Classic Cottages 2019

classic cottages | Est. 1977

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Crantock | Cornwall

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Creek Cottage | Cornwall

• Contents • 10 -- Foreword 14 -- The journey 17 -- Take your time 20 -- A family holiday to remember 22 -- Family scone recipe 25 -- Christmas is my time of year 28 -- Seven wonders of the South and West 44 -- Our story 49 -- Like what we're doing?

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Willows Rest | Devon

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• Foreword • Welcome to our world KAYLEIGH HARDY

Here's our annual collection of holiday inspiration and ideas, contributed by different members of the team. Join us as we take the Great Western Railway and learn from the locals, wander the seven wonders of the South and West, embrace a slower pace to our holiday, relive our favourite Christmas moments and share the story of where Classic began. All this, rounded off with breath-taking shots of what we do best: exclusive properties in beautiful locations.

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Durdle Door | Dorset

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The Martins | Isle of Wight

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The Journey GEORGE THOMAS

So find a table seat and settle in. Fight the temptation to block out the noise, and you’re sure to learn something new. A man tries to explain that owning a boat really isn’t that expensive, and describes his favourite route across the Solent. A city slicker helps an economics student with her homework.

Newspapers rustle and politics are skirted in favour of the best way up to Corfe Castle or uncovering a surprise family connection.

Grandparents point out fishermen at Dawlish.

Did you know Brunel designed this part of the journey?

Find yourself in one of these conversations and you’ve got a local guide for an hour or two.

A guide for where or what exactly might be unclear but you’ll learn how The Nobody Inn got its name or hear a tale as to why a certain cab company in St Erth is the best. Perhaps a woman and her daughter tell you about the upcoming school fete or a couple describe their favourite beach for sunsets. Now you’re really in deep.

As the train heads west you get the chance to relax and enter a holiday state of mind.

Now you know what time the markets open, maybe a plan for tomorrow begins to form.

Time slows down a little. Absorbing the community of the Great Western Railway, you’re under the skin of not only a place but a whole region. Wherever your stop is, you’ve already been welcomed.

Before long, you’ll arrive, having wandered far off the beaten track before even laying eyes on your destination. Call a cab, you know the number. You’re a local now.

Finding the path less travelled isn’t always easy, but it’s worth the work. Digging out the secrets of a place, getting under the skin, seeking out the local favourites; these are things that make a trip stick with you. The more you feel like a local, the more memorable a place becomes. It can be hard to know where to start, and usually the best piece of advice is to find the pub. But there’s a way to eke out these gems before you even arrive: take the train.

Gliding along the most beaten of tracks, trains are a rotating circus of characters and snatched conversations. It might seem fruitless ground for local tips, but within those casual chats or behind that newspaper are stories you might not hear anywhere else. People are storytellers after all, and for a few hours you are their captive audience. Embrace it.

London to Penzance. Decked out in forest green, this train cuts through the heart of our territory, clipping the edge of National Parks and streaking past traffic-laden motorways.

A journey that serves many purposes guarantees an eclectic mix of travellers. Holiday makers, business types, students, soldiers, people making their way home.

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Durdle Door | Dorset

"The more you feel like a local, the more memorable a place becomes."

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King Alfred's Tower | Somerset

Take your time MARTIN WHISTLER

Ever notice how time seems to bend and merge when you’re on holiday? One minute it’s Tuesday evening, you’ve settled in over the last few days, the next it’s Friday morning and time to head home. I find those first few days of holiday refreshing, new and liberating. Time goes slowly. There’s so much discovery. You do different things to what you might at home.

On my last holiday we took an early morning hike and managed to catch the sunrise. As the glorious beams lit up the sky, I thought, ‘I’d never do this at home’. I really made the most of my holiday. I read a book! I haven’t done that in years. But each day was a new adventure and felt like totally different lengths. As my holiday went on, the days seemed to speed up. Before I knew it, it was time to pack up and head home.

Thinking back on the first day now, it feels like ages ago. So I’ve decided; next year I’m definitely booking two weeks!

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Middle Colenso | Cornwall

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A family holiday to remember KAYLEIGH HARDY

Welcome to the cosy revolution where staying in is the new going out. I’m all in favour of embracing a few drinks in the garden instead of going to the pub or setting up a movie night with blankets as a cinema alternative. Let’s live life a little slower and make the most of what’s around us.

Holidays are a time for relaxation and excitement. Both can sit side by side in the same way that our tranquil moors contrast the dramatic coastline, that sun and rain can both appear in the same hour. Make this time away a contrast of doing as well as being.

Plan your holiday adventures but also plan your holiday lie ins, relaxing is just as important as surfing waves off golden sands or climbing hills to take in the panoramic views. As with many things, seeing and doing starts at home: stay up late playing board games and drinking wine with friends, let the kids wake you up in the morning, spend hours playing in the garden with the dog.

Each of these small moments is something to remember. Something all of you can look back on fondly in years to come.

If you have the itch to explore, keep it local. Trek to the nearest pub, not the best, and make friends with the barman. He’ll have many a story to keep you entertained and might even tip you off on a place to visit. Somewhere you’ve never heard of.

Somewhere that not one guide book could have told you. This is the heart and soul of a place, it can’t be captured in the pages.

Holywell | Cornwall

"Let’s live life a little slower and embrace what’s around us."

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Visit the artist’s studio down the road.

Ask to see their work. Marvel at the creations from the mind of this colourful, eclectic individual. Let them show you their processes and thinking, talk about their inspirations.

Hopefully, they’ll tell you the places they feel the most at home, it might be their studio but it might also be the local cove. You can only get there by boat but it’s worth the trip.

For our army of recluses who like to stay at home, find solace in the kitchen and let your creativity loose on your food.

Fill the fridge up with local produce and let your imagination run wild. Channel the love for your friends and family into the latest creation, be it a pie or lasagne or a scone or two. Kids love the kitchen so let them help with the scones, lay the table for cream tea and serve it up to the grown ups.

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Family scone recipe A taste of the West Country to enjoy at home or in your cottage kitchen SERVES 4 / PREP 15 MINS / COOK 10 MINS

Ingredients

Method

350g self-raising flour,

Pop on some old clothes or an apron

plus more for dusting

(in case of spillages or flour-based Scatter some flour on the work surface

playfights)

(we recommend finding a large space of

¼ tsp salt Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

worktop) and tip the dough out. Then scatter more flour over your hands and

1 tsp baking powder 85g butter, cut into cubes

Now to fold the dough!

In a large bowl, mix together the

the dough. Fold the dough 2 or 3 times

self-raising flour with ¼ tsp salt

until it’s a little smoother and pat it

and 1 tsp baking powder

into a round shape about 4cm deep (or however deep you’d like your scones)

3 tbsp caster sugar Add the butter cubes and rub in 175ml milk

between your fingertips with the

Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged

mixture until it looks like fine crumbs

cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour.

1 tsp vanilla extract Gently stir in 3 tbsp caster sugar

you have four scones. You may need to

squeeze lemon juice beaten egg, to glaze

Plunge into the dough, then repeat until

Heat 175ml milk in the microwave

press what’s left of the dough back into

for about 30 seconds until warm,

a round to cut out another four

but not hot Brush the tops of your scones with a

jam and clotted cream, to serve a pot of tea, freshly brewed

Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and a squeeze

beaten egg, then carefully place onto

of lemon juice into the milk then set

the hot baking tray (probably best to let

aside for a moment

a grown up do this bit)

Put a baking tray in the oven to warm

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes

Next, make a well in the dry mix and add the liquid. Combine it quickly with a knife, it will seem too wet at first but as you mix it’ll come together

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The Old Granary | Cornwall

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The Old Manor House | Cornwall

Christmas is my time of year LIZ ARNELL

After living abroad for a number of years in a hot climate, when I came back to the UK I really began to appreciate the changing seasons. Now I live in Cornwall and after the hazy days of summer have passed I always look forward to colder weather; wearing socks, lighting the fire, storm watching and cooking heart-warming meals. Christmas time is special in many ways and if I had to choose my two favourite things at this time of year it would have to be; Snow. The first snow forecast of the year never fails to bring excited glee at the thought of a sprinkling of the white stuff. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love it when the first flakes fall. When it’s cosy inside, there’s nothing better than peering out through frost tinted glass watching the white glitter gently cover the ground. And kids, wrapped up in woolly hats, noses turning red from the cold, running delightedly through the drifts, taking the opportunity to build snowmen and pelt each other with snowballs. Any snow fall is enchanting but at Christmas, perfect!

Brass bands. When I was little I remember my mum always cried when she heard a brass band. I have no idea why, they weren’t unhappy tears, just an emotional response to a heartfelt tune. Now, in my little Cornish hometown of Helston, there’s a Christmas tradition where the local brass band plays carols on the streets every weekend in December. Whenever I hear them it has the same effect on me. Happy tears. It is the epitome of Christmas to me.

Lusty Glaze | Cornwall

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Mill Barn | Cornwall

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wonders of the South and West KAYLEIGH HARDY

Discover the wonders right on your doorstep. The South and West is filled with amazing places and spaces: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, historical landmarks, tropical coves. All you have to do is get out there and find them. We’ve found some of the best to get you started on your adventure.

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St Michael's Mount | Cornwall

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Corfe Castle | Dorset

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The beaches | Never far away

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Cheddar Gorge | Somerset

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Bodmin Moor | Cornwall

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"The experience of the Alum Bay chairlift is different from those in the mountains: you start at the top and go down. The feeling as you plunge, feet dangling, is exhilarating. All of a sudden the sparkling blue sea comes into view with The Needles in the distance, boats bobbing, people playing on the beach far below. It all went in a blur as I frantically fired off a few frames, trying not to drop my camera in the process.

At the bottom boats wait to take you round the bay to see The Needles.

You can choose a fast speedboat or a more sedate tour. On the way up we enjoyed spotting items that people had dropped accidentally from the chairlift: lots of odd flip-flops, sun hats and buckets. I wonder how many kids limped back to the car with a flip-flop on one foot!"

MIKE SEARLE, PHOTOGRAPHER

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Alum Chine | Isle of Wight

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Durdle Door | Dorset

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Old Orchard Cabin | Devon

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Our story KATIE CHOWN

It all started under canvas on the Roseland peninsula, when Tony and Clare Tregoning decided they wanted to settle in the South West after 15 years roaming the world with the Army. One year later the family had made themselves at home on the Lizard peninsula with Tony commuting from Salisbury Plain at the weekends.

After a clifftop discussion, Clare and Tony decided to settle and start a business in Cornwall – the headland is still called ‘Decision Point’ in the family. From Tony’s military-style appraisal of possible businesses, they decided that it had to be tourism and the company was born in 1977.

Tony and Clare began by stripping back two rather run down fisherman’s cottages in Porthleven to bare stone to create two holiday homes they would

"The headland is still called ‘Decision Point’ in the family."

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Lizard Peninsula | Cornwall

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like to stay in. No sooner had they finished those, two more opportunities arose, so they rolled up their sleeves and worked their magic.

The challenge of finding guests was as hard as the renovations but, as they started to work it out, other holiday cottage owners in the village asked them to help and, before they knew it, they had a portfolio of 25 holiday cottages to fill.

By 1990 there were 250 cottages on the books, a one metre square box of an ICL computer that handled most of the administration and a new partner in their son, Simon. In that milestone year the company moved into new offices, a Georgian townhouse that we still call home today. Every inch was renovated by Clare and Tony, Clare will still tell you which parts of the stairs were her handy-work.

After years of hard work, the team found themselves at a glitzy awards ceremony as the proud recipients of the English Tourist Board ‘England for Excellence’ award for Marketing Self-Catering Accommodation. It was a true tribute to their simple, steadfast rule of only marketing holiday cottages that they would be happy to stay in.

One award was followed by another and over the years we’ve been visited by HRH The Princess Royal, picked up the Guardian Observer Best Brochure award and received the award for Best Website at the Cornwall Business Awards, to name a few.

Tony’s forward thinking is a huge part of where we are today. He launched the company on the internet in 1997 and continued to develop our internal systems and software, putting tech at the forefront of company development from the get-go.

The company passed to the next generation with Simon now at the helm. We’ve made quite a few additions to the Classic family in recent years; we’re up to around 60 staff including several pairs of brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters and fathers and sons. All of whom work closely with the same values of the Tregoning family in finding holiday cottages we’d like to stay in ourselves. We find holiday cottages that people fall in love with while sharing our love of the South and West with thousands of guests every year.

"We find holiday cottages that people fall in love with."

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The Old Manor House | Cornwall

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Creek Cottage | Cornwall

Like what we're doing?

If you’ve found inspiration in these pages, our holiday stories don’t stop here. We’re always on the lookout for bright ideas to share with the world whether that’s places to stay or things to do. You can give our team a call and chat holiday cottages all day long or go online to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or our blog for your daily dose of all things South and West.

notes & stories

Contributors Editor

Photography and styling

Kayleigh Hardy

Mike Searle

Writing

Anthony Greenwood and Helena Star

George Thomas – Digital Marketing Assistant

David Curran

Liz Arnell – Marketing Co-ordinator

Sien Anderson, Adam Gibbard

Martin Whistler – Designer

Design

Katie Chown – Communications Editor and PR

Martin Whistler and Kayleigh Hardy

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The Old Granary | Cornwall

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classic cottages

Finding exceptional homes that make great holidays.

Leslie House Lady Street Helston Cornwall TR13 8NA

High Street Seaview Isle of Wight PO34 5ES

1 Kingswood Court Long Meadow South Brent Devon TQ10 9YS

Tandridge House High Street Mayfield East Sussex TN20 6AL

01326 555 555 hello@classic.co.uk

classic.co.uk 54