Owner of the farmstead in Osmotherley that starred in TV's Gone Fishing has been hands on in creating another holiday let

Emma McDonald tackled a major renovation to create her farmstead holiday let in Osmotherley

Emma McDonald was thrilled when Chequers, the holiday home she created on the family farm in Osmotherley, starred in BBC2’s Christmas 2020 episode of Gone Fishing. Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse stayed the night and viewers watched as the cosy cottage, dressed for the season, had a transformational effect on Paul, who had struggled to find his festive spirit.

The pair were also impressed with Emma’s hands-on approach to property and interiors, after hearing that she had tackled everything from building walls to fitting kitchens and making curtains and accessories for the let. After all that, she deserved a well-earned rest but instead she pulled on her overalls and hobnail boots and began again by converting a tenanted home on the farm into a second holiday property. The result is Innkeepers cottage.

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Diversification has been vital for the remote 120-acre hill farm on the western edge of the North York Moors that Emma and her husband Andrew own. It has been in Andrew’s family since the 1950s but the income from their flock of sheep is not enough to fund a living.

One of the lambs from Emma's farm in Osmotherley at the door of Innkeepers, her new holiday letOne of the lambs from Emma's farm in Osmotherley at the door of Innkeepers, her new holiday let
One of the lambs from Emma's farm in Osmotherley at the door of Innkeepers, her new holiday let

Emma, who has five children, had followed in her mother-in-law’s footsteps by running a tea room on the farm but after 12 years, she was struggling with the commitment it presented, along with the mountainous baking.

The tea room became Chequers and has been popular thanks to its interiors and beautiful rural location. “Chequers has been popular and guests love it up here because of the amazing views, the silence, the moorland and the feeling of being away from it all,” she says. “That’s why, when the tenant moved on, turning Innkeepers from a small three-bedroom home into a luxurious, one-bedroom holiday let was the obvious thing to do.”

The building has had various incarnations, starting life as an outbuilding before becoming stables and then, in the 1970s, a dwelling. Emma started on its new lease of life by arming herself with a sledgehammer and barrow before demolishing the internal walls in the single-storey building.

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This allowed her to create a large, open- plan living space with kitchen, living and dining areas plus a spacious bedroom and a stylish bathroom. New windows and a new door followed and the deep mahogany coloured fireplace was sanded back to a light oak. While she invested heavily in good quality new furniture from her favourite store, Barker & Stonehouse, she also managed to find some great, pre-loved buys on Facebook Marketplace.

The property has sensational viewsThe property has sensational views
The property has sensational views

“The refectory table with marvellous legs in the dining area was £75 from there and that’s what started the theme for using light-coloured wood,” says Emma. “I also got some of the lights from Marketplace, along with a cupboard that was repainted by a friend.”

The kitchen with dove grey units, which she helped to fit, is from Howdens and the worktops are oiled beech. The sofa and chairs are from Barker & Stonehouse and the focal point in the sitting area is the cream wood-burning stove from Northallerton Heating Centre. The mirror above was gilt but was painted in Little Greene’s Portland Stone to match the walls.

In the bedroom, the Barker & Stonehouse Lille bed is the star of the show and was an investment buy for what Emma sees as a romantic retreat. Inspired by pictures she saw on Pinterest, she also put panelling on the wall behind the bed. This is made from pieces of mdf cut to size for her by Joseph Parr’s building merchants, then painted.

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The French table in the bathroom is from Etsy and the inset sink and tiles from Northallerton Tiles and Bathrooms. Emma made all the soft furnishings, including the curtains, tie-backs and the cushions with fabric from CB Furnishings in Northallerton. “There were hours of painting and then at the end I had a deadline of two weeks to make five sets of curtains and eight blinds, which meant stints of 16 hours a day but I just about managed it,” she says.

The sitting area with wood-burning stoveThe sitting area with wood-burning stove
The sitting area with wood-burning stove

Outside, there is a lawn with table and chairs where guests can drink in the glorious views. Emma has already started on her third holiday let on the farmstead, a barn that she is busy converting. “I’ve already demolished the insides,” she says.

*Innkeepers, Osmotherley, is for let via Emma, tel: 07958 610095 and via Beautiful Escapes, tel: 01642 711165, www.beautifulescapes.co.uk

See Emma’s landscape and wildlife photographs on Instagram @emyloumac_photography

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Useful Contacts: Barker & Stonehouse, www. barkerandstonehouse.co.uk; CB Furnishings, fabrics, www.cbfurnishings.co.uk; Northallerton Heating Centre, www.thenorthallertonheatingcentre.co.uk; Joseph Parr builders merchant, Middlesbrough, www.jparrboro.co.uk; Furniture upcycling by Anna Place Instagram @pride.ofplace; Rug from Calverts, Thirsk, www.calverts-carpets.com; Northallerton Tiles and Bathrooms on Standard Way.