guest terms
This is a big one – but then it’s a big house! Sorry.
But you and your guests can refer to it before you come and stay, or during your visit if necessary.
NB – we reserve the right to change the configuration of rooms and furniture etc as is necessary to continue to improve the house in response to guests suggestions. You will never have less than you have paid for and might possibly have more, by way of aditional facilities!
Arrival – Visitors are requested to arrive no earlier than 5.00pm on day of arrival, and leave no later than 10.00 am on a Monday or Friday of departure (cleaners will arrive from 10.00) or 2.00pm on a Sunday afternoon departure. We allocate 20 hours of cleaning and tidying after each group of guests, and any allocation over and above this will be charged at £15.00 per hour without exception and deducted from the security deposit.
We live and work at the house ourelves in The Lower Malt House during the week, constantly maintaining, up-dating and improving the property, the cleaners come in on Friday afternoon and our little boy is at school locally, so we don’t get packed up and gone until a little before 5.00pm ourselves, so please don’t be tempted to ask to arrive earlier. Thank you.
Key code – Please text the owner Liz Lewitt on 07971 249 726 or e-mail on postmaster@millendmitcheldean.co.uk, a couple of days prior to your arrival for the combination code for the key safe by the back door. This will only be given once the security deposit has been received and cleared funds are available.
The refundable security deposit of £500.00 GBP should be sent no less than four weeks prior to your stay. (£1,000.00 if renting all units). Cheques can be made payable to Liz Lewitt and posted to The General Stores, Mill End, Mitcheldean, GL17 0HP, or BACS payments can be made on-line. Please put your surname as the reference to your payment for identification. This refundable security deposit goes into a client holding account, but does need to be in cleared funds before you can stay at the house.
The security deposit will be returned to you by cheque no less than two weeks after your stay, should the property be left as it was found, should the laundry all come back in an acceptable state from the contract cleaners and should there be no noise nuisance complaints from neighbouring houses.
Noise – please be mindful of the fact that though the garden is large and private, there are houses nearby and noises carry far in a quiet village at night. Also whilst we usually de camp to our house in Bristol for weekend bookings, there are occasions when we stay in our wing of the barn ourselves – to provide catering or catch up with paperwork. Equally sometimes we stay in the next door George Cottage for the weekend. If you think you might disturb us or neighbours, and want a BIG party, please don’t book this house!
Supermarket deliveries - it would really help us if you can have it delivered after your 5.00pm arrival time. We are happy to take delivery of your shopping earlier in the day for you and put it in the fridge, freezers and chillers and we will make a charge of £15.00 for our time.
Hot tub – please be advised that the hot tub is completely emptied, cleaned, re-filled and chlorinated between each group of guests and so sometimes will not have reached optimum temperature by arrival time of new guests if on a ssame day turnaround. Please do not be tempted to touch any dials other than the middle jet button and the two grey, turning jet dials. The jets will come on periodically of their own accord to continue and maintain the heating process during your stay. Thank you.
On departure, please put out all your rubbish, properly bagged in tied black bin bags, and your re-cycling in the green boxes in the car-park , close all windows, switch off any heaters or lights, remove sheets from beds and put in a big pile upstairs in the barn by the door to the car park (we are a self-catering house and expect guests to do basic tidying up after themselves), close all windows and return the key to the key safe, remembering to spin the dials and re-scramble the combination code.
Our logo is ‘Party with Compassion’ – please be aware during your stay of re-cycling as much as you can, switching off lights and stand alone heaters when possible and turning heaters down rather than opening windows if you are too hot!
Thank you
Re-cycling and caring for the environment
Glass bottles & jars – into the green bins opposite the back door, then into the green boxes in the car park
Newspaper – into the green boxes opposite the back door, or into black boxes in The Upper Malt House, then into the green boxes in the car park – please do not mix paper with cardboard – paper is taken by the local council collections and we pay privately to have cardboard taken away
Tins & metal – into the black bins by the back door, then into one of the green boxes in the car park – please do not mix with glass
Cardboard & boxes – (but not juice cartons) – flat packed, and put into one of the white hessian bags in the large dark green wheelie bin in the car park – if you lift the lid a bit, the front of the bin flaps down for easy access
Plastic bottles & milk containers – NOT CARRIER BAGS OR CELLAPHANE PACKAGING – into the clear bag in the black bin by the back door then into a black bin in the car park – we pay for these to be re-cycled by Printwaste from Cheltenham
Juice cartons & tetra packs – BUT NOT CARDBOARD – squashed flat, and put into the clear bag in the black bin by the back door. Please do not mix with plastic cartons or cardboard boxes – we pay for these to be re-cycled
Vegetable, Fruit, tea bags & egg shells ONLY into the compost bins in the kitchen, to be emptied on the compost to the left through the wooden gate by the tub if you wish – please don’t put pasta or bread on the compost.
All other waste – in black bin bags, tied up, and put in black bins in car park. We are not happy bunnies if we have to delve into the deep bins to retrieve nappies and loose rubbish to put into black bags ready for the bin men, and will charge you at £15.00 per hour, if we need to do this. Thankyou.
Un-eaten food – if you’re not taking it with you, please leave it in the fridges rather than binning it - this is not a ploy to gain ourselves some extra, free food – we hate to see good food go to waste when there are so many without it in this world! It will be shared between cleaners or given to one of the cleaners for their chickens!
Please turn off lights & heaters whenever possible during your stay – if you are too hot, please turn heaters off rather than opening windows with the heating still on as it wastes power and is not good for the environment – we really are keen to do what we can to help the environment with this large house.
Please close all windows, and turn off all lights and heaters on departure and put the key back in the box with the code scrambled
All bathroom hospitality products in the bathrooms, from PRIJA, are environmentally aware and use re-cycled, glue free packaging, and the majority of cleaning products used at the General Stores are kind to the environment. We are also soon to stock hand made products with locally sourced North Wales ingredients and fresh spring water by ex-international model Georgina Jones of www.Bathing-Beauty.co.uk. She supplies the Pamper Hampers for hen parties too.
A big, big thank you for helping us help the environment!
Practical stuff about the General Stores
Thank you for choosing to stay at The General Stores, Mill End, Mitcheldean.
If you would like details of how to reach Mitcheldean, please visit www.millendmitcheldean.co.uk and print off the location page with directions and distances from major routes and UK cities.
Please be aware that we do not offer full refunds or transfers if you change your mind about your booking, or if the weather is inclement or your circumstances change. We offer full transfer no less than 28 days of your intended stay date. We offer 50% up to 14 days prior to your stay, and less than 14 days we do not offer transfer of any funds. We would recommend that you take out independent holiday insurance yourselves if you have concerns about this.
Please make your security deposit cheque for £500.00 payable to Liz Lewitt, and send it to The General Stores, Mill End, Mitcheldean, Gloucester, GL17 0HP, no less than four weeks prior to your stay, along with your e-mail address and your postal address for the return of your security deposit, or you can BACS it into my bank account with your hire fee.
This security deposit cheque is banked on receipt, and will be returned no less than two weeks after your stay, should there be no damage to or miss-use of the property and/or noise complaints from neighbours. Failing that you can BACS it straight into my bank account. Please e-mail for details.
Unfortunately this security deposit has arisen out of necessity, and is a precaution for us, the owners. The General Stores is a large, very old property, sleeping a lot of guests and sadly has been prone to occasional miss-use by some guests. It is very rare for us to keep any, but if significant damage, breakage or loss occurs, or we have to put in a lot of hours putting the house right after your stay, we will retain the necessary monies for repair or replacement or extra time.
Please be reminded that the main house, The General Stores, is recommended for and priced for 12 adults. The additional five beds – two bunk beds and single beds in double rooms are intended for children or to allow the rooms to be used as twins as opposed to doubles.
However, if you don’t mind sharing and recognize that facilities might be slightly stretched, we have no problems with larger party sizes.
The General Stores and Jovial Colliers together, sleeps up to 21 guests, have six bathrooms, two kitchens, two sitting rooms and two dining rooms.
Add on the Upper Malt House and you have seven bathrooms, three sitting rooms and three kitchens – and a Spa with two saunas, a home mini gym and a pub sized pool table in the pool/music room.
Additional stuff about The General Stores
There are leaflets and maps in the hall of the house. We have provided a lot of facilities, over and above what is expected and hope that you both enjoy and respect these.
There is wireless internet access for the larger members of the party taking laptops – the net work key is 77 9b 9d 4f c6 and is written on a card in the Upper Malt House, where reception is best.
There is a doughnut maker and a popcorn maker for rainy day fun for children. And there are books and bar equipment for making cocktails, a bread maker and a chocolate fountain for rainy day fun for adults!
There are lots of CDs, DVDs, books, maps, local attractions leaflets, board games, a murder mystery set and indoor toys.
And for families with small children, there are two cots, a set of bathroom step, potty and loo seat in the downstairs snug, a small rocking horse, six high chairs, lots of wooden toys in the snug and soft toys in the sitting room trunk.
The property is 600 years old – older according to some villagers – who have said that there is a Roman well lined with curved tiles concealed somewhere in the garden. Everything works perfectly well if not over-stretched, but please be patient with the ancient heating and water systems, which can be eccentric!
Trip switches are behind the curtains in the sitting room if needed – or text 07971 249 726 or 07984 894 039 if you have problems. the trip switch for The Upper Malt House is downstairs in the Lower Malt House. In the unlikely event that this circuit trips, ring us for instructions.
The thermostat for the gas central heating radiators, which serve the four poster room and the whole of the ground floor front of the property is on the wall in the pool room by the curtained door, so please turn that up or down to control all the radiators. Each radiator should be set on about 3 for optimum performance. The thermostat for the Upper Malt House central heating system is on the wall by the entrance to the spa facilities.
Most of the bedrooms upstairs have panel radiators which can be switched on individually. If they do not come on, check the panel radiator fuse board behind the curtain by the window in the sitting room.
Hot water is provided by gas central heating (four poster room and apartment), electric immersion heater (all other bathrooms and main kitchen) and two independent electric showers – so it is highly unlikely that you would ever be left without hot water if one of the systems failed.
There are heaters in every room (gas central heating or electric), and heaters and external lights will be left on in winter for your arrival. There are bed covers on all beds, and extra quilts and blankets in each room should you require them.
We hope that where our house lacks in mod cons, it makes up for with character and charm, and we have tried to provide as many things as possible to make your stay interesting and enjoyable!
Boring stuff about The General Stores
Two of the six toilets flush using ‘sani-flows’, as it is such an old property. If respected, these will work well and never cause any problems. However, please do not throw cotton wool, sanitary items, condoms, baby, make-up or body wipes etc down them, or in fact down any of the loos as the entral chamber is probably Victorian or Edwardian and inclined to block with anything other than loo roll. Also anything other than loo roll is likely to catch in the blades of the saniflows and block the systems. If they need to be stripped down or replaced, half your deposit will be withheld – they cost £250.00 plus VAT to replace.
Although there is a bedroom and a bathroom downstairs, the property is tricky for disabled access, as it has so many different floor levels. There are small steps up and down from many rooms on the ground floor, and guests need to be aware of this if there is a disabled member of the party. Please e-mail postmaster@millendmitcheldean.co.uk to discuss your requirements.
The hot tub is a 6-seater, and more people in at any one time will cause a displacement of water. If the water level drops too much, there will not be enough water to circulate and the heating element can burn out. Please add more water from the hose pipe if it drops below 4” from the top. Please be aware that in extremely hot weather the chemicals will evaporate more quickly, so it is advisable to cover the tub when it is not in use.
Please shower before you use the tub: body, hair and make-up products will contaminate the water. And please do not change any of the settings, other than switching the jets on and off, with the rotating dials. The tub is always emptied, cleaned, re-filled and the levels checked between guests. The hot tub is on a 10.00pm timer, and we would ask you politely to cease use at 1o.00 pm and respect our neighbours’ rights to a good night’s sleep!
If you have moved items of furniture from room to room within the house, please take the time to return them to their original places. You are paying for self-catering accommodation, and as such we do expect guests to clear up after themselves.
A big thank you in advance!
Pubs, Shops, Restaurants and Catering
The village has a well stocked Co-operative convenience store which is open till 10.00pm every day, a fantastic family run butcher (which closes at lunch time on a Saturday), a post-office, a fruit and vegetable shop, a take-away, two pubs, a late petrol station/shop and a public library, so you do not have to bring all the provisions you might need for your stay! There is also a Lidl and a large Co-op in Cinderford, 4 miles away.
There are two standard size fridges in the main downstairs kitchen, a fridge freezer and an under counter fridge in the apartment kitchen for drinks chilling and ice and two fridges and a freezer in the Upper Malt House kitchen. There is also tea/coffee/sugar etc for your first drink on arrival.
We really hope that you have a fantastic time at The General Stores – we do whenever we stay – and we would appreciate your comments by e-mail tor on the questionnaires that we leave in the kitchen. If you have any specific comments or ideas which you feel would have made your stay better please let us know!
Liz Lewitt, 24 Fairlawn Road, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5JS
Liz : 07971 249 726, Zoff : 07984 894 039
Entertainment and Equipment in the house
• CD library – house, club, rock, 80’s, jazz and classical
• I-Pod docking station
• DVD library
• Card games, Chess, Draughts etc
• Bread maker
• Chocolate Fountain
• Cocktail equipment and books
• Facial Steamer
• Foot Spa
• Cots x 2 (set up in Chinese Room and flat in Butterfly Room cupboard) and 6 x High chairs
• Toilet step, potty and trainer seat – downstairs snug
• Full medical kit and emergency baby supplies – downstairs wet room under sink
• DVD library
• Indoor board games
• Board books for younger kids
• Story and bedtime books for older kids
• Chest of soft toys in sitting room for babies
• Wooden toy train set & Wooden work bench and tools
• Wooden toys and puzzles
• Soft skittles and hoops
• Biscuit Press
• Popcorn Maker
• Iced lolly makers
• Outdoor swings , commando net, platform, rope ladder, sandpit and trampoline set in at ground level
Please be aware that whilst every effort is made to ensure that all games and toys are in full working order, they are used at your discretion in terms of health and safety and the owners cannot be held responsible for the sometimes incomplete sets of toys or for any injury happening as a result of the use of any of the above items.
Please always ensure that the lid of the sand pit is put down after use – it stops the local cat population using it in a way that they shouldn’t!
Please also supervise your children using the extensive activity play area at the back of the garden. And if your children climb on any walls or rockeries, they do so at their peril. Again, the owners cannot be held responsible for any injury caused as a result of this.
