Foot & Mouth, Bluetongue.....

[Windy]

Like everyone else I am waiting with bated breath to see what happens here!

Does anyone have any experience of the effect on bookings (especially in the Lakes), druring the last outbreak?

Best wishes

John

[Sue Dyer]

Not directly John but we bought our place in Northumberland just after the last outbreak. It had serious effects on tourism here, ramblers, birdwatchers and general tourists affected by official and unofficial path closures.

I'm sure that is how we managed to get our cottage so cheaply- 60k six years ago. Seemed cheap even then. It was on the market for 7 months and just wasn't shifting.

I've had no one enquire about restrictions for current or next years bookings. Fingers crossed about the whole thing. Maybe the tourist info might be able to help? They collate facts and figures on visitor numbers and would probably be able to give you a rough idea. cheers, Sue (nearly a neighbour!)

[Windy]

I'm sure that is how we managed to get our cottage so cheaply

I suppose every cloud has a sliver lining

As we are in this for the medium to long term I guess that we could stand a bad year, but I have to say that I could really do without it!

I remember the last outbreak just about closed down walking in the lakes - we had just moved to a house a bout an hours drive away and hardly went up to the Lakes for about 18 months!


I suppose if it happened it would be a good time to pick up lodge #2!

[Sue Dyer]

BTW: What is the "life expectancy" of the lodges John? I was just asking cos Ikea have unveiled their "flat pack" houses starting at 100k+ near here and it got me wondering what those prefab houses were like longterm.

We are fairly longterm as the cottage is our pension provision. We about break even with rentals paying off the mortgage. 8 years left then we can take stock (not livestock!) of what to do.

Fingers crossed for the outbreak for everyone really inc the coo's!

[Windy]

What is the "life expectancy" of the lodges John?

2 answers there really - we have a fifty year lease on Windermere Lodge, but maintenance is high. If you left them alone they wouldn't last long I think. We just spent about 3k getting a lodge repainted and repaired from the ravages of the Lake District weather.

Having said that there are some twenty year old lodges on site in very good nick.

inc the coo's

yes, I was being a bit anthropocentric wasn't I ;

best wishes

John

[Sue Dyer]

Thread creep..

anthropocentric

I'm not playing scrabble against you!

[Christine Kenyon]

Bit late replying to this topic and fortunately it looks there isn't going to be any adverse effect on holiday cottages, etc. Although it's a different story talking to local farmers.

We had a shop and holiday cottage in the Ullswater valley during the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak and the impact was immediate. Even seeing the disinfectant footbaths on the telly made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But we survived and are still smiling!

Christine