Family run by James, Pippa, Freddie, Max & Malu.
Who we are, our BIG move to Cornwall and what we offer.
๐ดFrom the beaches of Sri Lanka to the rolling moors of Cardinham in Cornwall this is our Storeyโฆ..
๐James and I met when we were 16โฆ.. we did the usual School, University, Travel, Working in London and then we shifted gears! We moved to Dubaiโฆfor 8 years! James worked in Oil and Gas HR & recruitment for the Finance Sector and I worked as a Buying Manager for Gap & Banana Republic. We loved Dubai, the sunshine, the outdoors, the fitness and endless exploring. I took a Personal Trainer Course we loved it that much! We trekked the Himalayas, climbed the Hajjar Mountains and got lost in Oman. In 2013 we went on holiday to Cornwall. We visited Mousehole, walked the South West Coast path and fell in love. We wanted to live there!!! Freddie was born in Dubai (something he loves to tell everyone) and although his life started very early and in a bit of a hurry he has never lost that energy. When number 2 was in the oven, I wanted to spend more time with the kids. Something that was difficult to do in Dubai. It is an expensive place and my role wasnโt geared for Part Time!
๐จโ๐พWe wanted to work for ourselves, to have the family time we craved and to share that time together. Something that when you are both working 8am-8pm is difficult to balance, thus we knew we needed a change.
As everyone asksโ What made you become Holiday Cottage owners?โ
๐ Taking a dream and following it through with passion and determination! We love our kids, we love the outdoors, we love having fun. Seems straight forward enough doesnโt it? But it took time. We spent a year in the UK whilst Max was born trying to discover where we wanted to be. Was it by the sea? On the top of a Moor? Or was it farming at home? We saw endless properties that just didnโt fit the bill or the budget.
โฑAfter struggling to move forward in 2016 we headed to Sri Lanka for a year managing luxury Holiday villas which gave us an insight into what we were letting ourselves in for! I had worked in retail and customer facing roles in Dubai but James hadnโt. Managing guest expectations in Sri Lanka was โinterestingโ.
๐ฒIn 2017 we moved back to the UK to give it one final go. We decided it was now or never, otherwise it was back to 9-5. We had always put off Cornwall as felt it was too far from family (Lincolnshire and Northumberland), but then we found Glynn Barton Cottages. On our first viewing we saw the property, were stunned at the level of facilities and took a walk through the woods. Who wouldnโt want to live here? It was like being in an Alpine village. Surrounded by tall Trees, never ending greenery and no noise!
๐We moved in 2 weeks before Christmas with guests already booked in. It broke us in gently, as after we just about managed to survive Christmas and New Year we closed for a month for annual maintenance.
๐It was hard! Something we could never have imagined. As my Mum kept saying โRome wasnโt built in a day!โ. We wanted to put our stamp on it immediately so its been a tough few years to get to where we have. We are not shy of hard work and manage the business ourselves with help from Jess who manages our Housekeeping. James is in charge of โParks & Gardensโ and I am referred to as the โOffice assistantโ. We have never worked so hard and so constantly in our professional lives.
๐คทโโ๏ธWorking with each other was a steep learning curve. It wasnโt all rosy, but we found our feet and have very separate roles. We help each other out, we talk A LOT about the business and are always coming up with ideas. Itโs hard to have a cup of tea without one of us talking shop. We never switch off, but there isnโt anyone else I would rather, or be able to do this with. We just work! Loving what you do also makes talking shop pretty natural. Glynn Barton has 8 luxury cottages, an indoor pool, soft play, tennis court, multiple play areas, hands on animal experiences and lots of fun activities.
๐Since we took over the business we have now won 3 awards for; The Best Self Catering in the South West, The Best Self Catering in Cornwall and Runner Up for Tourism at the South West Rural Business Awards. We couldnโt be more proud of all that we have achieved in the short space of time we have been here and that we are doing it as a family. Freddie & Max are very much a part of Glynn Barton and have a lot to do with all the activities we do with our guests. We now have the life that we always dreamed of. Time with our kids, rural living, space, balance (finally!) peaceful walks from the doorstep and stunning Cornish beaches.
๐We love what we do! ๐
