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paulgoodman

New Member
"North Tawton - Nichols Nymet House. Extremely weird. Avoid"

Original post by Kirstie November 08.

As the owner of Nichols Nymet House and host to quite a few cyclists I would be interested to know why Kirstie thought our accommodation extremely weird???

All I can remember of Kirstie and partner is that we dried quite a lot of their gear as it was a soaking wet day. I think I also found an undercover safe place for the bikes overnight.

I also remember me thinking it was a bit weird that they were doing the Lands End to John O Groats in stages - going home to the Midlands in between stages!!

I would like it known that we are close to the old A30 route and look forward to welcoming any cyclists, we have large en-suite rooms with baths and showers, are flexible about breakfast times, we also offer clothes drying and undercover storage for bikes.

Paul Goodman
Nichols Nymet House (devonbedanbreakfast.co.uk)
 
paulgoodman said:
"North Tawton - Nichols Nymet House. Extremely weird. Avoid"

Original post by Kirstie November 08.

As the owner of Nichols Nymet House and host to quite a few cyclists I would be interested to know why Kirstie thought our accommodation extremely weird???

All I can remember of Kirstie and partner is ....

I also remember me thinking it was a bit weird that they were doing the Lands End to John O Groats in stages - going home to the Midlands in between stages!!

Paul Goodman
Nichols Nymet House (devonbedanbreakfast.co.uk)

A couple of things first:
We didn't do the ride in stages, going home to the midlands in between stages. We did the whole ride in 14 days, and we happened to be passing through the midlands (what with it being a LEJOG and all), which is where we both live. We didn't visit our homes on the way through though. Having noted this particular content of your post, it's comforting to know that you form judgemental opinions of your guests and then post them on the internet.

Donna, who I travelled with, is my friend and is not my partner.

Regarding my opinion about your B&B - well I stand by it. I've stayed in a lot of B&Bs all over the country. There are a number of problems in general but also for the touring cyclist in particular.

First, your place is so isolated that it cost us 20 quid each way in a taxi to get an evening meal at the nearest pub. You don't offer evening meals yourself (we asked and the answer was no), which means that this is a very bad option for cyclists! We need to eat, and after a long day in the saddle we don't want to go out on our bikes again looking for food in the dark and in a place we don't know.

Second, we felt it just wasn't homely, which is what you expect from a B&B. Its size does not preclude this. It also had a 'half finished' feel about it - nothing matched, and the quality of the finish wasn't very good, particularly in the bathroom. We got a lot more for our money on pretty much every dimension possible in the others we stayed in which were in the same price range. They are listed on this site and so you can check them out for yourself.

Finally, we couldn't quite understand your business proposition, reasons for being in the b&B business or the unique selling point of your property. We thought you'd only just bought it, and were in the process of doing it up - so the state of it was excusable. But when we heard you'd been in the property for several years we really didn't get it. Actually it was this last fact which finally formed our opinion. Also the run down caravan site next door doesn't do it any favours either.

Best of luck with it - you could do with looking at some of the competition though. Your B&B is not a good option for the touring cyclist. We felt depressed when we left.
 

paulgoodman

New Member
Thanks Kirstie for your points,

I'm sorry if I got some points about you and your ride wrong. I meant your friend was your cycling partner and nothing else.

Some comments need to be made though; the first being we do not do evening meals and make every effort to tell cyclists this before they arrive. The nearest place for food is about a mile away, and previous riders have eaten en-route and than stayed in.



I cannot quite take in what you say about Room Two as it had been totally re-decorated shortly before you stayed I think certainly in 2008. Not sure what does not match, as it has an Art Deco 1930's Burr Walnut suite of furniture and the Bathroom is large and features a decent bath and shower unit.

The House is quite large and is constant and costly job to maintain a historic listed building, also update and improve things and in a period of resession this can be harder than usual in a big property. We have been here for 10 years and do not have unlimited resources but are always striving to improve things!

Most of our guests have enjoyed staying with us (including cyclists) and our visitor book is witness to this. Perhaps others should look at our website and make an open judgement.

After a long day cycling you probably did not have the time to admire the fantastic views from the bedrooms - open fields, the lakes and Dartmoor in the distance, and the beautiful peace of being well away from any roads.

The Caravan site behind the house has about 25 privately owned Mobile Homes on it and I do not think it right to call it run down!!

I think perhaps something other than our B & B has tarnished your impressions of Nichols Nymet House?

We will do our utmost to give a warm welcome to future cyclists.

Paul Goodman
Nichols Nymet House, North Tawton, Devon EX20 2BP
 

paulgoodman

New Member
Well, you can't please everyone I suppose, and cyclists are not our main target!

And yes, there are plenty more customers both existing and potential.
 
Anyway, after learning both which B&Bs to stay in when we do LEJoG next year, and also never to cross Kirstie

...why? He wanted my opinion and he got it! It would have been less fair if I wasn't completely honest. The bloke's in business and like all business people I would guess that he wants to improve his value proposition...
 
"North Tawton - Nichols Nymet House. Extremely weird. Avoid"

Looks interesting. I like weird, I go out my way to find weird, anyone can do homely but weird requires style.
 
My top three:

Diran Guesthouse, Minapin, Pakistan, Karakoram Highway - world class mint soup and pick your own cherries.
La Cupola, Copacobana on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia - very stylish rooms and fantastic showers.
Unnamed Homestay, Kara Kul, Pamir Highway, Tajikistan - outside loo and water from a well, but just wonderful.
 
St Malo - Hotel Elizabeth - great if coming off the ferry late, or leaving early. E70 a night, and a big secure garage for the bikes. Owner speaks excellent English.
Hotel Bellier - Le Chapelle en Vercour - great base for a few days in the Vercour region.
 
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