We welcome pets at Forda!

We welcome pets to Forda but only by prior arrangement – we are unable to accept pets unless they are included in the booking. We will need to know the breed of dog at the time of booking and normally there is a maximum of two dogs per lodge. Four of our A-Frame lodges are available to accommodate our guests and pets.

Forda and the surrounding environment is a wonderful holiday environment for dogs – lovely walks with fantastic smells! Several local beaches allow dogs, even in the summer.

As a courtesy to other guests, we kindly ask pet owners to observe some simple guidelines:

• Pets must not be left unattended in the lodges
• Pets are not permitted in the Amenities Building
• Please bring their own bedding and bowls
• Pets must be kept under control at all times
• Please exercise pets away from the residential areas and we ask that guests clean up after their pets

N E W S

• May 2009
  Gold Award
  Our two cottages – Forda Barn & Stables have just been awarded the top rating of “Gold Award” for 2009/2010. This means they are rated in the top 624 cottages in the whole country!!
  New Team Member at Forda
  We are delighted to welcome a new member to the team at Forda – Birgit (or “Bee”) has joined us, having managed the Bude Tourism Association and Bude TIC for the last few years (where she achieved the best TIC in Cornwall award for 2008). She is an excellent and very welcomed addition to the Forda Team – so she will be answering the phone and your emails sometimes, in addition to Jim & Gillian.

• March 2009
  New comfy suites in all the lodges!  Below Right
  

• Winter Works
  After all the major refurbishments over the last three years (kitchens, bathrooms, roofs etc), this year it is more cosmetic but still important! We hope everyone will enjoy the new fires in all the lodges and the new kitchen lighting in the “A” frames – there were favourable comments from regulars who came at Christmas and New Year ! We have also upgraded all the “fire” equipment, with new extinguishers and smoke and heat detectors, and changed the door locks in the “A” frames (smaller keys so less wear on your pockets!). There is also a new fireplace in the Barn lounge.
  Following the record wet 2008, the freezing ground in early January provided the ideal conditions for a lot of new drains and pipe work and repairs and stoning of paths, especially around the ponds which had deteriorated in the wet last year.

• Digital TV
  We are one of the first areas to go digital in 2009 so we have all new flat-screen TVs and all the freeview channels in all of the accommodation together with new DVD and video recorders/players.
• Waitrose in Holsworthy & Sainsburys in Bude!
  We know some of you are fans of Waitrose and Sainsburys – the local news is that they are planning to take over the Somerfield stores in Bude and Holsworthy – planned changeover is for June 2009.is for June 2009.
  
• Bude Tourist Information Centre and Bude Canal Centre
  We did not enter any awards this year but were thrilled that Bude won the best Tourist Information Centre in Cornwall award. Bude now has a lovely new refurbished TIC and shop as well as a new Bude Canal Centre, to go along with all the work on the refurbishment work on the Bude Canal – well worth a visit the next time you are here.
  
• Forda and Bude Rugby
  Cornwall and Bude are rugby-mad, Kilkhampton is the home of England’s Phil Vickery (his family run the local farm shop) and we have a son who is rugby-mad. So when it came to deciding on Forda’s local sponsorship, there was little choice. Forda is now the name on the shirts of Bude rugby – under 13’s in 2007/08 (winners of the Cornwall Plate last season!) and under 14’s in 2008/09.
  
• Ducks!
  So many of you are fond of the ducks – and their morning and evening lodge visits for bread. They are still thriving and looking forward to your next visit.                 Photo right: Ducklings crossing the bridge

• Swallows and other birds
  Over the last few years swallows have realised that, with a bit of effort, they could build nests in a safe position on the patios of the 'A' frames. Many families have been successfully raised – a real joy for anyone in the lodges, watching the parents flying in to feed them and then the young flying off for the first time in July and August. In 2008 fewer swallows came but we all enjoyed a new experience – using the old swallow nests as a base, two pairs of wrens built their nests on top, successfully raising their young. Photo right: One of the swallows with its young
  

Winter 2007 - 2008

• At the South West England Tourism Awards this month, we were very pleased to again be a finalist and this year we were placed in the top three for Accessibility for the whole of the South West.
• Also some baby news – many of you have met Jo, one of our therapists, and knew she was expecting. Her baby, Logan Matthew, arrived on October 10th, weighing in at 8lbs 4ozs. Mother and baby are doing fine.

• Growing Pups
  Please do not expect to find us now as two cute Andrex puppies! We are two years old in August and we are now two big handsome boys – but still friendly and playful so we look forward to seeing you at Forda.
  from Boris & Buster (photo below right)

• Winter Refurbishments
  Last year many of you enjoyed the new kitchens and flooring etc in the “A” frame lodges. This winter the Delta lodges have had their makeover, with new kitchens and roofs. That means that all of the lodges now have new kitchens, bathrooms and roofs!
  We have also replaced the glass in all the lodge velux windows. A few of them were misting and it was a good opportunity to replace them all with new insulating “K” glass.

October 2006

• Tourism Excellence Awards
  October 2006 - we were delighted to receive an award for 'Outstanding Customer Service – South West England Finalist 2006-2007'. This was a complete surprise as it is not something we entered for – apparently it is based on feedback from guests – so a big thank you to those of you who wrote in or voted!

• Two New Forda Residents
  Many of our regular visitors will remember our two Labradors Basil and Baldrick, who grew old gracefully at Forda. Sadly they are no longer with us but the house could not remain empty for too long! Born on August 1st, Boris and Buster arrived at Forda in October.

2006 – Forda celebrates its Silver Anniversary
Yes it was 25 years ago that Forda opened for the first visitors for May half term after weeks of witty comments by locals about the new ‘triangle’ houses in the valley. Photo right: Jim & Gillian Chibbett of Forda, with founders Eddie & Honor Heard

For those of you who have been coming since the 1980’s hopefully it only feels like yesterday ! Newcomers have been amazed that the place has been going so long, as with their new roofs, kitchens and bathrooms, the lodges look as good as new! On the subject of refurbishments, all of the A-Frame lodges now have their new roofs, bathrooms, kitchens and carpets etc. The Delta lodges, Ash & Beech, have new bathrooms and this winter’s programme is new roofs and kitchens for them as well.

First Resident Fisherman
For the first time in its 25 years, it is actually the first time that we have someone who lives here who is crazy about fishing – and it is Harry, the junior member of the family. He only started this spring and has now caught all the types of fish and the largest so far is a 12lb. Carp. Our grateful thanks to all the fishermen who have passed on all their tips! – hopefully in a few years Harry can be our fishing coach. Photo right: Harry and his biggest carp

Salmon at Forda?
On the subject of fish, someone caught a “trout” in the river, then checked his book and then thought it was a young salmon. It’s certainly possible – up to 30 years ago salmon were common in our river and the other tributaries of the Tamar. A few years ago a big effort was made to reintroduce salmon in the Tamar basin, now that the water is such a higher quality, and it included putting in hundreds of fry here at Forda. It was reported this year that salmon are successfully increasing in the Tamar and so hopefully some of our fry are beginning to return.