Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
I just caught the stonework glowing in the wintery sunlight before everything was covered in hail.
We really try hard to keep our looks, as far as the barns are concerned. (The humans are much more relaxed, or perhaps merely fatalistic.)
Every year Jason and Stuart touch up the paintwork in the barns, usually doing the kitchens and bathrooms, sometimes a ceiling or transforming some of the pine woodwork – whatever needs doing. Every four of five years is the big do and we have kept the second week/midweek period in February free for the 2010 ‘facelift’.
Don’t expect dramatic changes in colour schemes: Douglas’s Barn we will probably use the same colours as we rather like them; in Tom’s Barn we are thinking of changing at least the kitchen units (again) as we feel the Hay we used last time wasn’t as effective as we’d hoped; we may also choose a subtle variation on the wall colour…
All will be revealed on 12th February! (Just in time, unintentionally, for St Valentine’s weekend/week!)
It has snowed, heavily, all day in Parwich, to the delight of anyone on holiday or under the age when road-conditions-neurosis hits in. The whole village is white and wonderful and the Parwich young were sledging until past nightfall on the hill opposite. See Wintery Fun in the Gallery for some local photos.
Meanwhile, those of us with ankles in plaster (bright blue since a visit to the Fracture Clinic at the new Derby Royal Hospital – it used to be the plain City Hospital) have not tried sledging or anything remotely more adventurous than hopping, quite vigorously, on crutches and steering a wheelchair around the house.
A trip yesterday to a village New Year’s party in the church involved four strong men manhandling the wheelchair into the church over two deepish steps (I’d never even registered there were steps before, so my disability/accessibility awareness is improving rapidly as is my admiration for the strong men of Parwich).
On a more serious note, for any guests anxious about getting up to Orchard Farm if the snow continues, we have long had a contingency plan. Until now we have never actually had to resort to it but if you are concerned, do ring for instructions.
And just what is a blog, we’ve been asked? And why do you need something when you’ve already got a website?
Well, we probably don’t really but we are very excited all the same at the idea of having the two different species running side by side, complementing each other.
As we see it our Tom’s Barn website provides the more conventional, factual element, with information provided by us, which we hope will give guests and others a real insight into our holiday cottages and what to expect.
On the other hand, the Blog & Gallery will be the more dynamic section of the same site. Here you will find latest news from us and input from guests and friends, constantly changing as the things evolve. There will also be masses (eventually) of photos from John and others.
We hope that guests will also share tips and suggestions for the benefit of others guests – and us – about good walks, lovely restaurants and wonderful pubs; we have already had two guests keen to share successful recipes for the slow cooker ‘crockpot’. Watch this page!
And how does one new to the blogging scene know what to do…? The next lecture in this series will appear after Christmas… Bloggers forget that it is all rather overwhelming to he uninitiated; we’re only a couple of steps ahead of that ourselves but years of enjoying the Parwich Blog has helped initiate us, slightly. It has certainly taught us what fun they are.
We’re poised, on tenterhooks, about to go live and by the time you read this we will be…
Our ‘blog’ is now a grown up fully revamped Blog and we are trusting it will eventually be as much fun as we hope. Jeremy Brough, our wonderful webdesigner friend, and we, have worked hard on this one but we are quite sure there will be some funny blips this end to start with and do let us know, gently, if you discover any so we can sort them out as soon as possible.
We hope to keep you all up to date with what’s going on and we are hoping that it will be much easier for family, friends and guests to find their way round, and we trust, make the occasional comment and send us a picture from time to time.
Seriously, we really hope that our guests will help us keep abreast of the latest news locally – where perhaps you’ve eaten or walked or shopped or whatever else you have enjoyed and want to share for the benefit of future guests (and us!).
It will also give John much more scope to store and share his ever-increasing collection of photos, more of which later. Many of these will be of Tom’s Barn and Douglas’s Barns (our two lovely holiday cottages for two in the Peak District, for those coming upon this out of the blue) even more will be of Orchard Farm, Parwich and the surrounding countryside; also will feature flowers in the garden, the local birds, butterflies, bees and Boots.
To ensure we retain a cosmopolitan edge we are hoping that our family members may send the occasional post from London, Hastings, Sydney, Cape Town and Durban, not to forget our far flung guests as well!
Please don’t feel awkward about commenting. You don’t have to put your full name – just your first name, or initials, or even a pen name if you feel particularly shy – and your email address will never be revealed. It might be helpful and make it more interesting for all if you gave an indication if you were guest, family or friend (maybe all three). All we ask and confidently assume is that the comments are fit to be read even by our young grandson Tom aged five (he can’t read yet anyway, but you get the gist…!); criticisms if there are any will be welcomed as long as they are are constructive!
We have two quite exciting technological developments to tell you about.
The first is that we now have been able to seriously boost the strength of our wireless internet connection.
For a long time we have offered wireless internet access in both barns; at first only a minority of guests seemed to use it but these days very many/most our guests bring their own laptops and access the internet without a problem. For those few guests who thanks to our incredibly thick stone walls struggle always to get a signal in the further reaches of Tom’s Barn we have a motley supply of boosters; if all else fails we have on a couple of occasions lent our own laptop, which leads nicely on to the next exciting news item!
The second development we are even more excited about.
We are going to provide a (very dinky little) Sony Netbook in each barn for our guests’ use.
We are busy setting up some useful links to helpful local services so if you want to research – maybe even book online – local eateries, art galleries or theatres you can do so from the comfort of your cottage.
Also, if you don’t want to bring your own laptop all you need do is load vital folders and files onto a dongle and – bob’s your uncle!
The netbooks are beautifully neat and light, with a 10″ screen so probably not perfect if you are working on an enormous architectural project or composing a symphony but perfect for most other things.
The online bookings have been coming in thick and fast, and it all seems to be working pretty well as the new system and we gradually get to know each other. We have benefited from a lot of very patient and helpful support from the SuperControl team and also all the kind guests who willingly – and occasionally unwittingly – became trial guinea pigs.
Anyone who uses the online system, please let us know if you meet any hitches. We do know that doing it online suits a lot of people’s lifestyles these days and we really want it to work as slickly as possible with the minimum of hassle for all concerned. It certainly simplifies things this end.
You can make an instant provisional booking online – no more laborious downloading of the booking form for you, filling it in and sending it off by post with a cheque. See the How to Book page for more detailed information. Please note, until we have personally confirmed it, your booking remains provisional because of the risk of our having just the previous minute promised the dates you want to someone over the phone.
However, for all those of you who far prefer to do it more personally by email or telephone, everything will continue as before.
And of course, nothing will really have intrinsically changed. Lurking behind the sophisticated online booking system it will still be John and me here in our study at Orchard Farm and of course sometimes Debbie when we are away. It will still be us answering the phone and we will still be more than happy to take bookings over the telephone for those who prefer the human contact and personal touch.
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 […]
