When Kathreen and Mike Burns renovated and refurbished their barn into two luxury holiday cottages in 2019, they never anticipated the challenges of their first two years of trading. Now, post-pandemic, they are celebrating being shortlisted for a Cumbria Tourism Award 2022.
Kathreen said: “Creating both Dandelion and Hoglet was a labour of love, with the cottage interiors needing to be just right and then I also wanted the gardens to reflect that same care and attention to detail. My daughter was the one who said we needed to have hot tubs if we were going to attract young couples, our target market, so we’ve made sure that our hot tubs are spot on too, private and covered but still with great views and lots of luxury touches.”
Lockdowns and lack of local weddings
Bookings have been erratic during the various lockdowns and a lack of local weddings has also affected plans. Kathreen has built up her social media following on Instagram and Facebook with striking images of the cottages and the gardens through the seasons as well as the local countryside. The online reviews have been enthusiastic, gradually encouraging both repeat bookings and new visitors so that both cottages are now booked up through the summer and into the later months this year.
New Tourism Business
“We’re in strong company in our New Tourism Business category for the Awards,” says Kathreen, “but it’s a cause for celebration to be shortlisted and a boost for our morale. We must be doing something right with how things have gone so far and we’re looking forward to meeting new visitors and growing the business – and those gardens – in future.”
