A Family Affair

For Ross and Ceri Falshaw, the Holiday Property Bond began with new neighbours and a few shared holidays. Since then, it has taken them from Cornwall to Madeira – and on their first HPB holiday with the next generation.

There are probably easier ways of discovering the Holiday Property Bond than waiting for new neighbours to move into your village. But for Ross and Ceri Falshaw, that’s exactly how it happened.

A new family arrived in Tremeirchion, the small north Wales village where the Falshaws live. They became friends, and before long Ross and Ceri were joining them on HPB holidays.

“We went to Sibton Park, Duloe Manor and Braithwaite Court,” recalls Ross. “There may have been others, but I’ve forgotten. We just thought: this is really good.”

It was, he says, the ease of it all that appealed. “It was hassle-free, everybody was friendly, there was no stress. All good, really.”

Good enough, in fact, for Ross and Ceri to become Bondholders themselves.

Hammer and chisel

The Falshaws make an interesting double act. Ross, 54, is a stonemason – a trade in which he has now been joined by 52-year-old Ceri.
Until recently, Ceri worked in education. Then, having had enough of that world, she swapped classrooms for construction sites and joined Ross in the family business.

“She’s a natural,” he says, with the obvious pride of a husband who has also found himself with a very capable new colleague.

Away from work, the couple enjoy walking and cycling, while Ross has recently added golf to the list – a hobby he has been pursuing for all of six months.

Their HPB travels have taken them hither and yon – to La Reserva de Biniorella in Mallorca, Santa Rosa in Lanzarote, Rocha Brava in Portugal’s Algarve, Encosta Cabo Girão in Madeira and Merlewood in the southern Lake District.

And then there is their holiday at Physkos in Turunç, Turkey, where they were joined by their daughter Jess and her partner, Karol. Their other daughter, Bradie, was unable to make the trip.

“This is our first HPB holiday with the kids,” says Ceri. “So I think this one has to be right up there. Jess and Karol have really enjoyed it too – they’ve even been talking about becoming Bondholders themselves. They’ve just bought a house though, so there are probably a few other things competing for their money at the moment!”

It is a significant milestone in another sense too. The couple’s early HPB holidays were with friends; now, they are beginning to share the experience with their own family. And if Jess and Karol do eventually become Bondholders themselves, the Falshaws may have started a family tradition that stretches well beyond the next generation.

A growing list

Ross is quick to add another favourite.

“Biniorella,” he says. “That view from the hilltop, looking out over the bay at Camp de Mar, is stunning. And we love Port d’Andratx.”

With a varied collection of sites already chalked up, choosing the next – new – HPB destination is becoming a hobby in itself. “We love the sites we’ve visited so far, and would happily go back… and back…” says Ceri. “But there are so many others to choose from. So many chocolates in the box!”

Italy is firmly on the wishlist, with both Stigliano in Tuscany and Coreggia in Puglia catching their attention. France, too, is under consideration – with three possibilities from which to choose: Le Mont de St Siméon in Île-de-France, Constant in the Dordogne and Le Manoir du Hilguy in Brittany.

For a couple who enjoy getting out and about, that variety matters. One holiday might involve walking or cycling; another exploring local towns and villages. And now that Ross has discovered golf, there may be another factor to consider when the next booking is made.

Which must surely mean that, with three 18-hole Championship-standard courses between them, Barnham Broom in Norfolk and Henllys in Anglesey ought to be finding their way onto the Falshaw wishlist too.

After all, Ross and Ceri have already proved themselves open to trying something new: whether that means taking up stonemasonry – swapping classroom for hammer and chisel – or accompanying new neighbours on holiday.

The Falshaws’ HPB story is clearly still gathering momentum.