Our housekeeping company takes care of the main clean, with someone arriving at 10am once guests have left. 

The night before, I’ll have sorted all the linen and towels — although after all these years, I still sometimes find I’ve miscounted and forgotten a pillowcase or towel. Luckily, being next door means that’s easily fixed.

Beds are made up, fresh towels are laid out, and you’ll find a couple of throws for the sofas. We also leave out tea towels, an oven glove, washing-up liquid, basic cleaning bits and a couple of loo rolls to get you started. It's the details that often make the difference and we want to make sure your holiday is as easy as possible. 

While they are cleaning the inside, often I will be outside doing a bit of gardening, tidying up and weeding, or maybe cutting some grass in the field. 

After the cleaner has finished, everything’s double-checked before I pop in myself for a final walk-through and to add the finishing touches. We aim to make everything just-so before your arrival, right down to a welcome pack with tea, coffee (including decaff), sugar, some milk and a packet of biscuits — so you can put the kettle on and settle in.

Check-in time is from 4pm, but if the previous guests have left everything in good shape and there are no repairs or hold-ups, we’ll always let you know if the cottage is ready early. We’ll send you a quick text when it’s good to go.

There’s a key safe for a smooth self check-in — but quite often, guests ring the bell to say hello, and we end up having a lovely catch-up or saying hi to the dogs on the doorstep. It’s one of the things we love most: welcoming familiar faces, hearing about your journey, or just saying a quick hello.

Getting the cottage ready isn’t just a job — it’s about setting the scene for a good stay. 

And we’ll always do our best to be around when you arrive to make sure it starts with a smile.