If you're someone who enjoys dreamy Cotswold cottage getaways, nestled away in an area of outstanding beauty (and let's face it, who isn't?!), then Shepherds Cottage is for you. We are fortunate enough to have worked with Helen, one of the owners, on the social media marketing for this luxurious escape in the past, and it was a pleasure to catch up and talk all things Cotswolds, Self Catering Accommodation, and much more...

LH: Can you start off by telling me a bit about your journey, how long have you had Shepherd’s Cottage, and what made you take the dive into the self-catering industry?

HL: We brought Shepherd’s Cottage during the pandemic, March last year. It’s been a dream for some time to have a cottage in the Cotswolds because we’ve holidayed there ourselves numerous times over the years. When a good friend of ours came back from Dubai, he was selling his place and wanted to put the money into something else, so we hatched a plan to buy something together in the Cotswolds, with the view of creating a luxury holiday let.

From then it became a reality, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster. The market was very busy and competitive, it was the pandemic, everyone was trying to run away to the countryside so trying to find a characterful cottage was certainly challenging. We sealed bids on another one before we actually got this one. I’m a great believer in destiny and we liked Shepherds Cottage even more than the one we got rejected for the first-time round. To give a bit of an idea, there were 20 sealed bids on Shepherds Cottage too so that sums up the Cotswolds, everyone loving it and wanting to be there.

That was the journey of getting to it, we were based in Surrey so it was difficult to make viewings, especially with various lockdowns, but we did it! It gave us the opportunity to use the time before when we launched in September to renovate.

LH: Was there much renovating to do?

HL: Yes there was quite a lot to do. It had never been a property in its own right before, it was linked to the house next door and didn’t have a title of its own. So it was quite complicated from a buying point of view. The house next door was listed and we assumed that Shepherds Cottage would have to be too, due to its age and the fact they were linked, but they didn’t. It’s an area of outstanding beauty there anyway, so there are restrictions relating to that but they didn’t put a listed title on it. We still wanted to ensure we preserved the character within the cottage, as that’s one of the things we loved about it. The large inglenook fireplace, the wood floors, stone walls inside and out. We also wanted it to feel luxurious at the same time. The kitchen before was very small, with no space to eat. The bathroom upstairs was overtaken by one corner bath, you could just about get to the toilet, it was overpowering! So those were the key things we changed, we did the renovations ourselves, brought the wood floors back to how they should have been years ago (which was a labour of love!) Also the fireplace was basically black with soot, it was a lot of work to bring that back and you would hardly recognise it now. The character is all there but it’s also nice and clean!

LH: Amazing, so the perfect combination of new additions, and restoration of the cottage’s old features…

HL: One of the things I loved about the cottage was the old front door, it’s beautiful and there’s an old gate that goes into the garden, so it’s those traditional pieces we wanted to keep, give them some love and TLC, which is exactly what we’ve done.

LH: What made you choose Chipping Campden?

HL: As I say, we holidayed in the Cotswolds over the last 20 years or so, we’ve stayed in lots of places, different villages, enjoying the North Cotswolds the most. Chipping Camden is very well known for being a beautiful town, it’s very historic but not too big, keeping its quintessential Cotswolds feel. It has lots of lovely places to eat & shop and that was a big thing for us in terms of a holiday let. It needed to be somewhere people would be drawn to, for the surroundings and things to do, as well as being a nice place to stay. Chipping Campden and Broadway were the key places we were looking at, but things don’t come up that often so there was an element of being at the right place at the right time. The other property I mentioned that we looked at was in Stanton.

We had stayed in Chipping Campden more than anywhere else and when Shepherds Cottage came up, we knew it was definitely the one we wanted. As you know, we’re not directly on the high-street, we’re a 15 minute or so walk across the fields, which is great. You can walk directly from the cottage without even the need to go on a road, it’s very rural and a lovely walk.

LH: Chipping Campden is my favourite too, from the walk down to as soon as you enter to all the cottages, it has everything you need.

HL: It’s also so well looked after; everyone’s gardens are immaculate. The people are also really friendly and welcoming.

LH: What is your fondest memory so far, since having Shepherd’s Cottage?  If you can pinpoint one!

HL: A couple of things. Firstly, being successful on the sealed bids, there was lots of celebration around that. It was so competitive. It was in the midst of lockdown, you weren’t allowed to travel but as we had just completed on the property, we were allowed to come down for one night to pick up the keys, so the reality then sunk in that our plan had come into fruition and we had a place in the Cotswolds! We were sitting on some camping chairs, the cottage was completely empty because we couldn’t get anything else due to COVID, we were sat in the lounge with the fire going, planning all the things that we would do with the cottage. It seems surreal but that was probably one of the most exciting and memorable things of the cottage so far. It was almost like pinching ourselves that we had got it!

LH: If you had to sum up Shepherd’s Cottage to a potential guest in a sentence or two, what would you say?

HL: A beautiful, traditional, Cotswold-stone cottage, a luxurious bolt-hole providing a hidden escape in the countryside yet close by to amazing eateries and fabulous places to explore. Sleeps 4 and one dog permitted. That would be my formal response!

LH: You certainly don’t need to convince me!

HL: One of the main comments we get is that the location is amazing. People want to feel relaxed and for it to be quiet, but they don’t want to be too far away from anything as well. The fact that people have said that they could come away and not drive the whole time that they were there, shows that there is enough to do without needing the car. But if you do want to explore the Cotswolds further, it’s also a great place to do that.

LH: One of the beauties of the Cotswolds and of your location is that it’s so nice all year round.

HL: Exactly, it’s so different all year round. Its cosy with the fire in the winter and autumn but in the summer, we are so lucky to have such a lovely garden, with two places to sit and unwind and dine, there’s a BBQ too, it’s like two different places. In the summer, you want to be outside most of the time and in the winter you want to snuggle up, it’s perfect for both.

LH: Are there any Hidden Gems nearby, that your guests should check out, a pub, café, activity etc.?

HL: We always encourage people to go to The Bakers Arms as it’s on the doorstep, just a stone’s throw away. It’s a great traditional pub, with home-cooked classics on the menu, it has a lovely garden to sit and have a drink in.

When it comes to Chipping Campden it’s the start of the Cotswold-way walk so the walks around there are amazing, and it has obviously got the quaint high-street with some brilliant eateries and tearooms. Ones to mention would be - The Eight Bells, Michael’s Mediterranean, Bantam Tearooms, as well as great deli’s, like Fillet and Bone. So, I would shoutout to them!

LH: You’ve named some of my favourites too, Bantam Tearooms is a gem for sure!

HL: Yes it has a nice feel to it in there, always busy and great for breakfast.

LH: If you had to have another holiday let anywhere in the UK, that isn’t the Cotswolds, where would you choose, and why?

HL: I would probably choose the Lake District. We’ve got a dog and do lots of walking holidays and the LD is one of those places that blew me away in terms of the scenery, the people are so lovely and it’s just so beautiful. To be able to take a boat trip on the lake or climb a mountain, there’s so much to do, so I would probably say there. I do also love Cornwall as well, so it’s difficult to choose. My husband would say Cornwall, he’d love to buy a place there as his thing is to look out the window to the sea, but I do love the Lakes!

LH: The Lake District is a very striking place!

LH: What advice would you give to someone who is about to embark on the journey of owning a holiday let, is there anything you wish you knew before? I imagine there may be a lot!

HL: I suppose some things you don’t anticipate being as difficult as they turn out to be. I think it all boils down to trust. If you’re someone who lives remotely to your cottage, like we are 2 hours away, you’re a bit confined in terms of how much involvement you can have, so it’s all about trust, whether that’s tradespeople before you go live, but then also after, making sure that people are doing what they said they would do in terms of looking after the place. Even just getting a cleaning team on board that you can trust to do what they’ve said is really challenging. It wasn’t something I anticipated but yes, whenever you speak to anyone like Boutique Retreats, they say that is the biggest hurdle. Having a strong management team, housekeeping, people to do the laundry, all of that side is the backbone really of a holiday cottage. You can have all the other things like window cleaners and gardeners, which I found a bit easier to source, but having someone who will be there when a guest can’t deal with the heating controls, or the shower isn’t working, or even just trying to get someone to deliver the same, consistent hamper each changeover using local products and not going to Morrison’s and trying to fudge it! It’s your reputation and product that you’re putting out there, but you have to put your trust in other people’s hands to deliver it, that’s hard.

LH: How would you go about finding these people?

HL: They’re like gold dust. I think before you’re even contemplating it, you need to be doing your research. If you’re thinking about getting a holiday let, you must have in mind already, who you would want to manage your let and I think you need to be on a waiting list for them, so that when you’re in the right place to launch, you’ve got a company lined up to help you do it. We’re on our second lot of housekeeping and management companies because the first didn’t work out. It is a learning curve. It’s also quite hard to switch off from it because you’re wanting it to be what every guest wants it to be when they arrive and when you’re that far away it’s difficult.

LH: Yes, there’s nothing you can influence at that stage is there?

HL: Exactly. There is a lot to be said if you can be more hands on, but at the same time it’s finding the right people and it goes without saying you get what you pay for in terms of these teams. A good housekeeper, someone who is dedicated and is the only person who does the changeover, ours spends 4 hours there each time, she knows the cottage inside out and exactly what’s needed. It’s not relying on someone else missing something that hasn’t been cleaned, because she is the only one doing it and they have their laundry facility on site as well, so everything’s done separately and to the same standard each time.

LH: Worth their weight in gold when you find a good one then!

HL: They are yes and I knew it would be challenging, but I didn’t think it would be that challenging to get to where we are now. That would be my advice, do your research and try to line that up almost before you register with the likes of Boutique Retreats, because actually that is probably as important, if not more so than who is renting it out for you.

LH: Great advice! So… would you still recommend people to do it?

HL: I would yes, it’s not as easy as people probably think it is, it’s a lot to take on and you have to think about all the insurances, health & safety, fire safety checks, all of those kinds of things that have to run like clockwork to make sure it’s a safe place for people to stay as well as just a nice place. If you haven’t done it before it’s a lot to think about. I wouldn’t change it. The joy I get from seeing other people enjoy it and the feedback we get from guests, makes it all worthwhile!

LH: Brilliant, well, that’s the end of my questions Helen thank you. All that leaves now is to find out where we can go to book our stay at Shepherds Cottage?

HL: We let our cottage through the luxury holiday company Boutique Retreats, so all bookings are done through them and the link where you can find us on their website is on our Instagram account, which has all details on bookings and availability.

LH: Thank you, we’ll leave all the links at the bottom of this post too!

HL: Thank you, Luke. Shepherds Cottage is a cottage that I love and I want to share it with others, but as part of the journey I’ve learnt a lot through having a self-catering cottage as well so it has kind of opened my eyes, but foremost I went into it with my heart rather than my head. My business partner and friend who we brought the property with, he is very much on the other side of the fence with regards to it being a business and generating revenue etc. It’s good to have both views, you bring different things to the table.

LH: Definitely it sounds like the best of both worlds and that you complement each other perfectly.

HL: Exactly

LH: Thank you for your time Helen, great speaking with you as always!

To Book: Shepherds Cottage - Boutique Retreats
Instagram: @ShepherdsCottage_