lovely warm welcome from Marion and John, and the barn is as perfect as ever. We took a walk along the Cromford Canal – the amount of different wildlife on one walk was amazing. Had a couple of meals at the Coach and Horses at Fenny Bentley – great food, served all day. Already planning visit no. 5. Thanks again to Marion and John and their team for our perfect holiday.” May 2011
“Many thanks for a lovely stay in a splendidly equipped cottage (Tom’s Barn). We enjoyed dinner at the George in Alstonefield, a walk round Carsington Water and the teashop at Monsal Head, plus lots of lovely walks. Check out the Teashop Walk books in the bookcase. A delightful time in a beautiful part of the country.” May 2011
“Our second visit to this fabulous cottage (Douglas’s Barn)! We’ve had another fantastic holiday – very relaxing and we couldn’t have wished for better weather! Good food and service at the Devonshire Arms at Pilsley, Saracen’s Head, Shirley and the George at Alstonefield…the lemon drizzle cake was delicious!” May 2011
“A beautiful cottage (Douglas’s Barn’) with wonderful hosts and lots of walks – Dovedale is quite near and quite spectacular. Haddon, Kedleston and Sudbury Hall all repay a visit. Bakewell is really good for shops and Lathkill Dale – in the National Nature Reserve – a hidden secret. Lovely holiday!” April 2011
“We’ve all had a great time. Lots of walks – Hawksmoor, Dimmingsdale (if you go there stop for lemon meringue pie at the Ramblers’ Retreat) and Dovedale. The house (Tom’s Barn) is so cosy it’s hard to leave! We’ll be back.” March/April 2011
“Our first visit to Tom’s Barn and we are already planning a return visit. Without doubt, the most comfortable, clean and well-equipped cottage we have stayed in. Completely satisfied our book addiction at Scarthin Books and Brierlow Bar Book Store and had lovely days at Chatsworth and Kedleston Hall. However, the highlight of the weekend was Marion’s cake, heaven on a plate!” March 2011
We really do try to keep on top of things, as best we can… On one level that is relatively easy, trying to keep a critically objective eye on the state of the barns, decorating and replacing before necessary rather than after, so that the barns always look pristine and well-equipped, although there are areas in the rapidly developing audio-visual/electronic equipment department where we feel distinctly less confident.
Talking of which, we go to lots of wonderfully stimulating workshops and conferences on using the Internet effectively, but every time one touches the same subject again things have already moved on apace, so we just do the best we can. Since earlier this year we have a wonderful new format for our website, thanks to a lot of hard work by our web-man/guru/friend, Jeremy Brough and I must add, quite a lot of input from us this end, too, as we realised how much of the original material needed refreshing, rewording or just completely rewriting!
We now have (almost) full control of what is on the website and blog, and are still learning (HTML codes etc). There is quite a lot to do to keep the sites fresh and reasonably interesting and relevant; we love our life here and all our guests, and writing for the website always feels like writing a letter to friends, or chatting on the phone, so that aspect is no hardship at all! But sometimes one is too close to see the obvious and we do genuinely want suggestions from people about our new website – what else we should do, what is misleading, confusing, unnecessary, hard to find.
Someone told us that our Policies (lurking under ‘More Info’) were difficult to locate so that is something to address. Another constructive suggestion came from Derek and Jenny – click on the link and see the comments below the post. Ensuring the comments on the various pages are kept up to date is quite time consuming and because not urgent, has tended to get left to last. So we have taken on board their suggestion that I may (probably already have) run out of steam and will gradually remove most of the comments from the various pages, maybe leaving one or at the most two (perhaps we shouldn’t date them, then it won’t be so obvious – there’s a thought)!
So anyone who wants to see what other guests have said will have to click through the various links to posts on the blog. There are straightforward comments from the Visitors’ Books, but also sometimes we have really useful comments and recommendations about walks and places to eat via email which is slightly different. But first, I must copy in the latest batch of snippets from the Visitors’ Books…
Here are some snippets, all taken word for word from the Visitors’ Book this year – there are more but this will do for the moment!
“A wonderful barn with a wonderful welcome – the cake was delicious! Well worth the walk to Tissington for the most tasty sausages. A peaceful and relaxing break…hope to be back in the summer.” Feb 2011
‘Thank you for a wonderful weekend, it has been very special for us. We didn’t know the true meaning of relaxation until we visited. We hope to return soon to this beautiful barn and peaceful little village.” Feb 2011
“I knew this place would be special but the ‘little extras’ really make this time away an exquisite luxury…We’ll be back!” Feb 2011
“:…the cottage was amazing and we have had an amazing few days – a birthday to remember!” Feb 2011
“We have had a gorgeous, restful stay in the most beautiful little cottage. Couldn’t have asked for anything more. We will definitely be back! Thank you!” Feb 2011
“A fantastic cottage in a lovely location! We had a brilliant three days and will definitely return and recommend! Thanks very much for all the lovely touches – really is a lovely place!” Jan 2011
“Our second visit and just as good as last year but with a little less snow! We had a wonderful relaxing break and thanks to Marion and John for their hospitality. We will no doubt return.” Jan 2011
Here is the latest selection of comments, mostly taken from our Tom’s Barn Visitors’ Book. Occasionally we may slip in a comment from en email received, but wherever from, we absolutely promise that they are all genuine. Douglas’s Barn’s to follow shortly.
“What a fantastic cottage! All the small details – flowers, informative files and beautiful pictures make this the best cottage I have ever stayed in. PS The cake is to die for!” March 2011
“Another wonderful visit (our sixth), this time for a whole week! We highly recommend the George at Alstonefield and we had a lovely walk from the car park at Dovedale around Ilam – the view from the coffee shop at Ilam Hall is stunning. Thank you once again to John, Marion and Janet for making Tom’s Barn so welcoming, and the marmalade was delicious!” Feb 2011
“A superb cottage, very well equipped – the most spacious two-berth we have stayed in and just the place to celebrate a ‘big’ birthday in. Look forward to returning for a summer break.” Feb 2011
“Thanks, John and Marion, for the lovely welcome with added extras… Tom’s Barn was more than we expected and was as near to home as we could get; as the website so rightly says, ‘Just bring clothes, supplies and yourselves’. We had a wonderful relaxing week and we certainly would come again.” Jan 2011
“Lovely relaxing break, thank you. Tom’s Barn is an excellent location and your exceptional welcome, flowers, stove and tray made it even more special.” Jan 2011
“Tom’s Barn is simply perfect – look forward to seeing you for visit no 7! Definitely recommend Topnosh Catering, for dinner delivered to the door. Thanks Marion and John, for the warmest of welcomes.” Jan 2011
“A superbly appointed cottage, set in idyllic surroundings. We enjoyed miles of terrific walks, mostly from the doorstep. Thank you to John and Marion, our generous hosts, who must have put so much thought and effort into this wonderful cottage.” Jan 2011
It is traditional at the start of a new year to look back over the past one, so for those that like such things, here are some stats for 2010, with due credit to SuperControl which has supplied most of them…
Occupancy: Tom’s Barn 98%; Douglas’s Barn 97% Apart from three unbooked /cancelled short breaks, our barns were full all year during 2010.
Visits: 129 in all, Tom’s Barn 63; Douglas’s Barn 66 (Useless stat: given that it takes approximately 4.5 hours at least on average to get the barns as spotless and fresh throughout as we want each changeover, that equals 580.5 hours of cleaning (not including the washing and ironing). I will not say how much that costs because it is unseemly to see it in print.
Returning guests: Tom’s Barn 24%; Douglas’s Barn 24%. Some have returned more than once, I’m not sure that our stats can cope with that.
Online Bookings: 84; Admin Bookings 55 This is fascinating, a real indication of how things have changed. We enrolled with SuperControl online booking system in August 2009, sure we were doing the right thing but unaware how quickly it would catch on and how many of our guests obviously find it easier and much more convenient. We worried about the loss of personal contact, but that comes later with ensuing emails and sometimes phone calls.
Advance bookings for 2011: 52.1% (last year it was 43.8% and we were pleased with that). 233/356 days in Tom’s Barn are already booked, mainly but not exclusively by dog owners who are so happy to have found a lovely Five Star cottage that also welcomes dogs. Douglas’s Barn which also has a loyal following but is strictly pet-free has 147/365 days booked already.
Where do you all come from in this country? Intriguingly, this year has a southern/eastern bias but the geographical definitions are inevitably a bit random – London 12; South East 19; Midlands/East 41; North East 20; North West 5; Wales 2; Scotland 4; South West 15; plus some from abroad. We’ve had some really lovely people from Scotland and Wales, do hope we can conjure up some more for 2011!
These are all statistics; our guests are all real people. We feel privileged to welcome you here and love the contact with people from all over who choose to come here to the barns we love to the area we also love.
‘A fantastic cottage and location; thank you for all the small things like marmalade (yum!) and eggs. Would love to come back. For food: we had a great meal at the Coach and Horses in Fenny Bentley.’ Nov 2010
‘Beautiful cosy cottage, exceeded our hopes. Had a wonderful relaxing week. Thank you for creating such a stunning retreat.’ Nov 2010
“We found this cottage in ‘Somewhere Special’ in 2007. This was our 5th visit to somewhere very special! Thank you!” August 2010
‘We’ve had a lovely honeymoon break in this beautiful cottage and wonderful setting.’ Nov 2010
‘We have had the perfect autumn break – with not so perfect weather! The area is beautiful and we have been on some fantastic walks. The barn is ideal in all respects – don’t want to leave. Can’t wait to come back. Thank you, John and Marion, for making us so welcome. Oct 2010
‘Absolutely perfect cottage and hosts. Everything provided for a relaxing break, loved the flowers and the cake. Thank you so much, Marion and John. PS Boots popped in to se us on Sunday – adorable!’ Oct 2010
“We have had a fantastic week! This is by far the best place we have ever stayed in the UK.” August 2010
“We have had a lovely week in this beautiful cottage. Lovely surroundings. Homemade cake, fresh flowers and all the other extras were much appreciated. Hope to return.” July 2010.
‘Another fantastic visit (their fifth), fully relaxed following our stay.’ Nov 2010
‘Would definitely revisit. We highly recommend Ladybower Dam, Poole’s Cavern, Bakewell…’ Nov 2010
‘Came here last year and immediately rebooked. We weren’t disappointed. Once again Marion and John have thought of everything and the place is so clean. Cooked lots – the kitchen is better equipped than mine! We’ll have to come back one day; I can’t bear not to!’ Oct 2010
‘Fabulous place to chill – so relaxed we didn’t do much at all, but enjoyed every moment in the beautiful barn. Hope to return. Thanks to John and Marion for providing such a welcome place.’ Oct 2010
“Our second stay in Tom’s Barn – already booked for next year! Such a wonderful place to stay – everything you could anticipate in a cottage…and more!! Everything is spotlessly clean and so comfortable.” Sept 2010
‘What a gem! From the generous welcome, homemade cake, spotlessly clean cottage… a true find. Lovely walks, walk at Chatsworth we particularly liked…Thank you…’ Oct 2010
‘Lovely cosy barn and tasty welcome tray! Perfect surroundings and hosts. Delicious homemade marmalade from Marion, will try to make some when we get home. Enjoyed a morning run on circular route from the gate outside the barn, up the hill, left at the top and left again back into Parwich (about 3 miles) and virtually traffic free at 8am. Just returned from the George – highly recommended!’ Oct 2010
Thanks for a great lemon & poppy seed cake, Marion – wonderful! Just wished we could stay longer. Thank you so much.” Sept 2010
We have just received this lovely message below from Natashs and Pete who spent a weekend here recently. We do appreciate comments and suggestions like this, and in future will certainly warn guests about the quarry tile floors.
We have thought about providing those little cotton slippers that some hotels do but they wouldn’t be as cosy and to be honest, our house is already in danger of resembling a warehouse just with all the various duvets and spare towels, bedding and loo rolls etc without having boxes of slippers as well so we’ll take the easy option and just remind people!
Hi John and Marion,
What a lovely place you have, we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our stay and have told many of our friends about you. We would love to come again but it may be a while as we do not often get the chance to escape on our own.
One thing that I thought about while there is probably the recommendation of bringing slippers as the kitchen floor was a little cold underfoot, but then my feet always seem to be cold!
Thanks again for supplying a little piece of heaven on earth.
Natasha and Pete x
I have had the pleasure of managing Tom and Douglas Barns for 10 Years and felt it was time to enjoy a bit more of my retirement. The barns will continue to be holiday cottages and will be maintained to the standard that all previous guests have enjoyed. The only change is that Sykes Cottages […]
The weather is a bit mixed but we are still getting sunny days. A perfect time of year to come and stay for a few days and have a walk in the lovely countryside, take a bike ride, visit one of the many attractions that all stay open or just relax in Tom or Douglas […]
The weather has been so wet but our barns offer a cosy retreat in beautiful countryside. Why not pack a bag for a few days and have a break . We have extended our spring prices until mid June and reduced our summer prices. It would be lovely to see you for a few days […]
