About Us

Select Cottages is a small family run business started by me, Greg, in the late 1980’s when I bought and converted the first of the cottages, in France, followed by those in the Lake District. Here we are in 2010 celebrating our 21st year which I find hard to believe! more...

Zarina and Greg at the Cheltenham Holiday Show

A bit about me: I was born in New Zealand and am a passionate supporter of the All Blacks. I have lived in England for many years from secondary school age, and since leaving university have lived in Surrey, Cumbria (at Bridge End Farm for 8 years) and now in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. I married Zarina in 2005 and we held our wedding in glorious sunshine at La Garenne in Brittany.

Although we no longer live at Bridge End Farm, I visit every month to make sure that everything is running smoothly and that we are doing everything possible to maintain our high standards. We also try to get a day on the fells as often as possible and you may well bump into us at Bridge End Farm. In fact, you might spot a photo of me on the Fells on the website! We also visit the properties in France on a regular basis and take our summer holidays there each year.

I am very proud of my connections with Premier Cottages. As one of the founder members and original Directors I came up with the name “Premier Cottages” and served on the Board the first 4 years with responsibility for the brochure, marketing and recruitment. Premier Cottages is a marketing cooperative for owners of 4 and 5 star cottages throughout the British Isles and again, I am very proud that Bridge End Farm Cottages are one of less than a dozen properties that have remained under the same ownership and continuously advertised in Premier Cottages all 13 years of its existence.

Introducing our team at the Cottages:

At Bridge End Farm in the Lake District, there is Bob our Geordie caretaker, handyman and gardener who has looked after the cottages for nearly 10 years. He is usually around on changeover days, unless he has scooted across the Pennines to watch a Newcastle United home game, and there is also Ann our housekeeper and a loyal team of cleaners who know the cottages inside out.

At La Garenne, in Brittany, there is Jeanine who has been with us 20 years now. She is unique! Jeanine and her husband, Jean-Claude, also held their wedding reception at La Garenne several years ago; she adores La Garenne, and takes immense pride in looking after everything for us to make sure it looks as good as it does. Elle est fantastique!

At Villa Charmante in Provence we have another husband and wife team Claude and Juliette who look after everything and have done so for the past 12 years. They are real characters and can often be found on a summer's evening at the boules court in the village where they will gladly show you how to play.

If you are looking for a special place for your holiday, then we look forward to helping you with your holiday plans.

Greg Poole