From family legacy to nature retreat: The story behind Finn Lough

So do you think in a way almost having to navigate this on a bit of a shoestring, like you say, Was that actually beneficial in terms of really sort of focusing in, I guess, on what you wanted to prioritise? And like you say, I suppose, having to think outside the box, like with the domes, for example.

Did that actually, do you think, in a way really benefit the development of the place and what you brought to this new phase?

Absolutely.

I think you're forced to be incredibly innovative and creative.

And that was the beauty, you know, you looked at what you had at your disposal, you know, how can I use this land and to create a really interesting and exciting experience.

And I, that's where I love, I love the creative side doing little kayaking treasure hunts and doing Halloween themed like forest walks and i

think

it was shooting but it was really fun and you got to pay really particular attention to what resonated with guests what what was striking cord what were they remembering what were they talking about and what feedback were they given and i think being on the ground day to day all day talking to every single person i really got a sense of where we should be putting our efforts and what was resonating that we were like look this is what we believe this place should be and then we could build on that i think if we'd come in with money or funding, I don't think we would have made the right decisions at that point.

We needed sort of three years, four years of really learning and figuring it out and seeing, like, what actually do we want this to be? And we thankfully had the opportunity to do that.

And from there it was, okay, now we know.

Let's do it.

Let's go.

I

think big budgets are like a curse in many ways.

I think like a lot of the stuff Cause you know, what you were so sure of last year, like two years ago, like, you know, even from your own personal life, like, you know, the decision you would have made at 26 are very different than the decision you make at 35.

And that's very different.

That's especially true when you're dealing with bricks and mortar, because you know, some of these decisions you can't walk them back.

Like if you've spent 2 million, you're all your budget on a spa.

then you realize a year later, Christ, I should have done it like modular.

I should have done it differently.

Whereas having a low budget meant that there was never too big a cost to walking it back.

So we've had spaces now that are on their third, fourth, fifth iteration because the feedback from guests was like, no, you should do that.

If I'd had to go in and rip out something that's spent a million pounds on, it would be, you know.

Yeah.

So I think sometimes your first version of the thing's rarely right.