Updated 20.03.20
As a small, family run business, the health and well-being of our dedicated team, families and guests is, and will continue to be, our main priority. Through the uncertainty we all find ourselves in, we hope to offer a peaceful retreat for those booked to stay with us, and for those who have some queries, we are on hand to help you navigate your way through this.
Please be assured we are open for business and are following the UK government guidelines closely, adapting our response as and when they change. We will do our best to alleviate concerns and have put some frequently asked questions together to help you which we will continuously review and update as necessary.
The majority of our guests are still travelling as planned and we hope you feel confident in the new measures we have already put in place to ensure the welfare of our guests and team.
We appreciate your patience at this time and thank you for your support.
I have a booking with you, can I still go?
Absolutely! We are fully open for business as normal and all our guests are here as planned and enjoying a peaceful holiday away from everything going on elsewhere, hopefully finding a moment of calm in these difficult times.
We are taking advice from several trade bodies and keeping up to date with UK government information as it is issued. Currently there are no warnings issued by the UK government against travel within the UK, therefore, if you have booked to stay in one of our properties and wish to go ahead with your holiday, then all of our properties are still very much open, available and we look forward to welcoming you here.
We are, of course, monitoring the situation closely and the Government advice is constantly being updated and can be checked online by visiting the Government website and NHS online. Guests, familiar faces returning and those who experience our cabins and barn for the first time, always comment on how wonderfully remote each of the properties are so maintaining good social distancing, as per current government advice, is very easy.
Should anything change, we will contact guests on a case by case basis.
Can I amend my holiday or change my dates?
As we are currently open for business, and plan to remain so unless told otherwise as we know how much guests are enjoying being able to escape and switch off, our standard terms and conditions apply. However, should you wish to change your dates, we would try to help as much as we could in terms of rebooking your property for your existing dates before being able to consider transferring any money paid towards new dates, less any costs incurred.
Will I receive a refund if I want to cancel my holiday?
Currently the UK government hasn’t imposed any travel restrictions within the UK, as such, we are not offering amendments or refunds to bookings if you decide you would like to cancel your booking. We hope you’ll still wish to visit and enjoy a peaceful break but if you are considering cancelling, please speak to your travel insurance provider to understand how you might qualify under the terms of your policy.
Should you still choose to cancel your booking, we will endeavour to rebook your holiday booking. If we are successful in rebooking the property on your behalf, we will refund you the rest of the monies less any costs and discounts we had to offer to the new guests to fill the dates. As always, cancellations must be made in writing to us.
What happens if I want to cancel because I am worried about catching COVID-19?
We understand you or your family/friends within your group may be worried. Currently, there are no government travel restrictions in place, therefore, our normal terms and conditions apply. This means if you choose to cancel, a refund will not be offered. Please do bear in mind that balance payments are not due until 8 weeks prior to arrival so we recommend you wait and see what the situation is at that point in time rather than cancelling your holiday now. Things are changing on a daily basis so its hard to predict what will happen and we’d hate for you to miss out on your holiday.
What happens if I need to cancel my holiday because I catch COVID-19?
We advise that you check with your travel insurance provider as to whether you are covered. Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds in this case but we would do our best to help as much as we could in terms of rebooking your dates and offering a change of dates on a case by case basis.
What happens if I do not catch COVID-19 but have to cancel my holiday because I have to self-isolate or I’ve been advised not to travel by a medical practitioner?
We ask that you check with your travel insurance provider as to whether you are covered. Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds in this case but we would try to help as much as we could in terms of rebooking your dates and offering a change of dates on a case by case basis.
What should I do if I or one of my party feels unwell during my stay?
In the first instance you should follow the Government advice here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19. If the symptoms are COVID-1 related please also, at the earliest opportunity before leaving the property, contact our team on 01473 652149 as we need to notify others that may become at risk. The same applies should you show symptoms of COVID-19 after your holiday with us.
What if I need to self-isolate whilst I am on holiday?
As this is an ever-changing situation, we recommend that you review the up to date guidance from the Department for Health & Social Care. If you are advised to stay in your holiday property, please contact our team on 01473 652149 ASAP.
What will happen if my property becomes unavailable due to COVID-19?
At the moment, there is no reason to believe any properties will become unavailable. We appreciate how important a relaxing break is for guests, more so than ever at the moment, so we will continue to do our utmost to ensure our properties are ready and available to those who wish to get away. We will keep you updated with any changes concerning your booking if necessary.
What is the situation if there is a lockdown?
Where a government prohibits or restricts travel, we understand this is not typically covered by an insurance policy, however you would need to seek clarification from your insurance provider that you purchased your policy from.
If the government prohibits or restricts travel and you feel you may lose your holiday but you have no insurance cover, we would endeavour to help as much as we could in terms of accommodating your booking for different dates and sharing the burden of any losses as it is neither you or our fault that the holiday cannot go ahead. In this situation we would review the booking on a case by case basis.
I’ve got a balance due to pay, should I go ahead and pay it?
If you still wish to visit us and enjoy your holiday property, our standard terms and conditions apply but we understand you may have some concerns. We are giving guests in this situation an additional 7 days grace period to make the final payment. After the additional 7 days, if the balance isn’t paid, we will take this as notice to cancel.
This will then give us 7 weeks to try and rebook the property. Should we successfully rebook the property for the full amount, we will give you the opportunity to carry your deposit over to a new booking.
What steps are being taken in your holiday properties to reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19?
The health and well-being of our guests and dedicated team is our main priority. As part of our standard operations we have strict cleaning procedures for the holiday properties but we have, of course, implemented extra deep cleaning procedures. Each property is sanitised between guests, paying particular attention to hard surfaces and high traffic areas such as light switches, TV remotes, kettles and toasters, door handles, keys, etc.
We are asking guests to depart slightly earlier to give our team the extra time required to carry out the necessary additional disinfection protocols. We have reviewed the NHS guidelines on how to prevent the spread of germs https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-prevent-germs-from-spreading/ and created these protocols. We will continue to take advice and adapt our procedures as required.
The water in our swimming pool and hot tubs are chlorinated and are sufficiently treated with bromine, however, there is no evidence that the virus is water borne.
We do encourage both our guests and team members to follow the advice of HM Government and NHS England in particular:
– Wash your hands regularly for at least 30 seconds using soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water is not available.
– The NHS has provided advice on how to wash your hands properly at https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands.
– Maintain good hygiene practices such as using tissues when coughing or sneezing, or your sleeve if you have no tissues, and disposing of tissues in the bin.
– Maintain social distancing (to help with this we are operating a self-check in system. There are also Welcome Videos loaded on the TVs within the properties to clearly explain to guests how to use the properties features and facilities).
– We have removed our welcome folders and are sending this content out digitally.
We are in a countryside location which makes it easier to maintain social distancing. We have some lovely walks from the door or you can soak up the views and watch the new lambs in the meadows. In particular, our Log Cabins allow you to keep yourselves to yourselves in an isolated environment yet still get away and enjoy a peaceful break.