The farmers who own these luxury holiday lets in North Yorkshire reveal the secret of their success

It is a perfect spot for those who want somewhere beautiful and rural without being remote, as Ravensworth has easy access to the A1, A66 and A67, along with lovely walks and a village pub.

At this time of year, there is extra high demand for the lets. The fact that all three together can hold up to 28 people means that they are perfect for big family get-togethers. The other selling point is that they are trimmed up beautifully for the festive season.

“I always make an effort especially as some of the guests are families with children, though I had to stop using real trees because the underfloor heating made them wilt so we now have faux trees that but they are really good quality,” says Helen Westgarth, Tim’s wife, who managed the interior design of all three properties.

While period features have been retained, the holiday homes as they are now are completely different to those the Westgarths got the keys to in 2015.

Architect Malcolm Tempest was hired to draw plans for the conversions and the farmhouse and the barn named Dexter, both now have five bedrooms, while the other barn, named Shorthorn, has four bedrooms.

Dexter, pictured above, is an example of what investing in good architecture can deliver. The skylights allow you to see the stars at night while delivering extra natural light during the day, plus the flow and function of the rooms is perfect.

“We could’ve carved up the barns into four smaller properties but we didn’t because we could see there was a gap in the market for bigger holiday lets because back in 2015 they were few and far between,” says Helen.

“That was a good decision as they are now used for everything from family get-togethers and hen parties to groups of friends meeting up.”

The interiors were carefully thought out with stone flooring from Prices Paving in Bedale and cosy wood-burning stoves from Northallerton Heating.

Helen also used Niche, a mother and daughter team whose home interiors shop and design showroom is in Barnard Castle They were a huge help, not least because Helen had 14 bedrooms to decorate and wanted each one to be individual.

“They pushed me to be bolder so the properties would stand out and they were brilliant at coming up with ideas and sourcing what was needed,” says Helen.

The team on the farm also played its part by helping with the conversions and making a bespoke dining table and console table. The table frames were made from steel welded in the farm workshop and the wood top is antique floorboards from The Period House Store in Richmond.

The wood kitchen cabinets are fromJolly’s in Brompton on Swale and the fabrics used include Romo, Jane Churchill and Designers Guild, among others.

Hot tubs were a must as lack of them turned out to be a deal breaker for would-be guests. “They are a good selling point,” says Helen. “We started with wood-fired ones but they take a long time to heat up and guests weren’t happy with that so we swapped to electric powered ones.”

The result of all the hard work and expense is a five star gold standard rating.

When the interiors were complete, hiring a holiday let company to market the properties was the next important job. A good firm will provide you with advice, feedback, cleaners and bookings. Get this decision wrong and it could lead to poor reviews.

The Westgarths choose Holiday at Home, based near Richmond, and are delighted with them.

As for tips for others thinking of converting former farm buildings into holiday homes, Helen says number one is to carefully plan where the switches and sockets go and having a downstairs bedroom if possible, as this is a big selling point for those who cannot manage stairs.

She adds: “We began this journey wondering what we could do with the properties and now they are an income stream that bring pleasure to people.

“We are really proud of what we and everyone on the farm who helped have achieved.”

*For details of Greenbank Barns, Ravensworth, visit Holiday at Home, www.holidayathome.co.uk​​​​​​​​​​​​​​