I am not sure exactly what we did expect our first year to be like when we bought Willow Bridge but it wasn't this! We opened in March after refurbishing through the winter and after 2 weeks later we had to close again and at that time we were optimistic we would be open for the summer season. It didn't work out quite as expected as it took until July but we are happy to say that the good weather and the enthusiasm shown this year for holidays in the UK meant that the second half of the summer, through to October, was busy and genuinely enjoyable and fun.

The best bit of working in a B&B is the guests and we have both enjoyed meeting and getting to know lots of different people. We also hope that some of our guests have made new friends especially those lucky enough to enjoy summer afternoons and evenings in our garden, relaxing and chatting with other guests over a cup of tea and a piece of homemade cake! I think it is fair to say that cake goes down very well with guests at the Willow Bridge!

Many of our friends and family have asked us if we are enjoying running a B&B in Sidmouth and we definitely are but as always, and in any job, it is the people that make it all worthwhile, (we enjoy cooking breakfasts too!). But is is not just guests, it is also the people we have got to know through living here in Sidmouth and, wherever we can, supporting local businesses. We definitely now have our favourite eateries...for lobster and fries, coffee and cake, Sunday roasts, fresh fish and seafood,  Indian takeaway and some delicious Italian treats - most have been recommended to us by our guests. We also think that most of what we need for the B&B we can buy very locally and that is a plus too!

However it is a real challenge with COVID-19 and many people in the UK are now being advised not to travel and so, while we considered staying open a bit longer, we have decided to close this week. We will be open in March next year and we may open earlier if we get good weather and sufficient demand but for now we are hanging up our breakfast aprons and we hope you all stay safe and well through the winter. We will also take this opportunity to thank our assistant Agnes, who has been super helpful in our first year, and who is leaving Sidmouth for the bright lights of Weymouth - we and many guests will be sad to see her leave but we definitely wish her all the best.

We would like to thank all of our guests 'new' and 'returning' who have supported us this year and who have adapted to the rules and changes so willingly and have left some really lovely comments on-line and in our guest book - We appreciate it very much - Thank you💕

Please contact us for next year's prices and availability and we look forward to seeing new and returning guests for what we hope is a long and successful second season in 2021.

Best Wishes

Sally & Paul