Up until then I’d been a hard working farmer’s wife, helping
out as a chef at local restaurants and tea rooms and, of course, raising my
triplets – two boys and a girl. But in 2009 the triplets were teenagers and on
the farm, we wanted to diversify to give ourselves a fighting chance – farming
is challenging and incomes and profit margins can be unstable!
We’d spent a long time saving for our big investment and I
was determined that our luxury cottages were going to be some of the best in
Derbyshire. To begin with the rain hampered our attempts to build. It was frustrating
at times and lots of hard work but somehow we managed to make sure the lodges
were completed on time and open to guests within just a few months.
I think a few of our fellow farming friends thought we were
quite mad to invest so heavily and include expensive facilities like hot tubs
and renewable energies but my heart – and my business plan – said it would work
and five years on, I really think it has.
Our guests really like some of the environmentally-conscious
features we have, like the solar panels and our air source heat pumps that
provide our under floor heating and the hot tubs have really been a hit! I
think it’s because when you sit in them, you have a great view of our wonderful
Derbyshire countryside. I’ve always found a view of Derbyshire relaxing, but I
might be biased, I’ve lived here all my life!
For those of you that have already visited us, then take a
look at the ‘before’ shots on Facebook, you’ll be amazed at what you see! https://www.facebook.com/peakdistrictlodges
And if you’re one of the people we haven’t had the pleasure
of meeting, then we’d love you to come and see us if you get the chance. If you
want to find out more about us, just give me a call or drop me a line, I’d love
to talk to you!