It was hardly a property most first-time buyers would contemplate. A single bathroom to be shared by up to 10 people; the threadbare roof leaked; the plumbing proved wildly unpredictable and within weeks of exchanging contracts, a pipe burst, showering the kitchen with raw sewage. Still, we were desperate to realise our dream and a small fortune later, much of it paid to local tradesmen and craftsmen, we welcomed our first Airbnb guests.

It had cost £9,000 to repair the plumbing, £25,000 for a new roof, £8,000 to install a second bathroom, £5,000 to a nearby tree surgeon to fell four gigantic conifers, which were threatening to flatten power lines and our neighbour’s garage, plus thousands more to remedy other unpleasant and costly “surprises”. 

After a few dodgy moments (such as the man who exploded with rage on learning that our sheets were not 400 thread-count Egyptian cotton), business picked up. Airbnb guests, interspersed with groups of our own friends and family, are now helping to drive the tourism-dominated north Cornwall economy – and for most of the year, not just the school holidays. Aware of local sensitivities about those from “upcountry” who arrive in cars groaning with the spoils of a supermarket sweep in Richmond or Stratford-on-Avon, we encourage them to “shop local”. 

Our guests eat out everywhere from the nearby chippie to Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant. They buy sole and lobster from the fish shop next door, lattes and saffron cake from the bakery opposite and ice creams and burgers on Polzeath Beach. They take surfing lessons, tramp round Pentire Head, drink deeply in the local pubs “like camels with a long desert to cross”, play golf and visit the Eden Project. 

Most of our holiday home income goes out as fast as it comes in, and after all the Covid cancellations, the house has yet to turn a profit. There are ever-growing bills for cleaning, laundry, Airbnb levies, gardening, window cleaning, painting, building work, electricity, internet provision, hotel-quality linen, guest toiletries and basic food supplies. The cost of council tax and services are – rightly – far higher for second home owners than locals, a useful subsidy as the Duchy, with its high elderly population, is among the UK’s poorest regions. Our entrepreneurial young cleaner, Abi, is a typical beneficiary; working all hours to support her children and well on the way to buying her own house.