Vikings and Valentines

We have just come across the Jorvik Viking Festival which is held every year in York. It looks a fantastic event and runs from 19th - 27th February. Not only can you see grown men trying to whop each other's heads off but you can learn Viking skills - whopping for beginners, carrying young ladies off, archaeology, more whopping or storytelling and crafts. There are a range of visits and activities ending with the boat burning ceremony on the evening of Saturday 26th. You can buy any number of swords, shields and no doubt bandages at the event. The world expert on the archaeology of poo, Dr Andrew (Bone) Jones will amaze and amuse his audience with tales from the toilets of old. If you like the idea and fancy coming to Yorkshire for the event we would love to hear from you.

Best wishes for 2011

PS For those of a more gentle disposition we have put a special package together for Valentine's Day weekend - the days around 11 - 15th Feb - with bubbly, a substantial collection of handmade chocolates and as ever - a cosy log fire.

IT Gremlins

Noelle and Tim would like to apologise if your emails have not been answered promptly and if access to the website has been patchy. We hope the server issues have now been addressed and that you will be able to use the website satisfactorily and exchange emails again.

Happy New Year

Noelle and Tim wish you a very Happy New Year. The Festive Season has been notable for the persisting snow and ice. We are nearly reaching the 6th week of snow in Ryedale which has largely melted now but remains behind walls and persists as lumps of ice where cars and walking has compressed it down. We escaped with few freeze ups and burst pipes and have been grateful to our attentive and exhausted plumber, Nigel, who has helped in crisis or two. Thanks also to our guests for their understanding and for one particular Applestore visitor who was able to sort the frozen outflow of the condensing boiler. It felt like a team effort. Minus 5 degrees on a frosty morning felt like a mild start after the preceding days down to -15C. It's amazing how quickly we adjust our values.
The best advantage of the snow and ice was the opportunity to stoke up the woodburners and make a cosy atmosphere amongst the Christmas decorations and the tree. Noelle enjoys preparing the trees in the cottages as well as the inside and outside trees at the Hall. Mulled wine is a treat we like to share with our guests and our family look forward to her stollen and other Dutch influenced baking.
Bird feeding became an important part of the day with sacks of grain used to help a wide variety of birds to survive the harsh conditions. Even warmed water froze briskly so became a regular daily task. As the thaw starts it's good to see large numbers of survivors feeding noisily.
We have had some wonderful walks with our American in-laws. One snowy late afternoon was marked by a lovely sunset which reflected off the beck flowing out of Keld Head. The pair of swans gliding past made it perhaps the best photograph I have missed this year! I should carry a small camera at all times but the gloom and freezing conditions persuaded me that any success was unlikely. A large swarm of us walked around the hunting bridges in Newtondale where snow on the trees proved irresistible to the children. All ended up soaked! we also enjoyed the walk straight up the hill from Noelle's Cottages into the silence and stillness of the countryside. Distant sledgers added a dot of colour and excited laughter. We struck off across a field but soon lost the footpath and filled out boots with snow. Great to find our way back and then see Middleton in the distance with the sun setting and the promise of lighting the tree and sitting in front of the log fire.
Midnight Mass in the pretty ancient church in Sinnington was a lovely introduction to Christmas day.
We are now enjoying the Holy Nights with a little entertaining, relaxation and holiday reading which will energise us for the year to come. We have no major building plans for the year other than a green roofed log store and perhaps a little maintenance on the garden walls. My retirement present from the surgery was a badger watching hide which has yet to be conceptualised. It will have photographic possibilities designed in though.
We are looking forward to welcoming our guests in 2011 and wish you all a very happy, healthy and rewarding New Year.
Noelle and Tim

Christmas Greeetings

Greetings from a very beautiful, white and Festive North Yorkshire. We have remained excited and enthusiastic about our snow cover and the lovely sights around the cottages. Bird feeding is a daily event and we have been putting warm water out for birds quick enough to take a drink before it freezes. We have managed to get some snowy pictures which we have put onto our Flickr site, where you can see our black Lab Millie enjoying the snow.

We have been across to New York State for Noelle’s sister’s wedding and then had a lovely time with Eddie, our second son, walking an Inca route before arriving in the jungle in Peru. Our children are scattered around but most will gather for Christmas, log fires and country walks. Eddie will be herding cattle in Patagonia and will be much missed.

We continue to enjoy our cottage visitors and have been delighted to find the new bathroom in Applestore has been much appreciated. We had a photoshoot in the Barn which you can see on our tweaked website - www.noellescottages.co.uk

Wishing you a very happy time at Christmas.

Warm regards,

Noelle & Tim


PS. We still have some winter breaks available and would love to welcome you to come and stay and enjoy our surroundings. You may like to consider making a Christmas present of one of our 3-4 night short breaks. Especially for Christmas we would like to offer you a 3-4 night break in January or February for £410 if you book before the 2nd January 2011 (this offer does not apply for the half term weeks commencing 12th and 19th February)

For more information on this offer please call us on 01751 472 283 or email noelle@noellescottages.co.uk

Frosty Morning

I had a wonderful frosty walk from home, to Keld Head Springs just quarter of a mile towards Pickering then followed the stream down for half a mile or so. The natural spring water is very pure and at 4'C so on a winter morning there is a haze above the stream which might add to the fantastic ice crystal frost we had today. It's a day to curl up in front of a log fire and enjoy the warmth and luxury of one of Noelle's Cottages. I have uploaded photos to www.noellescottages.co.uk and added a few here to whet your appetite. Noelle has one vacancy over the Festive Season.
Applestore has become available from 29th December for a week at £720 or for a 3 or 4 night break at £540. Enjoy the festive decorations, fabulous new bathroom with birds just outside your window. Great food in the area, wonderful walks and a chance to relax.

Back from Peru to perfect winter weather

What fabulous days we have had with blue sky, golden light and a brisk nip in the air. Great days for walking and enjoying the countryside. We trained for our recent trek in Peru by walking up and down steep slopes in the area. It has been a revelation to find how attractive the walks have been and sometimes, how exhausting we could make them. We love walking round Rosedale, especially if we can have a look in at the glass-blowing in the village - Gillies Jones - and later have tea and cake at Farmhouse Fodder at the top of the Dale. We have found steep enough challenges at Sutton Bank and the Hole of Horcum, all having great views and rewarding natural history. Despite our efforts up and down Rosedale's Chimney Bank, nothing really prepared us for trekking for day after day up and down Inca Trails until finally reaching the last stronghold of the Inca before being killed off by the Spanish. A great experience in all. Check the photo gallery for the pictures but it could be a week or two before they are ready.

You may like also to take a walk in the countryside or do your Christmas shopping in comfort from one of Noelle's Cottages. Write your Christmas cards or have a pre-Christmas get together. Scones and cream and nearer Christmas, mince pies and mulled wine and a warm welcome await your arrival to your 'home from home' experience with log fire and luxury beds and furnishings. We can point you to one of the many great food outlets and restaurants or suggest where to go for a wide variety of excellent shops.

We have some weeks and breaks left before Christmas so give Noelle a ring on 01751 472283 to talk through what you are looking for.

Barn 1st - 11th Dec for one week starting any day - £590 3-4 night break £435
Applestore 4th - 16 Dec 1 week £590, 3-4 nights £435
Coach House 6th Dec for 5 nights £490

Snow to fall in Yorkshire?

Having heard the weather forecast this week mentioning possible snow in Yorkshire. It got us thinking back to last year, recalling bountiful snow from December to March, and my the North York Moors looked a picture postcard. What a joy to behold as valleys resonated to the laughter of families, making snowmen, snowballing and tobogganing. My own family like nothing better than a snowy walk over the Moors, arriving home to homemade soup and rolls. Then with glowing smiling, faces we get cosy in front of the wood fire.

Whilst I can’t promise the weather forecasters predictions, we can provide you with a 5* luxury holiday from which to experience the beauty of the Yorkshire Moors and Coast, with its hidden valleys, winter wonderland and dramatic coastline. For those more adventurous types, you can hike along the scenic Cleveland Way, Mountain Bike in Dalby Forest, or even try Husky Trekking at Staintondale.

Each of our cottages provide ample space to enjoy a quiet read in front of the log fire, watch your favourite television programme on a flat screen, listen to your iPod or indulge in sumptuous candlelit baths.

Arrive to our warm welcome at your personally prepared holiday cottage, with the table set ready for afternoon tea so you can relax from the moment you step into your accommodation!

You’ll be so cosy and relaxed that leaving will be tricky!

Mountain Bike World Cup 2011

We were delighted to hear that the hugely successful biking weekend is returning to Dalby in 2011. Next year the event will be the second in the series and takes place over the weekend of May 20th to 22nd. We expect the party spirit to return to the centre of Pickering where food, music and crowds greeted the international teams competing for a round the streets (and church steps) race.

Update on the cottages and garden

As we move into summer and have had our first barbecue, it is a good time to write about the year so far. Builders arrived in January to start work on the Applestore cottage. We had always wanted to have a bathroom next to the large twin room but never really worked out how. We did not want to lose the shape and space of the room by using a corner of it as a bathroom but were not sure how to extend in a satisfactory way. We worked with an architect and the planners on various ideas, always with the hope of having a ‘hut on legs’ or bird-hide type structure. The outlook is straight into trees so we wanted to encourage birds, create a green screening with trees and make a modern space that did not detract from the bedroom. After the usual dramas and problems we have ended up with a very satisfying space with a huge bath from which to watch the birds feeding in the trees outside. We have a beautiful modern shower cubicle as well as basin, toilet and heated towel rail. With the high ceiling we need remote controls for the roof window and the blinds also work like magic too. As the work moved to completion we realised it would make more sense to flip the two bedrooms so that the ‘master’ double room is now the huge beamed room with access to the large en suite being where the window had been between the old twin beds. The twin room is now in the original apple store with the low door and with bath and toilet en suite. Best pay a visit to the website via www.noellescottages.co.uk to see how it works now. One possible downside is that it perhaps limits the number of visitors to 4 as the sofa bed in the double room might not work for all. The old wet room is no longer a shower but has hanging space and a sink to wash off muddy boots or whatever. The quirky downstairs toilet remains of course. So now Applestore has granite kitchen work surfaces and the bathroom is state of the art.

The Coach House is largely unchanged except for decoration to most rooms.

The Barn has a huge fan in the ‘snug’ sitting room so that the double room does not overheat when the wood burning stove is on. We have fitted remote controlled blinds on the roof windows to reduce the greenhouse heating effect in summer and to reduce the bright morning light for those in the twin room.

Meanwhile outside we have been gradually altering the garden so that the paddock has lost its fences and looks larger despite planting a number of trees and buddleias for the butterflies. A large number of wild flower plugs went in last autumn but have yet to really show themselves. We will attempt a wildflower/meadow effect with paths cut through the long grass leading to the trampoline, bendy house and a shady hideaway. Sadly the path to the beehives is redundant as both colonies failed to make it though the long cold wet spring. In the woodland area more holes have been dug suggesting the residents are thriving. Several guests saw youngsters last year but none spotted this summer so far. All around our garden there have been changes. Paths dive round the back of borders, the grass is cunningly cut to allow long grass to add texture and wildflowers to modify the appearance. In a neglected corner we have created Noelle’s yoga garden with camomile and thyme lawn (it looks like mud and small weeds so far) and the soft fruit cage will provide home for the many flowers Noelle grows to put into the cottages.

Owls have been spotted in the barn owl box although it sounds like they are tawny owls. Woodpeckers visit occasionally and goldfinches flit around the garden in ever increasing numbers. Our son saw a large bird of prey take out a blackbird on the lawn one afternoon – his description did not allow identification. Somewhere between a golden eagle and a kestrel I guess!

Pickering and the locality changes very slowly, pubs rise and fall in popularity while the overall standard of eating goes ever upwards. Yorkshire seems to have benefitted from an overall increase in visitor numbers and Ryedale is becoming a more cycle and walking friendly destination. The recent world cup mountain bike event in Dalby was a huge success both for Dalby itself and for the crazy, round Pickering race. We hope it returns.

Noelle and I remain committed to ensuring our guest have an excellent holiday and hope you continue to support Noelle’s Cottages. If you can’t stay here yourselves then do tell a friend.

Best wishes and have a good summer,

Tim and Noelle

Applestore bathroom and new master bedroom

We have finally completed the new bathroom for the Applestore. It is a delightful space with huge bath, modern shower with toilet, washbasin etc. The windows give a great view out onto the trees and there is already a queue of birds waiting to feed off the nuts and seeds we have provided. During the later stages of construction it became clear that the best layout for the cottage was to make the large beamed room with the new bathroom into the master bedroom with king size bed. The old double room with the duck down doorway has become the twin room with ensuite bath and toilet. We have retained the feel of quiet luxury and hand crafted materials and hope that the new arrangements will give our guests as much pleasure as we feel when we see it finished.
The process has encouraged us to open up more of the garden for Applestore so the space has almost doubled with the addded benefit of catching much more sun through the day.
Photos to follow.