Watch video: Villager Jim shows why his holiday let cottage is a perfect retreat for visitors to the Peak District

Villager Jim’s Cottage in the chocolate box village of Foolow has been operating as a holiday let for three years and is never short of bookings. Its owner Villager Jim has built a business around his multi award-winning photographs of wildlife and never has to advertise the cottage, thanks to the power of social media where he has 420,000 followers on Facebook and another 70,000 on Instagram.

He said: “The cottage is very cosy and compact and is big enough for two people and two dogs. Its biggest selling point is that it is on the doorstep of the great outdoors. You can go on so many walks from here and Bakewell is only two or three miles away. There’s a beautiful pub – The Bull’s Head – which does cracking food 50 metres away from the cottage.”

Eagle-eyed guests relaxing outside Villager Jim’s Cottage may spot Jenny the wren who has taken up residence in a wall attached to the property. Villager Jim said: “She’s been here for three years and she has a little family. She goes in the same hole in the wall that’s right outside the cottage on the patio.” Bobbin the robin is a frequent visitor, feeding out of Villager Jim’s hand or anyone who offers her food. And a wild pheasant named Norman makes a regular guest appearance as he swoops in for tea.

The bijou cottage was originally a barn built in 1700. Villager Jim said: “I used to have it as my office then decided it was pointless for me to be sat in it when I could be 20 metres away from it working in an office in my home. We thought we’d gently turn it into holiday accommodation. From the moment it opened it’s been booked all the way through. The only time it’s not booked is when we’ve stopped bookings to repaint it. Ninety percent of the year, it’s chock-a-block.

"Visitors come from all over. We've had some Americans stay, people from London and some from Scotland. Twenty two million people a year visit the Peak District – it’s a fabulous place.”

A stay in Villager Jim’s Cottage costs £140 a night, irrespective of the time of year. Villager Jim said: “We don’t up the price in the high season. We’ve only just opened bookings for September and October – we layer it so people don't book it up well in advance.”

The cottage showcases two of the owner’s most popular photographs on large canvases. One is Raspberry Cow, an image of a cow sticking its tongue out, which is on the wall beside the double bed. Ascent of Stag, which has pride of place above the bedhead, is a photograph of six stags taken on a rainy, foggy morning at Chatsworth in a once in a lifetime shot for Villager Jim. He said: “One stag stood up and then another and then another – I was shaking like a leaf and thought this is not happening. I go out 365 days a year to take photographs and I’ll never take another image like that.” Ascent of Stag is the photographer’s best-selling image to date, appearing on mugs, tea trays, canvases and prints.

The 59-year-old photographer goes out every morning an hour before dawn and in all weather conditions to capture his stunning photographs. His early-morning photoshoot locations are often a closely guarded secret to preserve the habitat of birds or timid animals from being disrupted by hordes of curious humans. Villager Jim said: “I’ll stay a couple of minutes, take a few shots and always say thank you to them.”

Mystery surrounds the photographer’s real name which he has kept secret for 10 years. Credited as the Banksy of the Photographic World by the late Look North presenter Harry Gration, Villager Jim commented: “I’m having that one and I’m pushing that out wherever I can!”

Villager Jim’s life changed course 10 years ago when a photo of his black labrador Dilly snoozing in a chair beside a fire went viral. The former software company boss said: “I set up Villager Jim as a bit of fun – the image of the labrador rocketed and that’s how it all started.”

His photographs now appear on a range of products including kitchen splashbacks and wall plaques. He employs 11 workers and has a 3,000 sq ft warehouse to handle customer orders. Villager Jim said: “It’s a surfboard ride of wonderfulness.”

Born and bred in Sheffield, the enterprising businessman moved his family to the Peak District in 2008 after he and his wife bought a house four days after viewing it. Villager Jim said: “You wouldn’t pay me a million pounds to go back to Sheffield, much as I love Sheffield. There is no way I’d live in a big city now with all the openness here.”

The couple’s daughter, Hennrietta, manages their self-catering holiday cottage. For further details, go to www.villagerjimscottage.co.uk or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VillagerJimsCottage