Working from Home from Home!

I run a successful training company and although I love what I do its so hard to switch off from the daily stresses that this brings.

I wanted somewhere I could take my office and yet still have a break, it would need to have great Wi-Fi, take a rather large dog and be within walking distance from a decent pub – I was not disappointed with my Wheelwrights Cottage!

My morning consisted of getting up at 6am to see the dawn reflected in Elterwater whilst my pooch foraged and cavorted in the fields and woods. Having taken in this breath taking site my now fully exhausted canine walking friend and I headed home for a hot shower and full breakfast.

The cottage was brilliant for positioning my laptop, webcam and I presented training videos with no problems at all. The table and chair were easily moveable to be in front of the window for natural light and although it wasn’t an office chair it was ergonomically perfect for my achy back!

Tired dogs make for uninterrupted and focused work time so I was able to make the most of the quiet with just a gentle snore to keep me company.

I don’t usually have a break at lunchtime so my midday 20 minute leg stretch with a reluctantly awakened Great Dane was so welcome and had a huge impact on my productivity in the afternoon.

The cottages are so well equipped that I was able to make whatever I wanted for lunch and found knives sharp and the frying pan non stick!

I finished work around 3.30 to make the most of the Autumn sunshine and we set off from our front door everyday for another 2 hour explore of orange leaves, clear brooks and rivers and good leg stretches on the fells.

The Britannia Inn proved a welcome sight as the sun was going down and we were more than a little soggy so, tired and happy, someone else got to make our early dinners. The pub food was delicious and a cheeky glass of claret assisted with the focus of another couple of hours work when we got home. By 9pm we collapsed and it wasn’t hard to sleep like the dead in the wonderfully comfortable bed.

All in all I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone who has the ability to work remotely but still wants a break. I’ll definitely be back!

(editor:  This article was contributed by Caroline & Elliott (the Great Dane), who stayed for a short break at The Stables, Elterwater, in Oct 2022.  Caroline runs Creased Puddle, which provides neurodiversity training in the workplace).