Skip to content
About us – Granary Holidays
Welcome to Granary Holidays—your home away from home in the heart of North Yorkshire.
I’m Sarah Tootell, and I live here at The Hermitage in Burythorpe with my husband Simon and our son Oli. We moved here in December 2011 from within the same village, and since then, we’ve been lovingly restoring and running our holiday cottages.
A Family Affair
I manage our two charming holiday cottages myself—with a bit of help on changeover days. You might spot me out in the garden or around the grounds with tools in hand, mowing the lawns, pruning, white-lining the tennis court, chopping logs, or tackling the endless laundry and cleaning. It’s a hands-on job, but I love it.
From Bookkeeping to B&Bs
Running holiday cottages wasn’t part of some grand life plan. In fact, my childhood dream was to become a vet—until I discovered I fainted at the sight of blood!
After school, I studied business and then earned a diploma in Business and Rural Tourism at Bishop Burton Agricultural College. Though I didn’t know it at the time, that course set the stage for what I do today.
I later joined our family’s car dealership—H Yates & Sons in Wintringham—where I worked for 17 years. I handled everything from admin to bookkeeping and even sold a few cars! After the business was sold, I took a short break to be with Oli before school started and helped Simon with bookkeeping for his new venture, Wolds Produce.
Finding Our Place
The move to The Hermitage came at just the right time. It gave us the perfect blend of family life and flexible work. We’ve been gradually renovating the cottages and expanding our availability ever since—always with an eye toward creating a peaceful, welcoming escape for our guests.
Life Outside of Granary Holidays
When I’m not busy with the cottages, I enjoy horse riding, mountain biking, running, badminton, Zumba, and netball—or simply soaking up the countryside that inspires us daily.
