Ashknott Cottage website now re-launched!

Hi everybody, just a quickie to let you know that we have just re-launched our website for Ashknott Holiday Cottage in Nidderdale.  We would love to know what you think.  The guys at Stay Classy Creative have really captured the feel and atmosphere of the cottage, hope you love it as much as we do!  And if you do, why not come along and see it for yourselves!  We are delighted to offer short breaks all the year round from just £250.  The kettle will be on and the fire lit if it's chilly, see you soon!
http://www.ashknottcottage.co.uk/

Holidays are good for the soul!

Practice what you preach!  Well we have done just that recently!  Just returned from a fantastic skiing holiday in France, the sun shone, the snow came down and we met some great people to boot!  It's great to get away, to recharge the batteries, read a good book, scare yourself silly trying to ski in a white out!  Hey ho!  Back home now and in one piece which is a blessing as we are already welcoming guests to our cottages and it's only the beginning of February!  So when you can get away - get away! 
Meanwhile, we are busy working on a shiny new website for Ashknott Holiday Cottage in Kirkby Malzeard and for Yorkshire Bolt Holes Ltd, we hope you will love the new sites as much as we are excited about them!  We are delighted to be featured in the new Alastair Sawday book 'Dog friendly Breaks in Britain', it's getting some fantastic press coverage currently and copies of it are literally flying off the shelfs, there's going to be some happy dogs and owners out there! 
We are also delighted to be featured on the Yorkshire Dales website as a 'Brilliant Business' no less!  Here's the link should you wish to read the feature http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/index/livinghere/sustainabletourism/brilliantbusinesses.htm.
Well had better get cracking, there's ironing to be done!
Have fun,
Best wishes Sarah, Tim and Riley x

Happy New Year, Happy New You from Yorkshire Bolt Holes Ltd

Hope you and yours had a terrific Christmas?  Well it's the New Year now, thoughts turn to what lies ahead in 2012 and maybe some of you have written down a New Years resolution or two?  Should it state 'more holidays', 'more short breaks' and 'time to relax, unwind and recharge', then you are just in the right place.
We have some great offers available during January, please check out our websites below for our latest availability and rates.  It's a fantastic time to visit our cottages.  Get out there and enjoy the great outdoors of Yorkshire, whether it's walking, horse riding, mountain biking or just relaxing in front of the log burner, have some time for you.  Remember at Yorkshire Bolt Holes we offer relaxing short breaks all the year round, so why not plan ahead and have something special to look forward to?
Our popular one week holidays are booking up fast, so to avoid disappointment do have a look at our websites to see what is still available during the busier months of Spring and Summer.  Our rates include Egyptian Cotton bedlinen and towels from the White Company, locally sourced organic toiletries from Sedbergh Soap Company, welcome hamper of goodies upon arrival and no extra charge for your holidaying dogs.  We are featured on Alastair Sawdays Special Places, in their guide book Slow North Yorkshire and in Sawdays Dog Friendly Breaks in Britain.  So what are you waiting for?  We'll have the kettle on....  Best wishes Sarah, Tim and Riley the dog.
http://www.ashknottcottage.co.uk/
http://www.cottageinbewerley.com/

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Hello everybody!  Month twelve, day seven, boy oh boy we are in December and less than three weeks before the big day!  I guess I must have been busy as this year has seriously flown by!  We are just getting the cottages ready for our Christmas and New Year guests, the trees and twinkling white lights are going up this weekend and our winter wreaths will be gracing both front doors very soon too.  It's been a terrific year, we have welcomed both new and familiar faces at Ashknott and Bewerley Hall Cottage and not forgetting our new family member in our own home - Riley the black lab!  We've also been away recently, our first doggie holiday with Riley Roo who just adored the empty beaches of Pembrokeshire in November!  (as we did!).  Having time away with your loved ones really is a great tonic, not thinking about too much, reading a book, flicking through a magazine, enjoying great local food and walks, we have promised ourselves to do it more often!  At our cottages, we offer short breaks all the year round and January really is a superb time to get away and to blow away the cobwebs!  Our three night breaks are from just £250.  We also include lots of goodies in our rates including gorgeous Eygptian cotton bed linen and towels from the White Company, locally sourced organic toiletries for you to enjoy during your stay.  BT wifi, logs for the stoves and your holidaying dogs.  Plus the odd bottle or two in the fridge to welcome you with too! 
So until the next time, have a fabulous Christmas and a happy and healthy 2012 - hope to see you in it!
Sarah, Tim and Riley x

How to Run a Great Self Catering Business: What we've been up to this October!

How to Run a Great Self Catering Business: What we've been up to this October!: Hello friends, time to write a few lines to you to let you know what we've been up to this month. Boy it's been a busy one! Loads of short...

What we've been up to this October!

Hello friends, time to write a few lines to you to let you know what we've been up to this month.  Boy it's been a busy one!  Loads of short breaks especially at Ashknott Cottage, now coming up for air and have a few jobs to do over the next week.  There's painting to be done, logs to be stacked for the winter and a bit of marketing in anticipation for next year to boot!  Somebody asked me the other day what I do all week?  Believe me there is plenty to be done!  I guess on the surface it looks like you just work on your changeover day, but there is a lot of preparation that goes into getting ready for our guests, so time management and great organisational skills are a must!  We are delighted to re-launch our Bewerley Hall Cottage website http://www.cottageinbewerley.com/ please let us have your comments, we would love to know what you think?  We are also looking forward to receiving our copy of the new Sawdays Guide - Dog Places to Stay, it is published tomorrow Tuesday 01st November 2011, we can't wait to get our paws on it!  Although both our cottages are dog friendly, Sawdays have chosen Bewerley Hall Cottage to be featured as there is so much to do in the local area with your dog, from fantastic walks from the cottage door to great dog friendly pubs within walking distance, you can be assured that you and your dog will love your stay at Bewerley Hall Cottage!  Our new boy Riley has settled in really well, six months now, where has this year gone?!  Until the next time!

The Nidderdale Show and this and that!

What a gorgeous day it is today here in North Yorkshire, makes you glad to be alive!  Bright blue skies, sunshine and the glorious sight of seeing the trees starting to turn, awesome!  We had a great afternoon at the local Nidderdale Show in Bewerley Park last Monday, the sun shone, the crowds flocked and even Kirsty Allsop was there from Channel 4 filming her new show 'Kirsty's Homemade Home'.  The Nidderdale Show is the last agricultural show in the year, a chance for the local farming community to get together before the weather turns and to show off their hard work throughout the year.  It's of course a good opportunity for a few local beers to be enjoyed and local produce to be sampled too! 

For me, this time of year is all about reflection.  Looking back at what we've achieved, how business has been for us and concentrating on keeping busy during the forthcoming winter months.  It's also the time to get any jobs done; outdoor maintenance before the weather does become more unsettled and looking at improvements we can make for the future too.  We have just started working with Dorthe and her team at Sedbergh Soap Company who create fantastic and natural skincare  products, made by hand in the Yorkshire Dales, hope our guests will love them as much as we do!  We are also giving our websites a new look for the Winter so we'll keep you posted on that front too!

It's been a great year for business, sometimes have to pinch myself on just how busy we have been and when I read our visitors book and the lovely comments received, well it's what it's all about.

Hoping this Indian Summer is around for a few more days yet.......

Take care,

Sarah x