PLYMOUTH, Great Britain

Dear friends,
We are a family of four: Alasdair, 75 who is a retired librarian; Sally,72, who used to work as a teaching assistant in one of Plymouth's secondary schools; Iain, 42, who lives near us here in Plymouth with his partner and our little grandsons and will not be joining us on holiday; James, 37, living and working in France as a translator in Paris.  So it will just be Sally and Alasdair who will come on holiday, unless other members of the family care to join us!
We live fairly centrally in a large terraced house which was built in 1833 and has lots of period features which we have enhanced and replaced. Downstairs, there is a living room with a new wood floor, working fireplace, TV with CD player, music system and record deck. Also comfortable sofas and lots of plants. Double doors (usually kept closed) lead to the dining room which has an upright piano and several guitars ( Alasdair is the musician while I sing.). At the end of the hall is a downstairs toilet and then a breakfast room which overlooks the lower courtyard. Then the kitchen, with a range cooker and all the usual appliances except for a clothes drier. We have a small but sunny courtyard garden with a table and chairs, and a portable barbecue. On the first floor is the master bedroom which has a stripped wood floor, double bed and period features, the second bedroom with double bed, another bedroom with a single bed, bathroom with bath and shower, and another separate loo. On the top floor is the office with PC and Internet access, and another large room with a sofa bed in it. We have another single airbed.

There are shops a few minutes away in Stoke Village ( ATM, supermarket etc) and several pubs, cafés and restaurants.

It is easy to get to the town centre - we both often walk - which has a new shopping mall, and interesting old buildings in the Barbican, which is also the fishing port. Plymouth is surrounded by beautiful countryside and loads of beaches, and is set between Cornwall and Devon. Eden Project is only an hour away by car. This is a very attractive and interesting part of England, and you can reach London by train in about 3 hours.
We think that you would enjoy this part of the country. The weather is often better here and milder than further north!

Our house is not suitable for babies or children under 5.

Best wishes,
Alasdair and Sally MacNaughtan