The Olive Tree

A warm and friendly welcome awaits you from us, Tim and Elaine at the Olive Tree. We‘ve now been here for two years and what a lot has changed, both for us and with the rest of the world. We all realise that the year ahead is going to be a difficult one, many of us will struggle to afford a holiday whilst needing one probably more than we ever have! With that in mind we do not intend to increase our rates for 2009, but please don't think that because we are so reasonably priced that you will receive any less in terms of care, attention and quality - we'd just like you to stay a little more often or for an extra day, because you can afford to!

We think 2008 went pretty well until around the end of August when the number of people coming and going every day started to get to Tim and he had more than one Basil Fawlty moment! Apologies if you spotted him glowering at you instead of being his normal sunny-natured self, it was nothing personal!

It didn't help that I had this wonderful idea that due to the fact that south east Cornwall appeared to be fully booked, that we would let our room out temporarily and sleep in the caravan at the top of the field. My idea was that the evenings would be balmy and star lit, and Tim and I would sit outside the caravan, sipping wine and enjoying the romance of it all. The reality was that after watching the 10 o'clock news in the front room we would steel ourselves to don wellies and trudge up the field through driving rain to a very cold caravan accompanied by three soggy dogs who thought it was great fun! We would be kept awake by the rain hammering on the caravan roof, then greet a grey and cheerless dawn and tramp back down the field to cook breakfast! I did point out to Tim that it could be worse, we might be on holiday and paying to stay in the caravan, but he seemed to be suffering from sense of humour failure at that point!

Apart from the loss of our bedroom we both also felt that life is a lot nicer with a few less guests - hopefully for them as well as us as we are more relaxed, efficient (?) and have more time to chat, which is surely what it should all be about, so we've learned from that particular mistake!

The chicken which were originally free ranging all over the place now have their own area just so that we have some plants left in our part of the garden! To begin with they all stayed together in a flock but then became more adventurous and starting exploring the field behind, the road in front and some of the neighbours’ gardens along the road. If that wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t get Tim to do any work because he was constantly out counting them!

Tim was a farmer for many years and can wax lyrical on the subject for many hours should you wish him to - he can be very interesting, honest! If you don’t wish to listen to him, come and relax with a session of massage or reflexology in my treatment room, situated peacefully away from the house.

He’s not meant to be farming here but managed to collect a few ewes along the way. I was told off for saying they were pregnant, apparently “in lamb” is the correct term….! So, four ewes and six lambs were fine, then when I wasn’t paying attention one day he brought home six orphan lambs which we had to feed all day and all night! Some guests think they were lucky to have the opportunity to help bottle feed the lambs, the truth was that we were delighted to have an extra pair of hands, or two, or three! All the sheep have now moved on, not I'm delighted to say to the slaughter house but to build up a local farmer's flock. I'm wondering what animals are going to appear next......!

We thought we had plenty of parking for everyone but the fence for the field was put up just a few feet too close to the house (I won’t say by who!) and the occasional guest with a large car struggled to turn around (I won’t mention the lovely young lady from London who managed to hit the house in her Nissan Micra!) This situation has now been remedied in a big way. Tim’s moved the fence back and curved it around so that we now have a potential one way system with the garage acting as a roundabout! I did put my foot down to prevent him from putting up arrows and “no entry” signs so that everyone drives around in the same direction - I think he was joking. So we now have loads of parking and it’s easy to get in and out!

We have a donkey sanctuary just up the road. Not close enough to hear though....!

The Olive Tree aims to be a haven of peace and relaxation suitable for couples and friends. Set in an acre of secluded gardens backing onto farmland, peacefully located between the rugged beauty of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, and on the edge of the Tamar Valley, an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we are ideally located for exploring Devon and Cornwall, whether it be the prestigious Eden Project, seaside resorts and fishing villages such as Looe and Polperro, walking on the moors, exploring local cycle trails, visiting famous market towns such as Tavistock and Launceston, or even a day's shopping at Plymouth's new shopping mall or the National Marine Aquarium.

Enquiries are welcomed from people with disabilities as our three en-suite bedrooms are all situated on the ground floor with level easy access from the car parking area.

Dogs are welcome free of charge. Camelot Kennels nearby 01579 370465, provide day care for £6 should you wish for a dog free day at any point. We have a secure paddock where dogs can be exercised off the lead and even have a small agility course for the energetic!

Wireless broadband is available in all rooms, so if you really can’t manage without your laptop, bring it with you.

We also now take credit and debit cards - I'm managing to drag Tim bit by bit into the 21st century! This is particularly useful if you wish to pay a deposit over the phone.

We offer basic camping facilities in our field behind the house, you may come into the house for a shower or treat yourself to a breakfast cooked by Tim!

See the next page “About our service” for more of what we offer and read what guests have said about us!

The Olive Tree is suitable for guests who are without transport or prefer a "greener" holiday. There are abundant scenic walks in the immediate vicinity and we are a mile from bus routes which take you to Liskeard, Tavistock, Launceston and Plymouth. The Tamar Valley line, regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country has trains operating between Gunnislake (5 miles away) and Plymouth. This can be linked in with ferry transport on the Tamar river.

Directions - M5 to Exeter, A38 to Plymouth, continue on A38 over Tamar Bridge into Cornwall (signposted Liskeard), about a mile over the bridge you come to a big roundabout, turn right on the A388 signposted Callington which is about 10 miles away. Stay on the A388 as you go through Callington (signposted Launceston), as you come up the hill out of Callington you will pass the Community School on your right and then see a telephone box on the left and a left fork in the road signposted Maders. Just after a mile along this road you will come to the hamlet of Maders and the Olive Tree is the second house on the right hidden behind the cream wall and hedge, turn up the driveway at the far end of the hedge and we'll put the kettle on!

***

Contact:- Tim or Elaine on 01579 384392 or 01752 848981, or e-mail kindredspirits@blueyonder.co.uk