Busmans Holiday Exchange July/Aug 2008

[fibi]

I posted this before but in the wrong forum I think - sorry.

Anyway those of you with owners-on-site holiday accomodation will know how difficult it is getting away, just who do you leave in charge and then with the wages you have to pay someone it really adds onto the cost of the holiday. What I am proposing is to swap homes and holiday home work. You look after mine for 2 weeks and I'll look after yours!!

what I'm offering is a 16 room garde 1 listed house (but its not posh - honest no antiques or precious paintings!) with all mod cons, wifi, sat TV,swimming pool,open fires and stove, sauna, hot tub, 5 acres of grounds/gardens and 2 holiday cottages to look after. House will sleep up to 14 comfortably in beds with another 4 in sofabeds. We have a cleaner for the house and cottages but no gardener and there is a lot of grass although a ride on mower is "quite" good fun! We have the Antonine Wall in our garden - well part of it - and it will be a world heritage site by 2008. We back onto rough Castle which is wonderful and are 20 minutes train journey into Edinburgh, 30 minutes to Glasgow and 10/15 minutes to Stirling.


what I'm after is a gite or holiday home complex(sounds grand...but it need not be a gite or a couple of gites would be great with us - equally I'm happy to look after up to 6 holiday homes)) with swimming pool in France or Spain with accomodation to sleep my family 2 adults 4 maybe 5 children/teenagers. We need wifi or broadband access. I am quite happy cleaning toilets/floors and will muck-in as appropriate and very used to dealing with guests.My husband and teenage son are great gardeners/poolmen/handymen.

Remember this is for 2008 - we're planning ahead! Really just fancy a change of scene and going on holiday without our phones ringing at all hours when guests cannot operate the washing machine!

Ooops forgot to say that our house is very child friendly - playroom stacked with toys/fireguards/nitendo wii/PS1 2 and 3 soon!/Xboxes galore and so on and on...

Because of the Scottish school holidays we can swap all of July and the first 2 weeks of August only.

[fibi]

Sorry forgot to mention that we also have 3 cats and 6 chickens to add to the looking after list - fox permitting that is - and guests dogs

[Stu]

It's a great idea Fibi, but not for us I'm afraid. We're just far too busy with our place here. We'll be looking for our first holiday in 4 years come November this year though! Possibly somewhere HOT though! LOL!

PS....good luck, your place does look very nice indeed!

[fibi]

Well have a great holiday in Nov - you deserve it after 4 years! Scotland's not really the place for good weather - although its 16C today

[enid]

We might be interested - depends on exactly when

[fibi]

Hi Enid,

we are stuck with school holidays so its anytime between 1st July and the middle of August about the 22nd I think - this is for 2008. The weather in Scotland in July tends to be better than August but it can be really lousy anytime or indeed excellent - 17C today

Your place looks lovely so I would be interested most definately!

Don't know if it would be an issue or not but our French is very poor - we're fluent in Spanish though

[enid]

I'm in the UK at the moment so I'll have a chat with K on my return and get back to you

[Moon Dog]

Hello Fibi,

Excuse me being nosey but did you find an "exchange partner?" Sounds like a great plan for the right people.

Luke

[fibi]

hi moondog - you be as nosey as you like! No we didn't for 2008 - we're actually going to a fellow LmHer property in Turkey for 2 weeks then travelling around libya, syria for another 3 weeks, During this time we are renting our house- its a gamble but for £3k a week - one I'm happy to take!

We will employ a local caretaker. Thats the problem with renting holiday lets and being onsite it can take over your life if you let it! I have decided not to!