Why People Press Pause

Why People Press Pause, and why that’s the whole reason I started Woodfarm in the first place…

I never set out to build a holiday business. Not really.

What I did set out to do — though I probably wouldn’t have put it this way back in 2009 — was to create places for people to breathe again.

Because long before I had Barns, Barges and a little place in Tuscany, I had this strong sense that people don’t just “go on holiday”. They leave. They step away from life for a bit. They press pause. And they usually do it for a reason.

It might be burnout. It might be celebration. It might be heartbreak, or a dog they refuse to leave behind at home. Whatever the story, there’s always something that nudges people to close the laptop, pack a bag, and say, “We just need to get away.”

And honestly? That’s why Woodfarm exists.

Not to shout about log-burners or hot tubs (though they’re lovely). But to give people a quiet answer to the feeling they had before they even started searching for a place to stay. The feeling that told them it was time.

Over the years, speaking to thousands of guests and hearing their stories, I noticed patterns. Real human reasons behind why people book. So I’ve pulled together what I think are the nine main reasons into a series I’m calling Why People Press Pause.

This isn’t a sales campaign. It’s not a “Why you should pick Woodfarm”. It’s the opposite, really. It’s about you. Your life. Your moments. Your reasons. This is about why you leave ‘the norm’ for a while, whether you come to Woodfarm or not.

Because when you understand why someone needs a break, you can actually help. And if I’ve done my job right, Woodfarm will feel like the natural answer when that moment comes for you. I want you to come to Woodfarm, of course I do. That’s how I make a living. But honestly, there is an almost infinite number of choices, and this is about why you decide you need one of them, not where you go.

So, here are those nine main reasons ‘why’, or emotional triggers if you like, that I’ve see time and again. Not the reasons people come to Woodfarm, but the reasons people leave their doors, before they walk through ours. Each of these has it’s own detailed blog post and video, so I hope you can take some time to see which ones appeal to you, or to someone you know.

1. Burnout Breaks

The ‘Post-stress relief’. When life (usually work) has taken too much out of you and your brain’s stuck in buffering mode.

2. Romantic Milestones

First holiday together, anniversaries, proposals, or just needing time to reconnect without the noise.

3. Dog’s Birthday or ‘Gotcha day’

Their birthday, or the day we ‘gotcha’, because they’re part of the family, and leaving them behind doesn’t feel right.

4. Headspace After the Storm

Because after grief, loss or life’s harder moments, space matters. A change of scenery to reflect.

5. Quiet Seasonal Escapes 

Before or after the chaos of the holidays. The pre-emptive calm, or post-event recharging of Christmas or the intensity of summer.

6. Celebrating Birthdays, Christmas & Retirements

Not just marking the milestone, but making it matter, and making it memorable.

7. Empty Nester Silence

After years of noise with families and the pressure of parenting, the quiet can feel louder than expected.

8. Unexpected, Unplanned Time Off

Sometimes things suddenly gets cancelled, or changed and you realise you’re free to escape.

9. Seeing a friend’s review

Nothing sparks a break like FOMO. Not jealousy, but thinking, “That looks like a good idea, and we need it too.”

Each of these comes from real stories, real moments. And over this series, I share them in more detail — not to convince you of anything, but to hold up a mirror to something you might already feel yourself. And if you want to get away for some reason, or you care about someone who might need to, then maybe, just maybe, you’ll consider Woodfarm as an option.

Because I genuinely believe this: if we can understand why people press pause, we can create spaces that truly give them what they need.

That’s always been my why. Woodfarm was just how I got here.