There’s something very English about tapping a barometer, even when it’s a French one. Every time I pass it, I tap it, but I have absolutely no idea why. Can anyone tell me?
The barometer is another 1950s touch at Seaside Lodge
Seaside Lodge is a 1950s wooden lakeside holiday lodge, just 80m from the glorious Anderby Creek beach – luxuriously renovated and available to let from June 2015. For more info, drop us an email at info@boltholeproperties.com
1 medium sized tree = more wood than we thought possible.
Two recurring themes at Seaside Lodge: water and wood.
Water, because the lodge is sat right on the edge of a lake and is just a lazy 80m amble from Anderby Creek beach, one of the UK’s best kept secret beaches (says AOL Travel).
Wood, because it’s everywhere.
A light-stealing Sycamore has come down (to be replaced with a bed of coastal grasses and shrubs). Leaving 4 enormous piles of timber to be chopped up and left to season for the log burner at Seaside Lodge. There’ll be no bingo wings for us this year.
Also, on the wood theme, we put up some shelves made of scaffold boards and poles in the Lodge. And, we think they look really good.
Seaside Lodge’s kitchen is simple and open plan, but with plenty of modern appliances.
Next up, is making good the original 1958 cedar cladding outside.
Definitely on countdown to launch now!
If you are interested in staying in:
a) A luxury bolthole, near a picturesque, dog-friendly beach
b) A romantic hideaway with lovely views of the lake, and plenty of luxe touches
c) A peaceful lakeside lodge, where you can finish the book/painting/commission/drink too much wine, light the log burner and stare at the lake
from June 2015, please drop us an email: info@boltholeproperties.com.
To enquire about staying in this 1950s lakeside hideaway from June 2015 (near one of Britain’s ‘best undiscovered beaches‘), drop us an email: info@boltholeproperties.com.
‘Bathing Beauties’ was launched to promote this lovely, almost forgotten, stretch of Lincolnshire coastline with an international competition for artists, architects and designers to ‘Re-imagine the Beach Hut for the 21st Century’. 240 incredible design structures from over 15 countries were submitted. Anderby Creek is home to 2 ‘Bathing Beauties’ – the Round and Round House and the Cloud Bar.
The Cloud Bar at Anderby Creek.
The UK’s first permanent cloud watching outpost, designed by Michael Trainor. A unique larch, acrylic and concrete construction, featuring a cloud-spotting menu, specially designed cloud-viewing seating and self-operating parabolic cloud-mirrors to magic the sky down to the earth.
Recognised as the world’s first ‘Official Cloud Spotting Area’ by The Cloud Appreciation Society 
The Round and Round House at Anderby Creek.
This small building was designed by Kingston and Weber of Soma Design and chosen in the Bathing Beauties competition because it’s ideal for bird-watching. Constructed from curved laminated plywood. Positioned in the dunes 350m south of the beach entrance, up a narrow wooden boardwalk and steps.
This year, the annual Bathing Beauties festival is held on 5-6th September. http://www.bathingbeautiesfestival.org/bathing-beauties.html
Blinds up in the master bedroom -lovely to open them first thing and watch the birds on the lake.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been steadily chipping away at the remaining renovation projects on Seaside Lodge, and we can see the finishing line in our sights. Visits from a 2 holiday home professionals have been informative and helpful, and both of them said the lodge is going to be at the top end of a four star property, which is lovely to hear.
We got a lot done over the last few days, and managed to have some serious beach time too.
1 lattice willow hedge planted
1 weeping willow by the lake planted
2 sea buckthorns planted
1 bay tree planted
2 garden bird boxes installed
3 blinds put up
3 door frames painted
4 cupboards fitted out and undercoated
Ensuite shower room completed
1 wall painted
10 cakes eaten (we needed the energy).
Everything is on-stream for lettings to commence in May – we’ve even got our first 4 bookings! The website is underway and should be up in three weeks. To enquire about staying in Seaside Lodge please drop us an email: info@boltholeproperties.com
The main bathroom is nearly finished
The master bedroom is painted
The en suite shower room at Seaside Lodge is complete – and fab.
Top tip: bring kite strings to Anderby Creek beach.
Walking down to the beach from the Round and Round House – a 360 hide to watch wildlife.
Hiding in the hide.
A walk through the dunes to the hide.
After all that fresh air we needed non-cake sustenance. The platter at The Fat Seagull up the road was delicious.
The Fat Seagull’s platter is yummy.
The pace has stepped up several notches now. Noticeable not least because we keep running out of teabags.
We’ve got a great team of people helping us with Seaside Lodge – big thanks especially to Steve, who has been with us from the off, and has braved the cold before the insulation went in!
Steve’s so excited the renovation’s nearly done, he’s wearing a party hat.
Finally, the french doors go in. At the moment the deck overlooking the lake is a makeshift construction with 3 pallets, but even so, the view is knockout.
The old window over the lake, from the sales brochure
How it looked, once the walls came down.
Open ’til late.
A late night getting the doors fitted.
Next morning at Anderby Creek. 50% more lake and sky.
Words are bit superfluous here. Pictures taken on the beach, with an iPhone, at Anderby Creek 2 days ago. Sky and light were utterly breathtaking. And, the beach was empty.
Deserted beach and a blue, blue sky.
Looking South toward the outfall on a sunny February afternoon on Anderby Creek beach
The photogenic beach houses at Anderby Creek
Susanne adding a bit of colour contrast up in the Cloud Bar.
The clouds on Anderby Creek beach can be nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Anderby Creek Cloud Bar mirror
A lot to do at Seaside Lodge this morning – painting, pruning, sanding and waxing (furniture, cheeky!), but the sky is blue and it’s very hard to believe it’s mid-February.
So, we’re going to have another coffee and stare out at the lake some more.
Like Franz Kafka said:Â “Idleness is the beginning of all vice, the crown of all virtues”.
Splash of milk in my coffee please.
Seaside Lodge, lazy Sunday morning.
Seaside Lodge, lazy Sunday morning II
“We can’t sit around staring at the lake and drinking coffee all day”.
So we walked to the beach instead.
By the way, all these pics were taken on the morning of 15th February 2015 – it got cooler later, but the beach was as warm as the end of April.
We did get quite a lot done on the lodge later, I sanded and waxed an Ercol chair and Jon painted a floor, but it was one heck of a way to start the day.
Seaside Lodge, lazy Sunday morning III
Seaside Lodge, lazy Sunday morning IV
I’ve come across some lovely old images of Anderby Creek. I thought you may find it interesting if I group them together and post a batch from time to time. So, here’s no.1 – Anderby Creek’s lovely beach. Although the landscape has changed little over the last 8 decades, the amount of people on it has. I’ll start with a picture I took one sunny Sunday last September. Me and the fisherman were the only people on the beach. It’s easy to see why it has been voted one of Britain’s best undiscovered beaches. Bliss.
Voted one of Britain’s best undiscovered beaches
The beach at Anderby Creek pre-1953
Hard to date this picture of Anderby Creek beach – any guesses?
Anderby Creek beach, late 50s-early 60s (looking at the clothing and donkeys!)
Anderby Creek beach…I’m guessing sometime in the 1950s
The beach at Anderby Creek, late 40s/early 50s. At first I thought later, but those high waist trousers tell their own story. Unless it’s Simon Cowell’s dad.
I think this is one of the earliest Anderby Creek beach pics here – probably 1930s.
Donkeys! Tank tops! Hair grips like her off Follyfoot! This Anderby Creek beach pic is late 1960s-early 1970s, I reckon.
Seaside Lodge was built in 1959. I wonder if the first owners used their knitting machine to craft cossies like these little beauties?
1959 knitting pattern
Seaside Lodge 