Andrew and I greeted our first guests at the new cottages on Friday 7th August with champagne and nibbles to celebrate making it – on time – to enable them to enjoy our brand new facilities in Courtyard Cottage and Cobbles Cottage too.
I hadn’t realised how much effort we had put into getting to this point and so welcoming the two families was quite emotional. We also has a family in Barn Cottage which has been receiving guests for several years, and several caravans in the Paddock, so Graston Farm was buzzing all of last week.
Having two grandchildren to stay also helps to search out the ‘things to do’ in West Dorset. We had a super visit to Charmouth beach to hunt for fossils, which is organised by the heritage centre there and is a very good morning out. The local cinema in Dorchester was a ‘godsend’ on a wet day too, with films showing at both The Plaza and the Odeon complexes.
Burton Bradstock Church Fete was a great success, I lead the team on the ‘White Elephant’ Stall and we managed to make a substantial sum towards the church fabric appeal. It was good to see some of our guests enjoying the event in the Rectory Garden, one family said ‘it is like stepping back in time, or into an Agatha Christie novel’
We have also enjoyed a very successful Bridport Carnival, my part being a sausage cooker on the Rotary Burger and Sausage stall. Bridport was really alive with people lining the streets to see the floats go by.
The peaceful nature of our farm is what really appeals though, and the new gardens – although not yet mature are lovely for relaxing in, with vistas to the West, of the hills surrounding Burton Bradstock. New Barbecues have been christened, and as we live quite close it was good to hear families really enjoying their time with us.
Stile and Hopscotch cottages are well on their way to being completed, and we have guests booked into them at the end of the month.
So looking forward to our next visitors soon. Come and join us – you’d be very welcome!
