In the year that saw international catastrophes with war on various continents and natural disasters ranging from earthquakes to wildfires, 2023 brought us a real British iconic moment - King Charles III’s coronation.
In Cornwall, the early summer heatwave and then an Indian Summer added to the marvel of the Northern Lights being seen on several occasions around the county.
In Tom’s Country, Prince William followed in his father’s footsteps to became the new Duke of Cornwall with Catherine, Princess of Wales, embracing the Duchess of Cornwall role. They will be gracing Cornwall with regular visits around The Duchy and who knows – they may even visit Tom’s Cottage for a family holiday…
2023 at Tom’s Cottage
A great many tweaks have panned out over the year - some generated by guest feedback, some on the advice of our letting agent Classic Cottages and some just because they would obviously compliment the place!
We’ve improved guest comfort – from the beds to modesty blinds in the bathrooms, and installed a wood burner in the sitting room to cosy up winter evenings.
Guest convenience has been a priority too – with a second shower being installed as well as an EV charger (for the private use of guests only). Short breaks and improved low-occupancy rates are now very much part of our approachability.
In the same vein: Tom’s Cottage began welcoming dogs in 2023. The back garden has been discreetly fenced while the front garden retains its traditional walling so the furry member of the family can enjoy a similar sense of Cornish freedom as the humans.
We welcomed our first international visitors in the spring (who loved being on a Cornish farm and looking round Doc Martin’s Port Isaac), and greeted our first returning guests in December.
Having set up our own website in June it became a busy year media wise: with articles in print (The Western Morning News’ West supplement and Amazing Westcountry Homes) as well as online with blogger Bridges and Balloons (who liked – amongst other things – our proximity to the wedding venue that hosted their marriage 8 years ago!)
Our own social media pages have a growing audience (@tomscottagecornwall on Instagram and Facebook), where we ran a ‘win a taste of Cornwall’ campaign this summer in conjunction with The Cornish Hamper Store Both platforms’ randomly selected winners coincidently hailed from Scotland, so the pasty and cream tea hampers made their way from one end of Britain to the other - and were duly relished as regional fayre not readily available locally!
Tom’s Cottage is delighted to have continued supporting local events, from hosting participants of the St Endellion music festivals to making charitable contributions to the Boscastle Shanty Festival.
Background improvements at Tom’s Cottage range from the instantly rewarding (nest boxes and no mow area in the garden, and greener waste disposal) through cutting edge modernisation of the sceptic tank to the mundane, but essential, fitting of emergency lighting.
2024 preview
What could there possibly be left to do at Tom’s Cottage? There’s one certainty – we’ll always have something up our sleeve!
January will witness the replacement of the tired garden-room with a patio area, and clover lawn mixes are being researched with a view to overseeding the front lawn – not only to boost ‘green carpet resilience’ (particularly in dry periods) but also to enhance pollinator habitat.
We’ve an eye on drawing together our somewhat scattered accessibility information on our website to create a designated guide, making it easier for prospective guests to gauge Tom’s Cottage’s compatibility with their needs.
Early summer is also likely to bring something else we’re busy hatching (that we’re not quite ready to share) so we’re hoping to pleasantly surprise everyone as the summer progresses.
Tom’s Cottage New Year greeting
Should past, current or future guests have any suggestions to make regarding Tom’s Cottage – we’d (as always) be delighted to receive them; and look forward to hearing from you.
In the meantime: we’d like to wish one and all an exceedingly Happy New Year with best wishes for 2024.
Dare we suggest making it a year to remember with a Tom’s Cottage getaway?
