Behind the scenes at Sandhole Cottages in Cheshire

four beautiful dog friendly cottages in the countryside

We’re huge fans of Sandhole Cottages in Cheshire. Not too far from the Dog Friendly Destinations’ office, we’ve stopped by on numerous occasions to say hello to co-owner, Olivia Matthews, and the resident pooches … and horses. The welcome is always warm and the four cottages always look stunning, no matter the season or weather. If you’re not familiar with Sandhole, or you simply want to know more, we sat down with Olivia to go behind the scenes of life at these popular cottages and to dig a little deeper into her wonderful eye for interiors.

Hi Olivia, can you tell us a little bit about Sandhole Cottages, please? How you came to own them and open them up as luxury holiday homes?

Hello! Sandhole Cottages are a joint venture between myself and my husband Adam, plus my sister-in-law Anna and her husband David.

We originally found Sandhole Farm for sale back in 2016 as a residential farm house plus outbuildings and seventeen acres of land. Our dream was to open dog and horse friendly holiday cottages set alongside a working livery yard. The sale went through in 2018 and we were given the go ahead to start the redevelopment of the buildings into what we have today.

We have loving and sympathetically restored the 17th century oak-framed thatched farm house, which is now Anna and David’s home. Our Grade II listed cottages are set in what once were the farm’s outbuildings. Over the course of two years, these were painstakingly transformed using a mix of traditional building methods and complimentary modern additions into the four holiday cottages we have today.

We have also renovated the existing stables and converted an original barn into stables, plus we’ve added holiday stables for those bringing their horse on holiday too! We have made good the land for horses to graze on and added our own 800m2 arena

Sustainability and environmental impact play a huge part in our ethos. The majority of materials used were reused, restored or reclaimed. Alongside this we installed ground source heat pumps powered by solar panels with battery storage. Our rain-water harvesting tanks provide the water to flush the toilets and water for use in the livery yard. All of our toiletries and cleaning products provided are environmentally friendly and refilled where we can.

What surprises and delights guests most when staying at the cottages?

Oh where to start! We get so much lovely feedback it really makes our hearts sing as a family business. Guests love our little touches such as complimentary flowers and a bottle of fizz on arrival. The hot tubs of course are a huge hit and are used all year round. Our guests often comment on the fact that not only are we super dog friendly and offer holiday livery, but we also offer luxury accommodation so they get the best of both worlds. Finally everyone loves the pure peace and quiet of the surroundings and the sense of calm they feel when staying with us.

What do you personally love most about welcoming guests to Sandhole Cottages?

We have welcomed so many lovely guests through our doors it really is such a delight to be part of making such wonderful memories. As Anna and David live on site, all of our guests are welcomed personally and often enjoy passing the time of day with David as he tends to the gardens, or Anna when she is with the horses. From the initial interaction, we aim to give our guests a special customer journey so it’s lovely to be able to chat to guests via social media for example before they even walk through the doors.

How do the cottages and the area change through the seasons?

As we’ve been open two and a half years now we’ve had the pleasure of watching the cottages and their surroundings change through the seasons. In the autumn and winter months, the cottages are super cosy with their underfloor heating and welcoming interiors. Of course I love adding our Christmas sparkle through December.

My favourite time is welcoming in the spring when all of the flowers start peeping through and the fields and hedgerows become green again. Summer is a wonderful time at Sandhole when the cottages are full of families enjoying the outdoors and the hot tubs, the gardens are in full bloom and the sun is shining!

The interiors are so warm and welcoming. How would you describe Sandhole Cottages’ style and what should visitors keep an eye out for?

Thank you, styling the cottages was my personal favourite part of our whole journey with Sandhole. Each cottage interior was meticulously researched and planned with the intent of making them individual whilst maintaining a sense of continuity with style and colours.

I would describe our style as pared back country cottage with beautiful original features and touches of luxury. In keeping with our sustainable ethos, we reclaimed and reused where we could on the build using local craftspeople. The cottages are furnished and styled also with this in mind. Guests should keep an eye out for our quirky touches sought and gathered from various vintage emporiums, reclamation yards and good old charity shops!

If guests find themselves wanting to recreate a lovely cottage feel in their own homes, do you have any interiors secrets or shops that you can recommend?

For me, it was about styling the cottages sympathetically to their surroundings and using the original features such as the beams and brick plus adding traditional touches such as the bespoke handmade kitchens, windows and doors. I loved choosing the colour schemes for the cottages, the F&B consultant at our local interiors shop was a great help!

I don’t think you have to go overboard to create the cottage feel. I used a lot of reclaimed and natural materials such as wood and rattan and added touches such as vintage bottles and dried flowers. We get asked the most about our reclaimed wooden chopping boards which were from a local reclamation shop. For me, no visit to us in complete without a stopping by our local vintage emporium, Lady Heyes. Otherwise I would recommend scouring your local markets, charity shops and reclamation yards. I also found Facebook market place a great source for some of the bigger furniture. Try Cox & Cox, Feather & Black and Rose & Grey for luxury touches.

What inspired you to welcome four-legged friends as well as their owners?

We’re a family of absolute dog lovers. Anna and David have a menagerie of rescue animals including four dogs, three horses and two cats. Adam and I have always had rescue dogs and have grown up with dogs as part of the family. For us, it was about providing luxury accommodation that was also totally dog friendly so you get the best of both worlds. We are situated in an amazing location for dog lovers to explore so we want to share all of this with our guests.

A little local insight:

Best dog walk – Hard to choose but for me Delamere Lake – a fabulous circular walk taking in the magical Delemere Forest whilst walking round the stunning lake. Stop at Delamere Station House afterwards for lunch or coffee and cake.

Best dog friendly pub or coffee shop – Again we have so many but the local favourite is The Fishpool Inn. With great food including a doggie menu, cosy fires in the winter and outdoor space in the summer.

Best dog friendly attraction/place to go – Delamere Forest is a huge attraction for guests and their dogs with plenty of exciting activities such as GoApe, miles of wonderful walks and a large dog friendly café and visitor centre.

When you go on holiday, are you able to switch off or does it feel like you’re checking out the competition?

Haha a bit of both! But mostly in a good way. We have been super lucky to stay in some wonderful UK properties ourselves over recent years which have truly inspired us and I’d like to think we’ve drawn from this to give our guests the same experience

What do you most like to find in a welcome basket when you go away?

A nice mix of provisions and treats. Tea, coffee and fresh milk is always welcome with maybe some locally-sourced treats. When our local chickens are compliant, we like to pop a box of fresh eggs in for our guess when we can.

To hear all the latest news from Sandhole Cottages, including last-minute availability and special offers, please sign up to their newsletter. For any queries, drop Olivia an email at [email protected].