Shropshire businessman seizes on staycation trend to launch Riverside Cabins
Starting a business mid-pandemic might not be for the faint-hearted, but one Shropshire entrepreneur has seized upon the trend for staycations and done exactly that.
Anthony Prince has more than 20 years’ experience in the travel and tourism sector, and he spent much of last year starting to transform his riverside ten-acre site near Wykey, on the River Perry, into a luxury cabin experience for holidaymakers.
He was inspired and helped along in the process by his best friend 7 the black Labrador.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he chose not to put his dream on hold, and Riverside Cabins officially opened in September this year.
Despite only being open for six weeks before a second national lockdown was announced, Anthony has kept positive and busy working on improving the site.
He said: “I had the choice of putting my plans on hold indefinitely, or proceeding knowing it was likely more people would wish to holiday in the UK for the foreseeable – and this is the perfect location in which to do so. Each cabin deliberately has lots of space around it, not only does this maintain tranquillity and privacy for our visitors, but it also makes it even easier for us to remain Covid-compliant.”
There are four boutique cabins, with pets welcome in all except one – and Anthony has also committed to hiring as many local people as he can to support the construction and upkeep of the Riverside Cabins.
He said: “Our main contractor S J Roberts ticked all the boxes: they were local, no nonsense, a great firm to do business with, they also delivered the project on time and within budget. Steve (SJR) and his partner Abby also provided design and inspiration from their recent tour of Africa which has complemented the project and location.
Local companies
"We have also predominantly used Shropshire-based contractors for the vast majority of the work: Berrys, Be-ond, kind-creative, Sally Sparrow Photography, Visit Shropshire and most importantly, all the local housekeeping, maintenance, estate and admin staff that have kept me on the straight and narrow over the last few weeks, all of which are from the surrounding area.
"Thank you and when I say I could not have done this without you, I could not. Also, a big thank you Shropshire Council for their support.”
He also said he is committed to promoting Shropshire as a tourism destination: “All of our visitors so far have been from outside of the county and they have been amazed at what a stunning place it is – on the website we have begun compiling a list of attractions, activities and eateries as recommendations for visitors to Riverside Cabins.
"I want to provide an absolutely fantastic venue where people can base themselves to go out and explore and enjoy Shropshire and the surrounding areas, like the New Inn at Baschurch which is a fantastic gem. We are building up an inventory of everything from companies who provide boats for tourists to explore the rivers, to yoga coaching or physio and massage therapy to come to the cabins for an appointment or class for the individual or family.
“The journey has been a positive one but also emotional – particularly due to the loss of our resident mascot 7, who was the inspiration for so many aspects of this journey but also so much more.”
Visit riverside-cabins.co.uk/ or search Riverside Cabins Shropshire on Instagram (bytheriver.7) or Facebook to find out more.
