Hi there!
I have some lovely news. First, I’ve been on Substack for six months and have been celebrating this week, as you may have noticed!
Secondly, we have relaunched our Airbnb at Wild Pinebeck, in the Mendips, Somerset.1
And you can come and stay!
Special offer coming up!
Our guest suite is a double room for up to two adults (one double bed and cot or mattress for one baby or one child) with a beautiful view over our fields and woods, an ensuite shower and bathroom, and downstairs, a kitchenette.
The West Mendip Way runs past the front door. You might see deer, jays, woodpeckers and buzzards all without leaving your bed.
It feels extremely remote - not even on a road, only a long distance (50 miles) walking path! (although you can drive and park here) - yet it’s only 15 minutes from Bristol airport, 40 min from Bristol city centre and 5 minutes from the A38.
It’s the perfect place for writing: there’s super-fast broadband, a large table, no distractions (no mobile signal!), cosy arm chairs for reading and unlimited coffee.
There’s a lawn especially for guests with cushions and picnic bench, so on a warm day, you can write and eat outside.
If you’re into mountain biking, riding, running or hiking, you can do that all from the front door. (We can lock your bike securely, and we have a hose outside for muddy wheels).
Best of all, you can walk to the local pub, which is very chic.
Here’s what it looks like (although now we have a new glass balcony and armchairs too):
Before I get into the special discount, let me tell you a little bit about Wild Pinebeck.
This is a mini rewilding project we’ve been running since 2020 with funding from Defra and The Woodland Trust, and help from the Mendip Hills National Landscape, volunteers and school students. So far we’ve planted 1200 trees!
This is what I write about in Wilderness: In Search of Belonging, my nature memoir.
As a paid subscriber, you can read about the whole process and our many hiccups and wonderful moments along the way. As a subscriber, you’ll receive my short Wilderness notes.
And now you can come and see it for yourself. Special offer coming up - but only for a limited time!
Let me also just add that walking is a brilliant way to help boost creativity, become a better writer, and improve one’s mental health. I can personally testify to this.
Please come and you’ll see for yourself: it’s magical here. Yup, I’m exceedingly grateful I live here!
Here’s what people say about staying with us ( we are guest favourite, 5* super-hosts):
‘Thank you to Sanjida and Jamie for another wonderful and relaxing stay at Wild Pinebeck - my 3rd visit now! I enjoyed every moment - exploring new walks, eating delicious breakfasts in the garden, stargazing at night, listening to birdsong... What a magical place!’
‘The house was amazing, all the amenities - including hot water, internet, comfy bed and incredible quiet. The hosts were super friendly and accommodating.’
‘Sanjida and Jamie have been excellent hosts who made our stay unforgettable.’
‘We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend it to others. Sanjida made us feel very welcome.The space is fantastic, clean and has everything you could need. It's also in a great countryside location with lots of options for walks, a local pub and a short drive from sights such as Cheddar Gorge. Certainly the best Airbnb we have stayed at.’
Special discount for subscribers
So, if you fancy a rural retreat in Somerset, the special offer is:
10% off the Airbnb price for subscribers. Tea, herbal tea, freshly ground coffee and milk or dairy-free milk are provided.
Do make use of this, as it will only be valid until the end of August 2024.
Special offer for paid subscribers
Paid subscribers also receive the 10% discount and in addition, early check in on Friday morning (10am) and late check-out on Sunday (4pm) so that you have three full writing (or chilling) days.
Paid subscribers will also receive a free organic, homemade and local produce breakfast box with homemade bread and fruit compote.
AND paid subscribers will ALWAYS be able to take advantage of this special offer of 10% discount, early and late check in and out, and free organic, homemade and local produce breakfast box.
Even more special offer
In addition, subscribers can also book in with me for a 1 hour one-to-one if you’d like any help with your writing. This includes coffee and cake and I can read up to 2,000 words of your writing in advance.
I’ve been a professional writer since I was 18 ( a very long time ago now!) and have spent over a decade mentoring students and writers, and two decades teaching creative and academic writing.
This is at the super-discounted price of £100.
One of my mentees has just been short listed for a Crime Writer’s Association Dagger (and went from being an unpublished author to receiving a four-book deal!). Here’s what he has to say about working with me:
‘Sanjida’s input was a real game changer for me. She was able to strip the manuscript back to it’s component parts, and gave me amazing insight into how each bit contributed, which ones were already strong, and more importantly, the aspects that could be be tightened up. It’s no coincidence that after dozens of rejections, I was picked up by an agent a few months after her help.’
Robert Scragg, author of What Falls Between the Cracks, the first in the Porter & Styles crime fiction series, published by Allison & Busby
More information and testimonials on my website:
Literary Consultancy and Mentoring.
Book soon, as this offer is limited and is only available until the end of August 2024. After that, it will go up to full price, but paid subscribers will always be able to receive a 10% discount on the full price of a mentorship session.
The details
Subscribe to
if you haven’t already!Please check the calendar on Airbnb and book in there. Message me (here or on Airbnb) to let me know, and I will refund you the 10%.
Free tea, herbal tea, coffee and milk or dairy-free milk available (let me know if you need df milk).
All the details about amenities, what to expect and how to get here are on Airbnb,
If you’d like to order the organic, homemade and local produce breakfast box (no local shops!), it’s £6 per person per day. (Payment via bank transfer or PayPal).
This is what you’ll receive:
Local and organic milk or dairy-free milk, tea, coffee ground for a cafetiere, herbal tea, locally pressed apple juice, butter or dairy-free spread, home-made jam, honey, peanut butter, organic home-made bread, local and organic yoghurt or dairy free yoghurt, fruit, muesli, organic porridge oats, granola.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll receive a free organic, homemade and local produce breakfast box and the early check in and late check out (let me know dietary requirements). And after August, you’ll aways be able to receive this discount, AND 10% off a full-price mentorship session with me.
If you’d like the one-to-one writing mentorship, please let me know and we’ll arrange a time over the weekend and you can send me your words.
And then I’ll get baking cake and reading your work!
(Payment in advance via bank transfer or PayPal).
Hope to meet some of you soon!
Sanjida x
PS Sorry no dogs. We have chickens and a spaniel who is bonkers and will go even more crazy if another dog arrives.
Relaunched as the bridlepath that we live on was washed away in the floods this winter and spring. I found out when I was in Cornwall launching this Substack, with our 4 wheel drive, whilst my husband was, literally, stuck in the house and our daughter was stranded at school.
A Room of One's Own - for the weekend