About UsSelect Cottages is a small family run business started by me, Greg , in 1989 when I bought and converted the first of the cottages, in France, followed by those in the Lake District. I am ably assisted in the office by Caroline who works part time 5 days a week and we have a team of loyal helpers at the cottages. more...
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 recently remarried and in July 2005, Zarina and I held our wedding in glorious sunshine at La Garenne in Brittany. I have 2 teenage children, Natasha and Neal. 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. I am pleased that Zarina, Natasha and Neal now have the walking “bug” too so we try to get away to 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 in our Lake District Photo Gallery! We also visit the properties in France on a regular basis and take our summer holidays there each year. Introducing our team at the Cottages:- At Bridge End Farm in the Lake District, there is Bob our Geordie caretaker, handyman and gardener. 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 a loyal team of cleaners who have all been with us for a number of years and know the cottages inside out. At La Garenne , in Brittany, there is Jeanine who has been with us since we began in 1989. She is unique! Jeanine and her husband, Jean-Claude, held their wedding reception at La Garenne four years ago; she adores La Garenne, 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 8 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
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In this day and age of automated answering systems, numerous options to choose from and endless waiting to speak to someone, isn't it nice to get a ‘real' person on the end of the phone! One of us is usually here during office hours, but if you do get our answer-phone it probably means we are on the other line so please leave a short message and we will always return your call. We regularly check our messages and emails after hours, including weekends and take pride in the number of customers who comment upon our “prompt efficient service”. |
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We know how time consuming it is to research all the options, what there is to see and do, how to get there, will it be suitable and so on. Well, we do have an in-depth knowledge of all our cottages, each location the surrounding area, how to get there, what to see and do, where to eat, good walks, good beaches and much more, so go on, give us a call and pick our brains – we are here to help you.
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