Our family has been coming to Flushing Cove for over 80 years. It’s where our dad’s and then our own childhood summers were spent crabbing in the rock pools, clambering over the rocks, and being walked up and down the hill to Penrose – a house built by our great-uncle – often with Dad carrying a Mirror dinghy on his back.
In 1995, our mum and dad had the chance to buy Curlew Bank. They didn’t tell us at the time in case it didn’t work out. For months, they’d simply say “CB” to each other with secret smiles, and we had no idea what they meant. Then, that Christmas, we arrived for the first time – and “CB” has been part of our lives ever since. Somewhere we come and feel better.
We all simply love it here, our children do and so do people that come and stay.
From the start, Mum and Dad wanted to share Curlew Bank – to offer it as a place that others could enjoy as much as we do. They didn’t want it to feel like a standard holiday rental. Mum, in particular, wanted the house to be a genuinely lovely place to stay. She insisted on proper pots and pans, shelves stocked with basics like tea, spices and flour, good books to read, games to play, and decent bed linen.
Together, they shaped a wild and “glorious” garden – not manicured, but full of life. Dad slowly shaped the house so it worked well and made sure there was an outdoor shower too, so we could rinse off sandy feet and wetsuits before traipsing through the house.
Over the years, CB has gently evolved. Recently, we’ve taken up the reins, and only now are we realising how much thought and work Mum and Dad put into every part of it – so that we, and everyone else, could enjoy it as it is today. It’s a legacy we’re proud to continue.
We don’t aim to make CB a pristine, whitewashed ‘New England’ cottage. Instead, we want it to remain what it’s always been – welcoming, comfy, well-equipped, pretty, and replenishing. Somewhere that feels like home. A place to return to.
We love hearing suggestions and little requests from our guests – many of whom have been coming for decades and now feel like CB is partly theirs too, just as Mum and Dad hoped.
We’ve worked with Phil from Lindford House Holiday Cottages for over 20 years. We used to play in the bay with his kids. He knows the house and the area like the back of his hand – and he’s brilliant at sorting things if anything comes up. So we continue to trust him and his team to manage bookings.
If you’d like to stay at Curlew Bank, the booking link will take you through to Phil’s site, where you can check availability.
We really hope you love it here as much as regular visitors and we do. Nearly all our guests return, some a few times a year, others stays are busy life years apart but it’s somewhere you always want to come back to whatever time of year it is available. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing CBs magic.
