This information is produced here courtesy of Visit Devon

Roadmap for the easing of restrictions in England announced in his statement to the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government roadmap that outlines how lockdown restrictions will be eased in England. The roadmap is in four steps. Before proceeding to the next step, the Government will examine the data to assess the impact of previous steps. This assessment will be based on four tests: 

1. The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully.
2. Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated.
3. Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.
4. Assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern.

There will be a minimum of five weeks between each step: four weeks for the data to reflect changes in restrictions; followed by seven days’ notice of the restrictions to be eased. A simplified table of the steps is available on pages 47-48. See below for a summary of the key points:

• Step 1 (two parts split between 8 and 29 March
  • From 8 March: People will be allowed to spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on their own, with one other person, or with their household or support bubble. People must continue to maintain social distance from those outside their household. This is in addition to outdoor exercise which is already permitted. 
  • There will continue to be restrictions on international travel. Holidays will not be a permitted reason to travel. Those seeking to leave the UK must complete an outbound declaration of travel form ahead of departure.
  • From 29 MarchPeople will no longer be legally required to stay at home, but some restrictions will remain such as continuing to work from home where possible and minimising all travel. The rule of six will return for outdoors, and meetings of two households will also be permitted. This includes private gardens.
  • Outdoor sports and leisure facilities will be able to reopen and formally organised outdoor sports will be able to resume subject to guidance.
• Step 2 – from 12 April at the earliest, subject to an assessment of the data against the four tests.

In addition: 

• Domestic overnight stays will be allowed and self-contained accommodation - those that do not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering or sleeping facilities - can also reopen, though must only be used by members of the same household.
• Weddings, receptions, and commemorative events including wakes will be able to take place with up to 15 attendees (in premises that are permitted to open).
• International holidays will not be permitted.
• All newly open settings must abide by the social contact rules. This will be accompanied by mitigations including workforce testing and continued social distancing guidance. People should continue to work from home where they can and minimise domestic travel where they can. International holidays will still be prohibited.

Step 3 – from 17 May at the earliest and at least five weeks after Step 2

Most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted, but gatherings of more than 30 people outdoors will remain illegal. Indoors, people will be able to meet socially in a group of 6, or with 1 other household (though it may be possible to go further than this at Step 3 depending on the data). COVID-Secure guidance will remain in place and premises must not cater for groups larger than the legal limits.

Sectors that will reopen include: 

• Indoor hospitality, with no requirement for a substantial meal to be served alongside alcoholic drinks, and no curfew. The requirement to order, eat and drink while seated (‘table service’) will remain;
• Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as outdoor theatres and cinemas;
• Indoor entertainment, such as museums, cinemas and children’s play areas;
• Remaining accommodation, such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs;
• Adult indoor group sports and exercise classes; and
• Some large events, including conferences, theatre and concert performances and sports events.
• Controlled indoor events of up to 1,000 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity, whichever is lower, will be permitted, as will outdoor events with a capacity of either 50% or 4,000 people, whichever is lower.
• The Government will also make a special provision for large, outdoor, seated venues where crowds can be safely distributed, allowing up to 10,000 people or 25% of total seated capacity, whichever is lower.
• In addition, pilots will run as part of the Events Research Programme to examine how such events can take place without the need for social distancing using other mitigations such as testing.

In addition 

• Weddings, receptions, funerals, and commemorative events including wakes can proceed with up to 30 attendees.
• A broader range of stand-alone life events will also be permitted at this step, including bar mitzvahs and christenings.

Step 4 – from 21 June at the earliest, and at least five weeks after Step 3

With appropriate mitigations in place, by Step 4, the Government aims to remove all legal limits on social contact, reopen the remaining closed settings, including nightclubs and enable large events, including theatre performances, above the Step 3 capacity restrictions (subject to the outcome of the scientific Events Research Programme) and remove all limits on weddings and other life events, subject to the outcome of the scientific Events Research Programme. In parallel to these steps, four formal reviews will also take place on the issues of: 

• Social distancing and face masks
• The resumption of international travel – the global Travel Taskforce will report on 12 April with recommendations aimed at facilitating a return to international travel as soon as possible while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants of concern. Following that, the Government will determine when international travel should resume, which will be no earlier than 17 May.
• COVID status certification to enable reopening of businesses, mindful of discrimination and privacy
• The return of major events.

Further details of business support will come from the Chancellor’s budget next Wednesday. A plan for reacting to local outbreaks will also be published next month, with measures to tackle new variants. The Prime Minister could not rule out implementing restrictions at a local level if required.

Cornwall in a Bottle

Of all the opportunities to enjoy and unexpected discoveries to make, have you ever considered a tour of North Cornwall’s local breweries, cider mills or vineyards? It’s a pleasantly refreshing and intriguing way to spend a day or two when overcast skies rule out time on the beach.

It’s probably entirely appropriate that a county with a long and fascinating history of smuggling should now boast a thriving (and legitimate) brewing industry, achieving standards resulting in the accumulation of awards from across the globe. Here are three of Cornwall’s finest that welcome visitors, along with some recommended holiday cottages in which to stay.

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Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm

A Cyder Press at Healeys Cyder

Location: Penhallow, Truro, TR4 9LW

Visitor Opening Hours: Year-Round 0.900-20.00 daily.

Website: https://healeyscyder.co.uk

Phone: 01872 573356

Description

Not to be outdone by their neighbours in Devon and Somerset, Healeys has grown to become Cornwall’s largest cyder maker because it is… (hic!)… very good cyder! Don’t just go for the cyder. The other reason to visit is that it distils excellent cyder whiskey and cyder brandy. Visitors can enjoy watching apples crushed in a traditional press, indulge in a little tasting in a cobbled cellar, scoff Cornish cream teas (jam on first or risk deportation back across The Tamar) and have a chance for an afternoon snooze in the apple orchard. As well as some liquid refreshments to take home, pick up some of Healeys’ delicious jams and chutneys.

 

Where to Stay: 

Turnstones

A large and luxurious Cornish house with a ‘media room’ on the Fal River between Falmouth and Truro. Turnstones sleeps ten guests in five bedrooms (with four bathrooms) and lies within walking distance of a beach and watersports centre. Click here to view Turnstones.

 

Nightingale House

View from Nightingale House, a fabulous waterfront holiday cottage with unrivalled harbour and estuary views. Sleeps 8 in 4 bedrooms. Pets welcome. Click here to view more images and information about Nightingale House.

 

To view other cottages in the area, click below:

• Truro Holiday Cottages
• Falmouth Holiday cottages

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St Austell Brewery in St Austell

Location: 63 Trevarthian Rd, St Austell, PL25 4BY

Visitor Opening hours: All year round. 09.00-17.30 Daily

Website: www.staustellbrewery.co.uk

Phone: 01726 66022

Description:

Walter Hicks founded St Austell Brewery in 1851, so it has a long heritage which today has resulted in fine ales such as Tribute, Proper Job and Mena Dhu Stout (it’s about time stout came back into fashion). The current brewery is built as a four-storey tower building that dates back to 1893 and offers a classic brewery tour that includes a complimentary Cornish pasty. There’s an interactive brewing exhibition for CAMRA fans, a shop, a bar (naturally), and a restaurant.

Sleep off your tasting experience on the beach at the lovely fishing village of Charlestown, a short drive from St Austell.

 

 

Where to stay:           

 

The Vean near St. Austell        

Perfect for large gatherings in a luxurious Georgian house on the Cadhay Estate that sleeps 16 in 8 bedrooms- all en suite. Click here to view more information about The Vean.

 

The Shippen in Fowey

The Shippen is a beautiful stone-built and delightfully furnished holiday cottage where an idyllic traffic-free woodland walk will take you down to Ready-Money Cove. Click here to view more information about The Shippen.

Click to find more places to stay in:

• St Austell
• Fowey

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Sharps Brewery in St. Minver near Rock       

While Sharps beer may not be a household name, its award-winning Doom Bar certainly is. Named after a sand bar in the Camel Estuary opposite Rock, the beer has won countless national and international awards - as have other lesser-known but equally tasteful beers. Visit to discover the source of this fabulous ale, and you’ll find it hard to leave without slipping a mixed case in your car boot.

Location: St.Minver, Lowlands, Rock, Wadebridge, PL27 6NU

Visitor Opening hours: All year round, 0.900-17.00 daily

Website: www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk

Phone: 01580 862121

 

Where to Stay

Stargazy in Padstow

A bijou seaside bolthole for couples in the heart of the pretty harbour town of Padstow, this cottage is beautifully furnished with features such as a wood-burning stove, hand-made king-size bed and underfloor heating. Click here to read more about Stargazy.

 

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The Camel Valley Vineyard

Location: Nanstallon, Bodmin, PL30 5LG

Visitor Opening hours: Mon-Fri, Apr-Sep 10.00-17.00

Website: www.camelvalley.com

Phone: 01208 77959

Description: If you’ve ever doubted the ability of English vineyards to produce top-quality wines, then a visit to the Camel Valley Vineyard will put paid to that myth. Since it was established in 1989, the owners have won a succession of international wine competitions with sparkling wines made from vines planted on the south-facing slopes of an 82-acre farm. There are no interactive tours, museums or visitor centres here: just a gorgeous sun terrace to sample the vineyard’s wines while enjoying stunning rural views across the Camel Valley. It beats browsing indoors in an off-licence any day!

 

Where to stay

Head up to the North Cornwall coast, which is an easy drive from Bodmin, and stay in one of these delightful coastal cottages.

 

Mineshop Holiday Cottages in Crackington Haven

This converted milking parlour is tucked into a wooded hillside on the banks of a stream above the secluded beach at Crackington Haven on the ruggedly beautiful North Cornwall coast. The Old Shippon is a pet-friendly coastal cottage sleeping 6 in 3 bedrooms, converted from an old milking parlour.

 

The Barn, Lanhydrock, near Bodmin

The Barn is sympathetically restored and beautifully refurbished and is a short walk from the impressive Lanhydrock Estate. This pet-friendly cottage features a host of original fittings, including oak beams and a wood-burning stove, all complemented by contemporary features such as an oak dining table and a well-equipped kitchen. The Barn sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms, each with a bathroom, and is perfect for families or friends. It welcomes two pets, so it is ideal for dog owners.

 

Click here to find more holiday cottages in North Cornwall.

 

With all the talk about the massive surge in demand for holiday cottages in the UK this summer, we’ve trawled through our site and found a collection of beautiful character cottages for romantic retreats for couples or family holidays, all available in July and August.

 

Moreover, book these online from the advert before the 29th of February, and you’ll get a 10% discount on the advertised price. What’s not to like? To book one of these luxurious properties, click the Visit Website or Book Now button displayed within its advert.

 

Click on the property name to view more information and to book online.

 

Country Postcard

A converted Great Western Railway  Signal Box - now a luxury holiday cottage near Frome.

A converted railway signal box in the East Somerset countryside, complete with its own shepherd’s hut, is restored as a bedroom.

Location: Somerset

Sleeps: 4

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

 

Horsing Around

A beautifully converted horsebox creates a luxurious rural retreat in Somerset.

A beautifully converted horsebox with a deck and massive garden nestling in idyllic Somerset countryside near Frome.

Location: Somerset

Sleeps: 4

Bedrooms: 1

Bathrooms: 1

 

Linnet’s Wing

A corner of the stylish lounge in this luxurious Cotswold Cottage for couples in Lechlade

An aesthetically pleasing holiday let full of natural light in Lechlade, perfect for Riverside walks along the Thames and exploring charming Cotswold’s villages.

Location:

Sleeps: 4

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

 

Rose and Slate

Rose & Slate is ideally located for a summer holiday in the historic city of Bath or a place to celebrate Christmas in style.

This two-bedroomed Georgian apartment in the heart of Bath is straight out of a Regency novel, with Bath’s best pubs and restaurants on the doorstep.

Location: Bath

Sleeps: 4

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 3

 

Faerie World

Enjoy a summer holiday for two amidst a profusion of flowers in Somerset

Overlooking a babbling brook, this rose-covered cottage for couples in a fairy-tale location is a superb rural retreat in Somerset.

Location: Bath

Sleeps: 2

Bedrooms: 1

Bathrooms: 1

 

Hello!

Let us start with a cheery note. In the gardening calendar, February is the first month of spring, nicely illustrated by the profusion of flowers such as snowdrops, daffodils and primroses which are already blooming in the narrow Devon lanes surrounding our offices.

Despite the continuing lockdown, there appears to have been a spring awakening in the holiday cottage business, with a significant upsurge in demand for dates since July and August. So, while your property currently resides in a state of lockdown emptiness, now is the time to ensure that it is prepared for a busy summer. Preparation also includes updating your adverts and calendars to ensure you can acquire more bookings.

As always - having read an article in The Homefront, if the title is in BLUE, click on it to view the full version.

 

How to Get Your Property Listed on Google Maps

If you have always wondered how to place your holiday property on Google Maps, click this link to find out how – and get started. It’s free to do. Bookers say finding a property listed on Google Maps is very reassuring.   The only difficulty you may find is that Google will only post the PIN code you require to activate your listing to the property’s address where the map pin will be located. If you don’t live nearby, this means having to warn housekeepers to retain the letter and not assume it is just another piece of junk mail from Google to be disposed of! Alternatively, make a note now to apply for a Google Maps listing about a fortnight before your next visit to your property. The Google card should be awaiting your arrival.

 

How to Earn 5-Star Reviews and Repeat Bookings

There’s more than just having a pretty holiday cottage to generate 5-star reviews and repeat bookings. While stunning reviews and repeat bookings make marketing your holiday cottage much easier, they require some work and planning. Ultimately, these benefits derive from building an excellent professional relationship with your guests based on respect and integrity. They must feel that you always have their best interests in giving them a memorable, carefree and rejuvenating self-catering holiday with people they love.

A ‘relationship’ doesn’t mean striving to be best buddies with guests and sending birthday cards to their children. It means the things you do to show them you want them to have the best possible holiday when they book your property.

Please read it to discover twenty-five ways to build professional guest relationships and see how many you do already.

 

The Consideration Stage of Selling

This absorbing article offers some valuable insights into ways to convert Lookers to Bookers on your website. But, of course, the best part of getting bookers from your website is having immediate and direct contact with the booker, allowing you to build a good relationship with them right from the start. This, we say quite unashamedly, is precisely what you get when advertising your property on My Favourite Holiday Cottages.

 

Airbnb’s New Booking Cancellation Plan

Suppose you are advertising your property with Airbnb. In that case, this is a beneficial article from Rental Scale-Up explaining Airbnb’s introduction of price mark-ups to benefit from better multi-choice cancellation options. They are a good step – but it does have cost implications! It appears to give owners greater protection against cancellations, but will it be harder to attract bookings when other properties around you continue offering full-refund options? Read the article and decide for yourself! 

 

Marketing Plan for Holiday Rental Properties

A quick and easy way to brainstorm a marketing plan for your holiday rental using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) - a great starting point to define the best ways to help you identify changes to how you market your property and improve your rental income. 

 

Social Media Marketing Strategies for Holiday Lets

This article debunks the theory that social media is a complete waste of time – unless you don’t do social media correctly (and there are many impatient people out there with bad habits).

 

Do You Accept Credit Cards?

If you don’t want to offer credit cards, and many owners fall into this category, look away now. Consumer-orientated advice sites recommend that people only pay for holidays by credit card. Property cancellation policies notwithstanding, credit cards offer a greater likelihood of people being able to get their money back from their card company should pandemic-related occurrences cancel their holiday.

Given the current surge in enthusiasm for holiday cottages, this may not be an issue, But looking into whether you can accept credit cards may be worth looking into, especially if the pandemic continues for a while. We are not saying that you definitely should receive payment by credit card, especially if you only have a small turnover, but keep it in mind if your calendar remains disconcertingly empty! The link in the title will take you to one such ‘Don’t Do This’ article telling people what not to do when booking a holiday in 2021. 

 

Website Update: Have Your Say! (But Say It Now)

To ensure the new site design for My Favourite Holiday Cottages will significantly advance the existing one, we invite you to complete a 2-minute tick-box survey. It’s your chance to influence the changes we’d like to make.    YOU can tell us what you don’t want to be changed, what you would like to be improved on and suggest new ideas of your own. Working through three sets of questions only takes about two minutes, each requiring tick-box answers. Nothing strenuous! 

We are sorry that we cannot run to a cash prize. However, as a reward (if you want one), we’ll prepare an SEO report that identifies the specific changes you should make to your website that will improve its Search Engine rankings and increase visitor traffic. For the uninitiated, SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’.

Implementing all the recommendations should result in more bookings because more people will find your website on Google, Bing, etc.    We usually charge £150 for something like this, so it should be a valuable reward. 

 

How should we change (or protect) your adverts? Please take our short survey.

We have been running three slightly different surveys for different types of MFHC site users. The response so far has been very pleasing – and helpful. It’s not too late to add your own views.   Please click on the relevant link: 

1. Click here if you are advertising on MFHC right now

2. Click here if you do not advertise your property on MFHC

3. Click here if you used to advertise on MFHC (and might do one day again, if only you...(insert suggestion)!  

 

New Stuff For MFHC Holiday Cottage Advertisers   

Railway Walks and Cycle Paths

Here’s another way to drive more potential bookers to your advert. We published the first of a series of UK walks and cycle paths created from disused railways. These are great for encouraging weekend or midweek breaks out of season – especially in spring and autumn when nature’s takeover means they can be a profusion of colour. Read our first blog on The Hudson Trail in East Yorkshire.

If you have a holiday cottage near a similar type of trail and would be interested in writing a blog article about the trail, we’d be happy to publish it. Let us know, and we will send you some valuable guidelines (and do all the proofing when you submit the article). The article can include a link to your advert as a recommended place to stay. Email Rick at info@mfhc.co.uk with your footpath/cycle path suggestion.

 

Bookers Respond Best to Recent Testimonials

With the growing upsurge in people planning and booking self-catering holidays, now is a perfect time to update your guest testimonials.

We’ve been running a survey amongst people who regularly book holiday cottages to find out what will encourage them to use a site advertising holiday cottages.

We’ll be incorporating a lot of their feedback in helping to make MFHC even more user-friendly. In the meantime, here is something you could – and should – do now.    Add one or more recent testimonials. Bookers LOVE positive and RECENT testimonials. We’ve noticed this in the stats as well. Cottages with up-to-date testimonials get better results than those that don’t display guest feedback or - worse still - have old and, therefore, out-of-date testimonials. The message is: Add 1-3 recent reviews to your advert and then top it up once every 2-3 months with another choice testimonial. If possible, avoid posting reviews already on Trip Advisor or Booking.com, as they own the copyright to them.

 

Calendars - Important!

Please keep your calendars up to date! It’s pretty clear from the stats that if your calendar is not up to date, it means one of three things:

1. People won’t respond to your advert because they don’t want to waste time enquiring about a date that may already be booked.
2. Some people do respond to it and waste your time because the date is already booked.
3. People in our focus groups tell us that an ‘un-kept’ calendar means an ‘un-kempt’ holiday cottage.

Good news: If your website displays an availability calendar (which is up to date), it is easy to set up a link to it within your advert. If the link connects to a Direct Booking function, e.g. SuperControl, Bookalet, FreeToBook Etc., it allows you to get bookings directly from your advert - with NO booking fees or commissions! 

Whichever option you choose, you’ll get a lot more interest in your property if you keep your calendar up to date.

If you want a reminder on how to log in and make changes to your advert, 

Email Rick at info@mfhc.co.uk with a contact number, and he will happily talk you through the process.   

 

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

As you know by now, we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to and help all our advertisers. So if you need any help or advice or want to suggest how we can improve the site, all you have to do is get in touch.

 

Improve Our Town, County and Location Descriptions

Read the place description, which you can find above and below the list of properties. If you think we have missed anything that will appeal to visitors from viewpoints to attractions. Email the details to us, and we will update the description for you. Additional information could help the page rank higher on search engines and attract more potential bookers. Here’s how to find the correct page:

For Counties: https://www,myfavouriteholidaycottages.co.uk/insert county name

For towns: https://www,myfavouriteholidaycottages.co.uk/insert county name/insert town name

For locations: https://www,myfavouriteholidaycottages.co.uk/insert location name

Use a forward slash / as shown in the examples.

Well, that is it for our first foray into spring. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need assistance with your advert, you should know by now that we always stand ready to help. Just ask. 

Onwards and Upwards!

 

Rick Bond

Director