Bus & Breakfast
One of our inspectors dropped by the office for lunch today - it's always good to catch up with news from the road, and to hear what our owners are up to.
More news from Ireland
More news from Kerry O'Neill, our newest inspector, who is working her way around Ireland for us in a be-flowered campervan... Once she found Lawcus Farm she wasn't at all sure she would ever want to leave... Read her own breezy blog posts.
On the road in France • Part 2
Yesterday we brought you the first instalment of Géraldine and Ann's icy inspection tour of France. Here in Part 2 they head for Cahors, and a truffle market...
Monday morning
Cahors' garden under a blanket of snow
Snow scuppers our plans again... we can't get to the Manoir de Malagorse, who had very kindly agreed to give us coffee and show us round their wintry house. They are renowned for their willingness to go the extra mile but even they cannot make their road accessible for run-of-the-mill cars today.
We try but we can't get up the lane to Mas Baronet where we are booked to spend the night. Such a shame, Pat and Rob are really good company. But not so bad a thing: the bottle of wine we were taking for them turned to ice in the car last night and popped its cork.
On the road in France • Part 1
Our newest French Châteaux & Hotels book is published today. Leafing through the 380 dreamy places, you'd never guess the herculean efforts that go into checking they all deserve their place.
Géraldine Roul and Ann Cooke-Yarborough, devoted Sawday's servants both, set off to visit properties and meet owners and inspectors. The only problem was, they ran into snow. Lots of it. They take up the story...
Sunday morning
Ireland here we come!
No, we're not talking Six Nations, but INSPECTING
Kerry on her Grand Tour
Sawday's is heading for Ireland and a mammoth inspecting trip and we've got a new girl to help us, Kerry O'Neill, who's all set to tour the island in her lovely campervan. If she's short of a bed for the night - that couldn't possibly happen? - she'll self-cater, so she's called this tour 'Round Ireland with a kitchen'.
Sawday's in Spain - an inspection trip
Alex Skinner, our main man for Spain, sends news from his inspection trip
A smart choice of inspecting car for a six-foot-five-incher...?
I'm on an enormous trip, travelling from Malaga to Madrid to Segovía to Castile y Leon, to Asturias, Barcelona, Murcia and Valencia.
Inspection trips are always full of surprises, and the first one for me was the size of my hire car. A Smart car. Not so smart for a chap of six-foot-five-inches to end up with one of these.
“Every Special Place has been inspected and selected by us,” says Alastair
The early, crazy, days are the best – when there are hurricanes of wind in your sails and the waiting rocks matter not a jot. When we started, in 1993, we had no idea how challenging it would be to visit each and every place. Back then we had to miss out a place or two, but now we can proudly say that every place on our site has been visited by us.
