Turning a dated bungalow into one of Flamborough's top holiday lets

It’s so easy to be seduced by the most fashionable places on the Yorkshire coast, which is why Mary and Tim Walker initially concentrated their hunt for a holidayhome in Whitby, Sandsend and Staithes.Time dragged on and the perfect cottage in their chosen location eluded them so they extended their search area and spotted a 1930s bungalow for sale at Flamborough Head.The couple and their two children weren’t familiar with the area and neither were they enamoured by the property type but they decided to take a look and were amazed at what they found.Set on a headland just 200 yards from the clifftop and close to a beach, the detached home was a revelation.“It wasn’t very attractive from the outside and it was dated inside but it felt spacious and light and the views were fantastic,” says Mary.“There were open fields at the back and at the front there was a grassed area leading to the lighthouse and clifftop. We fell in love with it.”

Unlike many of the cottages they had considered, it also came with a garden and parking for three cars.Modernising the property was a must when they bought it three years ago as part of a plan to turn it into a holiday let. They also renamed it “Rock Lobster” after the 1986 top 20 single by the B-52’s.“It had brown carpets and fake beams and the bathroom was orange with a corner bath so all that had to go. It also had three bedrooms but we decided to turn them into two, good-size double rooms,” says Mary, who was undaunted by the task of project managing the work thanks to plenty of experience in renovating her own home and rental properties in Beverley.“The only things we kept were two pendant lights in the sitting room but we got them rewired,” she adds.The new-look interiors have a coastal meets mid-century theme and the colour scheme is predominantly white, grey and blue brightened with mustard yellow accents.

The porch now has a bench where you can sit and look at the views. This leads to a light-filled sitting room, which has oak floors and a wood-burning stove.The sofa and coffee table are from Made.com and the vintage-style TV cabinet featuring old filing cabinet doors is from popular independent shop Tyler and Black in Beverley. The copper wire lamp was found in B&Q.There is also a framed Rock Lobster single and a cushion bearing the title of the song, which were gifts from friends who helped to road test the property before it was let to holidaymakers via Yorkshire-based Gorgeouscottages.com.

“This is the first holiday let we’ve done so we had to think carefully about the furniture and furnishings. They needed to be hard-wearing and so far they have been,” adds Mary.“The house has been incredibly popular so they have definitely been tested.”The kitchen units are from Wren and the dining table, chairs and sideboard are also from Made.com.

Colour comes from the framed prints by David Hockney, bought because of the area’s connection to the artist. His late brother, Paul, used to live four doors down from the bungalow.The king-size bedroom at the front of the property and the twin bedroom at the rear are both carpeted and feature some of the family’s best bargains. The oak furniture is from the Clearance Zone in Hull, which specialises in slight seconds, and the fleeces and sheepskins are from Ikea.The Walkers also commissioned Driffield-based The Wooden House to make the bedside tables. The company also made the Rock Lobster sign at the front of the bungalow.Shutters were used on all the windows, apart from the bedrooms. “They look good and they are also easier to adjust for privacy and light because this is a very sunny place,” says Mary.

Outside, the front garden was revamped and given a coastal theme with swags and ropes, pebbles, rocks and hardy plants plus a built-in bench. The rear garden is laid to lawn.The Walkers have no regrets about buying the house at Flamborough. It’s far more peaceful than the coastal hotspots they originally set their hearts on and it has everything they need and more,“It is a wonderful place. Your shoulders just drop when you get here and there are amazing walks from the doorstep,” says Mary.Turn right from Rock Lobster and you can walk to the shingle and pebble beach at South Landing and to the fossil beach at Danes Dyke, where you can often see seals. Turn left and you find North Landing and Bempton Cliffs, which is famous for its seabirds.

There’s a bistro at the bottom of the lighthouse and just round the corner from the bungalow is a traditional cafe selling great chips.Two miles away is the village of Flamborough, which has shops, pubs and restaurants.“There are lots of holidaymakers who are loyal to the Flamborough area,” says Mary. “But compared with Whitby, it’s a sort of a secret and I am so glad we discovered it.”Rock Lobster is available to let via Gorgeous Cottages, www.gorgeouscottages.com