Hi, I'm Kate! Full-time Mum to Sophia (6) and Poppy (4) and this is my new Blog about how buying a property in the New Forest and turning it into a holiday let was so much more than just starting my own business. Turns out it was the start of finding myself again since having kids and giving our family a 'Happy Place'.
We had previously taken on my step-Grandad's house as a rental property when I was first pregnant; we gutted it, refurbished it and let it out for five years. This gave me an income, having left my career selling commercial property in the City, to stay at home and wipe tiny bums!
When Covid hit, our tenants lost their jobs and we decided it was time to sell up; the house needed a lot of external work and I was ready for a new challenge, so the hunt was on. In-between homeschooling, watching Boris updates, crying and consuming wine, I spent hours on Zoopla and Rightmove hunting for a suitable holiday-let opportunity to try and convince my husband that it was a good idea to go for a holiday rental over another residential let. I could do this!
We had previously been to Lymington in the New Forest multiple times and absolutely love crabbing on the harbour with the kids. In fact, Sophia's first holiday was to the New Forest when she was just two months old when she met my Grandad for the first time. We took her to the Elderflower restaurant and she slept while we ate incredible food. Those initial days when they just slept! Ha! Remember them?! The memory-making here had already started, so when I saw this cottage in such an incredible location in Lymington I had to view it!
Our first home was a gorgeous Victorian railway cottage in a tiny cul-de-sac called Talbot Road. We absolutely loved the 9 years we lived there. Friendships made, fun times enjoyed, our family was formed. Two babies later we moved on to a bigger house, but leaving the love we had for Talbot was hard. So the day I walked into the Victorian railway cottage on Waterloo Road in Lymington, it was like coming home. A “Talbot” by the sea! It was perfect.
As I walked up the road in the direction of the harbour having left the first, I started filming to send a video to Chris....
On the way back to the car there was a bus to Bournemouth pulling out of the station. My grandad was a bus driver in Bournemouth and having recently lost him during the pandemic, it felt like a nod that this was the right house. And so Talbot Cottage was born!
I have to admit, I have found parenting far harder than I ever dreamt it would be; not only the daily challenges of actually looking after these relentless sleep stealing mini beasts, but also the loneliness of being at home with them all day: the brain fog, the lack of job satisfaction that my career gave me. I didn't realise how much I needed adult chat, positive feedback, even an annual appraisal! I love them dearly, but my kids banter is pretty shocking (mainly "MUUUUUUUMMMMMMYYYYYYYY" on repeat), a protest puke is NOT helpful feedback and this never-ending feeling of "Is this the right thing to do for my kids??" is enough to make anyone an anxious mess! I used to wear a suit, do presentations, pitch to corporates; I was confident in my ability. Now I live in leggings, put the kettle in the fridge and have no idea what on earth I'm doing to one minute to the next.
I might have made some wonderful little people, but I completely lost myself in the process.
During the legal process of buying the house, I lay awake every night planning. On our second viewing I measured up for furniture, curtains, blinds. Going against the advice of the agent, I started buying everything we would need to get the house up and running as quickly as possible. I filled our garage with furniture and boxes, booked a removals firm and made sure we were ready to go. We were still in lockdown but as it was a business we were allowed to drive down and start setting up as soon as the legals were completed. A NEW FOUR WALLS TO STARE AT! YAY!
Chris was amazing at manning the kids while I built furniture, put up blinds, unpacked boxes of never-ending household items....I even got up at 4am one morning, unable to sleep knowing the dining chairs weren't built. I worked and worked, loving the buzz of achieving something and having a project that didn't answer back or cry at me. I was working with New Forest Cottages and learning every day about the Health & Safety aspects of delivering a safe holiday let, tax implications and how to market my new venture to get some bookings; I was using my brain again and I absolutely loved it!
As a young family we had tried pre-Covid to go on "holiday" but I can remember saying to Chris that actually it was just doing parenting somewhere harder than home; you have to pack half your house up just to cover the basics of what the children need. So my mission was to make Talbot Cottage as easy as possible for us and other families to just pack a suitcase, with everything else ready for you on arrival: travel cots, highchairs, booster seats, plastic tableware, steps for handwashing, little toilet seats for little bottoms, a baby bath, stairgates, nightlights, blackout blinds, toy cupboard, kids books.....the list of add-ons to make you feel at home with minimal packing. We feel the house needs to be practical and safe but also fun and engaging for small people and their parents.
We also found on holiday that some days you don't want to go out to entertain the kids, you just want to open the back doors, pour a beer and know the kids are safe and entertained. Talbot Cottage has a great sized garden, so we made sure you can lock the gate and leave the kids to play on the swings and slide, kick a football, chuck a hoop or - on a hot day - run around under the sprinkler. With a BBQ area and plenty of outdoor seating, we have set up a summer spot so you can chill at home or go and explore the local area.
As part of making the house easy for everyone, I set up an online guest welcome book:
Here you can have a sneak peek at what to expect when you arrive, how to light the log burner, where to take the kids on a day out or which are our favourite resturants or takeaways; we love it when guests add their holiday favourites to the welcome book too!
Since we launched Talbot Cottage in May 2021, we have been blown away by the response and feedback. We were hoping to be able to stay there slightly more often than we have so far, but the bookings went crazy! However, every time we get down for a cheeky weekend break, when we walk through the door our shoulders relax, we breathe deeply and the world worries disappear. We all know that happy kids make happy parents and this is certainly true at Talbot Cottage. Mama's Happy Place.
If you would like to see more photos, information and check availability, please take a look at the website below:
What a lovely story, love it!
Jayne :)