January we saw the Northern Lights! (oh yes and there was rain - a lot!)

January can be challenging for many with the shorter days and colder weather. If it isn't raining it is windy and if not raining and/or windy it is often cold. The crisp cold night of 19 January meant a fantastic view of the Northern Lights for us here in Widemouth Bay and for many across Cornwall. It was on my bucket list to go and see the Northern Lights and I never imagined being able to see them from home. A nice bonus to cheer up January.

I have spent much of my time the last few weeks in my office researching and analysing various trends and statistics for the tourist industry. It is probably not a surprise that the number one search criteria when booking a UK holiday is 'pet friendly' with other top criteria being good Wi-Fi and a sea view/close to a beach. All our barns are very pet friendly with outside warm showers, dog crates/beds available, along with dog bowls, towels, blankets and treats being provided. It also helps tremendously that all the barns have slate floors and leather sofas. Sea View (as the name suggests!) has a fantastic view over the bay and all barns are within walking distance of the beach via a bridleway (see 'Contact & Find Us' for a map showing the route). We have also invested in the installation of Starlink Wi-Fi.

I have also been building a digital Guide Book for guests which will replace the PDF/hard copy of the 'House Book' for each barn and will provide an awful lot of information about the local area. This should hopefully be completed in early February. Being in digital format means that I can add to it and make amendments/updates very easily. Guests will be able to access it on their phone or computer. No doubt it will need some tweaks once feedback from guests comes in but it is a start.

Work on the allotment, polytunnel and new greenhouse has continued to be slow progress because of the horrendous weather that we have had in January. It has been an exceptionally wet January with double the normal monthly rainfall and it has resulted in Cornwall's wettest January since 1836! We were also struck with three named storms.

We have had J F Tree Care ( Tree Care Experts - West Devon ) here for a few days this month as we sadly had a number of dead trees that had succumbed to Dutch Elm disease and one by one they were falling and created a risk issue. Thankfully with Joe and Theo's advice and expertise we have kept some of the larger trees which, although they are Elm, are in fact so old that they are resistant to Dutch Elm disease. Amazing news. A bit of pruning/tidying of these has meant these magnificent trees are now safe (and in fact should now thrive) as it was always a worry watching them rattle and sway in the wind. There will now need to be a tree replanting and hedge creation exercise done but again this is weather dependent and might have to be delayed until next Winter. Suffice to say it will be native and wild species that will be planted. 

Now that we are into February it will be full steam ahead with getting everything ready and set up for season 2026!