March 2010 Newsletter

Hello

This year really is running away! It's the end of March already! But good news – we have major progress... we've sold the London flat! Hurray! But of course it is subject to contract yadda yadda yadda. There's a small chain, but it looks like we'll be moving from London in mid-May.

So what next? Well, we need to sell the Preston house. There's been a few more viewings but no offers as yet. The plan is to stay there until it sells... with the next stop after that being the Lakes! So we're now one step closer to our dream.

Since our last update we've been up to the Lakes twice. Our number one choice very quickly surfaced.

Chris had some concerns about our favourite, and I think it's important that he is the level headed one! It was built in the early 1700s so it's an old and fragile building. It's big and costs a lot to heat as it isn't connected to the mains gas. Such an old building is bound to have various maintenance costs, but the beauty and character that it possesses makes it worth the effort!!

I just fell in love with it and managed to overlook some of the practicalities. Luckily we're able to find solutions to the concerns, so it's all still go go go!

We've reworked the business plan (again!) and done a detailed 3 year plan specific to our favourite B&B. We'll be submitting it to the Cumberland Building Society soon to get a mortgage offer in principle. Our contacts on the phone there have been great, and we're hoping it'll be a smooth process applying for the loan ourselves.

For our most recent visit to the Lakes we decided to view the village from a tourist perspective. So we checked in to another one of the B&Bs in the area and had some fun! On the Saturday we walked from the B&B across the River Derwent and up to the top of Skiddaw, the third highest mountain in the Lakes. It was a full day hike and very very rewarding (photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fetchsarahl/sets/72157623741205346/). There are other smaller hikes, for example to Lords Seat, that can also be done – we'll be testing all of them out.

On the Sunday Chris took me mountain biking in the Whinlatter Forest. I found it all a bit hairy and scary! I just about managed to get myself round in one bit, but will probably stick to the easier forestry roads in future!! He thoroughly enjoyed himself and would highly recommend it to any mountain bike enthusiasts – especially as it's free!

Just before we sold the flat, I'd also signed up with a catering agency in the local area to get a small bit of contract work experience. Additionally I'd volunteered to deliver our local Meals on Wheels to elderly residents in the area. Unfortunately I'll only be able to do these for the next 6 or 8 weeks... but I'll be able to pick up some similar work in Preston to keep me occupied until the house sells.

One final thing – today we had our first article published in B&B News magazine, requesting some work experience. Here's hoping for a good response!

Fingers crossed that stage two goes just as smoothly! Thanks again for reading, you're all one step closer to being able to come and stay with us!

Sarah and Chris xx

P.S. don't forget to regularly check the website - the blog gets updated regularly and there are frequent polls on the home page http://lakesblog.weebly.com