Help us to help you during Covid...

the recent visits  from Dudley, Eunice and young Franklin

Tree planting

and best wishes for 2022

Touring by Electric Bike?

Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season and look forward to seeing you again in 2021, take care, Ian & Liz

Say hello to our new residents at Hillcroft. We have for many years kept chickens and enjoyed the fresh eggs they have provided, and as soon as we were able we wanted to have hens here at Hillcroft. Well, when our neighbours at Trehale Farm said that they had some ex-battery farm hens looking for good homes, we just had to say ‘Yes’!

We have had many discussions with customers, Airbnb and Cool Camping over the last few weeks about what post-lockdown camping might look like, what social distancing measures will be needed and whether generally consumers will have the confidence to book. Although we should have more details from the government imminently about a timetable to lift restrictions, we are already discussing two initiatives to help boost customer confidence. All being well you will see these initiatives in the press in order to drive late bookings for summer (assuming camping will resume then). Coronavirus Flexible Booking Guarantee Firstly, a scheme to help customers book in the confident knowledge they won't lose large sums of money, whilst providing absolute upfront clarity on refund policy. This will help avoid any admin headaches in the event of restrictions being re-imposed at short notice. Though this policy will be optional to all businesses we feel that it is a good compromise for you and us and one that we will adopt. If you opt in to this scheme, customers will be able to book with the following Guarantee Policy for 2020: A low deposit of 10%–25% to secure the booking, we think this will be 15% - 20% The balance payment will not be due until 7 days or less before the holiday (in case of late changes to Covid restrictions) No refunds, but complete flexibility to move bookings for up to 24 months and not lose any money. This will be seen as a promotional boost on coolcamping.com in order to help customers who are looking for clear, consistent policies at this time in order to book with confidence. Secondly, AirBnB are also actively driving new initiatives and it is well worth checking their website. Don't forget you can book directly with us here, either through the website or give us a call. Our regular Customers have taken advantage of moving their stays here during this lockdown period. Deposits 15% The balance payment will not be due until 7 days or less before the holiday (in case of late changes to Covid restrictions) No refunds, but complete flexibility to move bookings for up to 24 months and not lose any money.

As many of you who have been on this journey to Pembrokeshire with us know, Y Cwt Cwtch, our shepherds hut, was to perform two tasks. Firstly, we had every intention of living in it whilst we renovated Hillcroft, unfortunately we arrived in the worst winter for 10 years and couldn’t site the Shepherds Hut on the land. We could not clear the land with machinery as the ground was too soft and would cause potential damage to the environment. To that point we moved into Hillcroft and are we glad that we did. Living in a space enables you to make better decisions on the way you live in it. In essence, a freshen up and moving in was the best plan. So come the spring we started clearing the land and deciding on the best way to make use of it. The winter helped us decide on the groundworks needed to drain the land and create a useable all year round space. The temporary Stables went up and a hard standing area for vehicles and trailers were put in place. Secondly, the next step was to locate the Shepherds Hut. When we decided to open up Y Cwt Cwtch, our Shepherds Hut, it was a key intention to share this piece of Pembrokeshire with family and friends. This locating phase took a considerable amount of time and loads of discussion. We even sat out on deck chairs just to get a feel for the view points and practicalities of a certain position, but we feel it was worth the time and effort to get this right. For us it was important that Y Cwt Cwtch could be a place where you could feel a million miles away from anywhere, a place that reflected tranquillity but also where you could interact if you so wished. For us it is possible to spend days out at Y Cwt Cwtch without ever popping in to Hillcroft, it feels that natural. When we opened it up to Airbnb initially we were apprehensive, a space that suited our needs may fall short for others. We were perhaps a little to defensive, from the first guests back in June 2018 to today when I write this March 2020, so many people have loved staying at Y Cwt Cwtch. Some have taken advantage of the location primarily as a base to visit Pembrokeshire, enjoy the coast and the places to visit. Some have literally arrived, parked the car and spent everyday in and around the Shepherds Hut, enjoying the cosy hut during the storms, bathed out in the sun or sat around the fire pit under starlit skies, it has become a special place for many different reasons and more than we will ever know. Today, we see changing times, difficult times for many and for ourselves. Y Cwt Cwtch has become our main income source backed up by seasonal working for us both locally. We have listened to the advice being offered from Government, AirBnB and also Cool Camping who we work with and looked at what we can do to help during these times, and to see how we can manage too. We have a number of bookings for Y Cwt Cwtch and by all accounts our Guests want to come here, they see it as a place where they can relax, where they can enjoy the outdoors and in relative isolation. We were reminded that one of our regular guests has actually never met us! We have decided that we will remain open however we are going to manage the bookings with our own take on self isolating; We will leave at least 48 hrs between guests going forward, this will allow us to leave the hut for a good 24hrs before going in to do the change over. Those that know us will appreciate that we keep Y Cwt Cwtch to a high standard and that will not change, we will focus a little more time on handles and surfaces. We will still provide the basics, fresh laundered bedding and towels, though we will remove any toiletries and would ask that you take back what you bring with you please. If you do need anything during your stay you know you only have to ask. A number of shops, local suppliers, cafe’s, restaurants and pubs are offering take away & delivery services and to that point we are happy to facilitate where we can. We will provide regular updates for you when you arrive. AirBnB and Cool Camping offer further information and guidance on their websites which you may find useful. Take care, stay safe and we look forward to welcoming you here. Ian & Liz

This week we saw the first real sign of Springs imminent appearance in 2020 here at Hillcroft Escapes. Snowdrops near to our summerhouse, Spiggy Holes , have started to sprout and the buds are starting to reveal their white flowers. With the crisp blue skies, whispery white clouds and a chill in the air, you can feel Winter making way for the arrival of Spring. It’s also a point in time for us to get Hillcroft ready for a busy time ahead, valentines, half term, and a leap year have already made a positive impact for February. Now our focus turns to Easter, but especially March edges towards Puffins making an appearance down here at Skomer Island as they ready for the breeding season. Indeed many of our guests have enjoyed visiting Martins Haven and taking the boat trip to Skomer Island to see the Puffins at this time of year. Personally this is the time of year to tackle new projects and maintenance to ensure we are confident our guests will enjoy their staycation. This year we have our Summerhouse to get prepared and ready for the season. A lot still to do but it is all the nice stuff, decorating and furnishing. Once this is done we will be focussed on the wooded coppice area where we really need to do some tidying up. It’s such a lovely area to spend time in and we want to ensure that we are attracting and supporting the wildlife whilst managing the flora and fauna effectively. Part of this is the planning of a pond, or preferably a dip pool, that will make use of our grey water from the Summerhouse and drainage water. More news to follow on this. Following feedback we have received we have looked at a couple of options to help our guests get the most out of their visit to Pembrokeshire. So for this year we have put together a walking Adventure package to help you get the most out of your trip to the Pembrokeshire Coastal path. For those visiting for the first time check out our Introductory Adventure package. If you have visited the area before our Bespoke Adventure package may be more suited. Either way, check them out and give us a call or drop us an email if you want to discuss in more detail before booking.