Better connected in Boscastle In search of a better work/life balance, Gemma and Stuart Tizzard purchased these fantastic self-catering cottages in the rolling Cornish countryside.
W hen Gemma and Stuart Tizzard and their four young children moved into their new home and business, Courtyard Farm, on 31st March 2022, they had a total of three days to settle in and prepare for the arrival of their first guests! Moving from the New Forest where they ran their own hospitality engineering business, Gemma and Stuart were in search of a better work/life balance post-pandemic in an area they knew and loved, “We thought, if we don’t do it now we never will! Although we haven’t quite struck that work/life balance just yet, we are hopeful that this is something that will come in time.” Together with the main farmhouse where the family lives, Courtyard Farm boasts seven self-catering cottages, which were converted from agricultural barns in the 1960s, all set within 10 acres of rolling farmland just 2.5 miles from Boscastle Harbour. “We were drawn to the potential of the place,” recalls Gemma, “we knew when we bought it that it would require a bit of work to get it into shape but we’ve still uncovered a few surprises. For instance, we are on
a spring and at one point last summer we found ourselves with no water! When you have lived somewhere for a while you get to know how everything works but it was such early days we were scrambling around trying to fix the issue - luckily the guests didn’t even notice!” With such a full calendar of bookings, Gemma and Stuart have had to find small pockets of time to carry out any necessary renovation works in the cottages, “We are slowly getting through them”, Gemma explains, “a friend of ours is a retired painter/decorator so when we can we book out a cottage for him to work in. I feed him and he paints - it’s a really affordable way of doing it!” One of the biggest challenges Gemma and Stuart had to overcome will come as no surprise to many of us living and working in rural areas of the West Country. “When we arrived, Wi-Fi was minimal. The children were about to start new schools and this alone was enough of a headache with little to no connection, let alone trying to manage a booking system. At one stage I was having to drive two miles up the road to the A39 just to get enough signal
to check if we had any new bookings; you’re rated on how quickly you respond so this was stressful to say the least! Luckily, thanks to Cornwall-based Wildanet, this January we had super fast air fibre installed and the difference has been phenomenal. Now not only can we see and respond to bookings as they come in but guests can also work remotely while they’re here, which they do expect to a certain extent these days.” Their new super-fast connection also means that Gemma can keep Courtyard Farm’s Instagram page up to date, “I’m not a huge fan of social media myself but the link between new posts and new bookings is undeniable,” Gemma admits, “we also see it as an excuse to get out and explore the area - a family day out in the name of fresh Instagram content - and it’s times like this that remind us why we’re here and what this move was all about.”
Courtyardfarmcottages.co.uk
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