The Labradors at Wren House are almost as important as the owner, says the owner – they would phrase it the other way round! Ailsa, now 6 months, is settling in to her hostess role. Learning (slowly!) not to jump up, she is quite delightful and a chip off her mother and grandmother’s block. All have been named after islands on the West Coast of Scotland – Islay (Grandmother, but sadly no more), Gigha (pronounced Ghia) and Ailsa (after Ailsa Craig off the coast of Ayr). Pictured here with her sister, Barley (collar) and their long-suffering mother, Gigha, tolerating a recent romping session on the beach in South Devon this 2011 summer.

With the PR machine in full swing for the London Olympics 2012, the opportunity to attend and then spend some time elsewhere in the UK during the English summer is an increasingly appealing prospect. The Granary at Wren House provides the perfect location – close to the action, but not too close for comfort. “You’ve set the bar very high” – “First class accommodation – we will be back” – “Everything was just as hoped” – “Well above others” are the most recent guest comments.

One and a half hours by train from London (two hours by car) and you can have your fresh air, gorgeous landscapes and walks, beautiful villages and gourmet food pubs on your doorstep – and your own space. The best of both worlds. Enquiries are coming in – don’t miss out!

Seven years after I ventured into Bed and Breakfast – and many lessons later! – a new website was called for.  Having seen an excellent presentation at an Alastair Sawday conference by Helen Culshaw of Ascendancy Internet Marketing near Telford in Shropshire, I turned to her and this is the result.  With guests now coming from all over the world, just a picture of a bedroom and a bathroom is not enough!  Guests want – and should get – more.  So, I have included details of car hire, tour ideas, links to most of the attractions in the area and, I hope, tempting photographs of Wren House both in winter when it is gorgeous and snug, and summer when the garden is in full and scented bloom and the evenings long and warm for sitting in it – or even breakfasting in it.