Staying at Larkhill this Autum and Winter

What a year it’s been!

Since the last blog was written the rules and regulations on stays were changed quickly!  In June we were told we would only be able to allow guests to stay from the 11th of July if there were no shared facilities, only to be advised just two weeks later that shared facilities were allowed from the 24th of July! This was after we worked relentlessly to change all of our summer holiday bookings to only provide two accommodations rather than five!  However, as you may have noticed on our bookings page, we decided to stick to only allowing two families/groups to stay (one being allocated the compost loo and the other the flush loo, with one shower each). This decision was taken as we felt this was a better way to protect our visitors (and ourselves) and it is something we will stick with for this winter. 

Unfortunately for lots of our guests (both regular and new) this meant cancelled stays, and although many of you were disappointed we were grateful that most of you decided to change the dates to 2021. Thank you so much for your wonderful support. 

In the last week with many local lockdowns we have seen many cancellations but we have also had many bookings that have snapped up those very same cancellations. It feels as though, where some are playing it safe and not wanting to cross county lines, many are trying to squeeze a bit of R&R in. 

It's such a confusing time, and not knowing what the right course of action to take seems to be a feeling many people have across the board. We feel that way too. We haven't done a lot of social media recently as in many ways advertising for people to come from far and wide just doesn't feel like the right thing to do. However we are open and we hope to remain open unless there is Government instruction to close. As mentioned, only two families/couples/bubbles can stay here at a time and each have their own facilities. The only space that is shared is the log cabin which has washing up facilities, extra cooking facilities, tourist information and charging points (however we provide washing up bowls, dish cloths and tea towels in the accommodation so you don’t ‘have’ to use this and can be totally self contained). 

Other measures we are practicing include allowing a few days ‘gap’ in each accomodation between stays - so that stays are rotated between our four accommodations. For example if the Alachigh is booked for a stay on a Friday and Saturday night, it is left for a minimum of two days and then deep cleaned before the next guests can stay. This is for the safety of our guests and also for us. Other changes that have taken place are listed below. 

• Limited Check-in

   Whereas before Fran or Tony would take you into your Yurt/Tipi and show you how to use the fire etc we now stand in the doorway and explain things from there. 

• Bedding

   Guests are now asked to bring their own bedding, including duvets and pillows. 

• Hygiene

      Before entering the log cabin we ask if you can use the hand sanitiser when    

      entering, using the log cabin as infrequently as possible. Disinfectant wipes are 

      also available for our guests to wipe down any surfaces touched. This area is 

      cleaned on a daily basis. 

• Social distancing

    Social distancing  must also be strictly observed between the two groups staying.  

    We ask that nobody enters the log cabin until it is empty of others using it and    

    the same applies for the firewood barn where you can collect your firewood. 

If you are interested in booking a stay with us and have any enquiries at all, please don't hesitate to call us or send us an email. These are uncertain times and any reassurance we can give is given gladly. If you have a booking and feel unsure about coming we are more than willing to postpone your stay to another date in 2021 or give you a gift voucher so you can decide on dates at your leisure. 

Kind Regards

Fran, Tony and Catherine