News/Blog
31 December 2022 We’ve
not added anything here for some time; probably covid disrupted our
routines. Keswick is busy but some of the local
hotels and other cottages are reporting bookings down compared with
pre-covid and often the bar at our local, the Scafell Hotel, is
deserted in the evening. We had 32 weeks booked in
2022, which could be better, but this is mainly due to fewer guests
booking through the agents, Cumbrian Cottages.
Perhaps they are unhappy we charge less for direct bookings.
We spent Christmas in a self-catering cottage in Northumberland.
It was twice the size of our cottage and charged twice as
much. We came away with some ideas of
improvements we could make here.
30 July 2020 It seems that locally, B&Bs and other self-catering cottages have stopped separating bookings by several days to a week and are now allowing a guest changeover the same day. We have decided to join the others and will now be allowing bookings every week.
4 July 2020 Now that restrictions have been eased we are taking bookings again from August, but for alternate weeks (only 2020 and until restrictions are eased) to allow for thorough decontamination of the cottage. Most pubs etc should be open from 4th July. Booking normally for 2021!
10 June 2020
Although we have not had any official advice from the Government or
Local Authority regarding decontamination of our cottage between
guests, we have today seen advice from Cumbrian Cottages.
24 December 2019 We now have SSL Certification!
What does that mean? Well for a payment of around £75 per year
we have a web site that is "secure", if anything on the Internet
can ever be really secure. Otherwise it looks like a quite
Christmas. No snow except on the high fells, just mild, wet
weather.
12 November 2019 Some improvements have been made for 2020: At last the kitchen tap is no longer dripping! We couldn't be sure whether it was the hot or the cold but it turned out to be BOTH! That was done while Lee, our plumber, fitted thermostatic valves to all the radiators, something we were told couldn't be done. Also for 2020 we shall be supplying towels for our guests - and about time too you say. The only other "improvement" that's been requested is a land-line telephone, but so many guests have said they prefer the peace of being undisturbed we shall continue to resist that.
13 January 2019 I'm not very good at adding to this blog! I have at last added some photos to the Gallery. The cottage is fine - just had a new hob installed for the kitchen and bought a new kettle, along with some decorating, new handles and lock on the front door. Bookings are coming on nicely; interestingly although in the last two years around half our bookings were through the agents, Cumbrian Cottages, this year they are mostly directly with us. Weather so far this winter has been unusually dry, but cold weather with snow has been forecast for next week... I'll wait and see.
15 June 2015 At last! Tony's completed ascent
of all 214 Wainwright summits in the Lake District. It has
taken 27 years but there was never any rush.
14 December 2015 Star Wars had its premiere and I
wonder how many people realise that some of the backgrounds were
filmed in the Lake District. This shot is definitely over
Derwentwater and others were taken over Thirlmere.
12 December 2015 Flooding went down very quickly here but
the effects will be causing problems for months to come.
Fortunately Chapel Field is high enough to be OK so far.
Pictures here show the road to Keswick and nearby farmland.
22 April 2015 Heard the first cuckoo, swallows
swooping low over the fields & lambs popping out all over. I
guess it must be spring.
3 April 2015 Well the big news is that I've spent the last several days completely re-jigging the web site. It's now 'mobile friendly' which means there's less information, but it should be easier to read on a mobile phone or iPad.
8 February 2015
You
have to be brave to book a holiday in the Lake District in February, chances are it’ll be raining the whole
time. But the last two weeks or so have been stunning; ok a little snow at first, but since
then we have had no rain or snow and many very sunny days.
Chilly, yes, but with the sun sparkling off the snow on the fells and crystal clear visibility it has been wonderful walking weather. Shame there’s been no guests in the cottage to enjoy it, but that’s
February for you.
5 July 2011 We wondered why our
bird food was disappearing so quickly until I saw this, one of
Borrowdale's most treasured residents.