Mitcheldean Terms

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We can provide catering or entertainment or activities for your family or group booking - please ask for price quotes and a list of available options.

Re-Cycling, Composting & Helping the Environment
@ The General Stores

Glass bottles & jars – into the black bins by the back door, then into the green boxes in the car park, or into the burgundy wheelie bin with the circle in the top.

Newspaper - into the black bins by the back door, then into one of the green boxes in the car park – please do not mix paper with cardboard

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 etc (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 cartons etc – we have to pay for these to be re-cycled - into the clear ‘bin’ by the back door, and once the clear plastic bag is full, please tie the top and put the bag in the dark green wheelie bin in the car park (spare clear bags are on a roll, in the under sink cupboard in the wet room)

Juice cartons & tetra packs (but not cardboard)– we have to pay for these to be re-cycled - squashed flat, and put into the clear ‘bin’ by the back door, and once the clear plastic bag is full, please tie the top and put the bag in the burgundy wheelie bin in the car park. There are spares in the small locked cupboard in the wet room

Vegetable, Fruit, tea bags & egg shells ONLY into the compost bins in the kitchen, to be emptied on the open compost to the left through the wooden gate by the tub

All other food waste – meat, fish, bread, pasta etc - to be emptied into the green cone digester to the right through the wooden gate by the hot tub

All other waste – in black bin bags, tied up, and put in black bins in car park. We are not happy if we have to delve into the deep bins to retrieve nappies and loose rubbish, to put into bags for the bin men. Thankyou.

Please leave any un-eaten food in the fridges – this is not a ploy to gain ourselves some extra, free food, but we hate to see good food go to waste when there are so many without it in this world. Thanks

Please turn off lights & heaters whenever possible during your stay – if you are too hot, please turn heaters off rather than open windows with the heating still on

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

A big, big thank you for helping us help the environment!

On departure, please put all your rubbish, properly bagged, and your re-cycling in the car-park binstore, close all windows, remove sheets from beds if you have time, close all windows and return the key to the key safe, remembering to change the comination. Thank you.

Access Statement for The General Stores, Mill End, Mitcheldean

Introduction

The General Stores, Mill End Street, Mitcheldean is a large property dating back to the 1400's, which is available for holiday or business let, for full weeks or weekend and mid-week breaks, for team building and training, for weddings, for photo shoots and film location and for family and friends. It sleeps 16-20 and includes a self-contained family unit.
Disabled and Partial Disability Facilities
• Because the house is medieval and grade two listed it does not have to comply with disabled access consent.
• We have made concessions where possible to make the house more user friendly in terms of grab rails in showers, and a bathroom leading directly to a bedroom on the ground floor in the main house, and a double bedroom and a bunk room having direct access to a bathroom within the downstairs apartment, but the house itself has a difficult spiral staircase to upstairs and many small steps up and down between rooms.
• There are also uneven stone steps down to the garden and backdoor from the car park.
• In our view the house, sadly, is not suitable for wheelchairs.

Pre Arrival

• We have a web-site available – www.millendmitcheldean.co.uk - with an awful lot of information relating to the layout of the house, the equipment and facilities and local attractions.
• If you have further queries, please contact me, Liz, on millend@millendmitcheldean.co.uk or text me on 07971 249 726.
• You need to send a security deposit of £300.00, made payable to Liz Lewitt, to 24 Fairlawn Road, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5JS, no less than two weeks prior to your stay. This will be cashed, then returned to you in full should the house be left as it was found, no less than two weeks after your stay.
• Should you wish to use the hot tub, there is a non-refundable hire fee of £100.00 per stay, which also needs to be sent no less than two weeks prior to your stay.
• Catering can be arranged for you for your stay, as can deliveries from local fruit and veg and butcher shops in the village. Please ask for details prior to your stay.
• Holistic and complimentary therapies can be arranged on site for you for pamper hen weekends, should you wish. Again, please ask for details prior to your stay.

Arrival and Car Parking Facilities

• There is off street parking for 6-8 cars, if parked carefully, in the gravel car park at the rear entrance of the house.
• Unfortunately luggage has to be unloaded from the car park to the back door. The back door leads directly into the kitchen.
• There are six or so uneven steps down into the garden, but there is a heavy duty hand rail and security lights come on automatically in both the car park and over the steps.
• There is a water tight gazebo porch by the back door, with hooks for outdoor coats, Wellington boot racks and a box of items for pet care.
• The back door key is in a combination code security box by the back door. There is a second set left in the kitchen.
• The combination is texted or e-mailed out on receipt of your security deposit.

Main Entrance and Ground Floor to The General Stores

• There is a door into a very small porch, and a door immediately at 90 degrees to the left into the Kitchen, with a high threshold. This is on a spring closure, and there is a heavy door stop inside to hold it open whilst bringing luggage in
• Flooring is terracotta quarry tiles
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator
• There is a five ring gas hob and a built in gas oven. There is also a commercial convector fan oven and a microwave
• There are two fridges and a dishwasher
• There is a commercial gas cooker, fridge and dishwasher and all crockery, cutlery, china and glassware necessary for 20 guests

• There is a WC and Wet Room immediately to the left. The toilet flushes using a saniflow system so care must be taken with not allowing any items other than toilet tissue to go down
• Flooring is decking and black ceramic floor tiles
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator, permanently on through the year

• The Family/Breakfast Room is in front and down a small step. This can seat 15 at one sitting, with the two tables pulled into an L shape
• Flooring is commercial brown carpet as this room receives the most foot traffic
• Heating is a wall mounted panel radiator
• There is a small step up across the breakfast room, into the Snug Play Room, which contains toys and games for toddlers and small children.
• Flooring is oak tongue and groove
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator
• The Hall is through the double doors to the left, and there is a cabinet to the left, which contains all the local maps and information leaflets and details of restaurants and takeaways etc. There is a small two seater sofa.
• There is a step half way across the hall, on the way to the sitting room
• There is a cupboard under the stairs with the hoovers and hoover bags. This also has the foot spa and facial steamer equipment, and clothes airers for hanging out washing

• The Sitting Room has three triple sofas and four other chairs. There are children’s books in the cupboard below the TV and children’s games in the wall cupboard
• There is a large collection of CDs to listen to, many DVDs for both adults and children, a boxed set of DVDs for toddlers, a wooden trunk of infant and toddler toys and a drawer of games for older children. There are also interiors magazines on the upstairs landing and books in every bedroom
• Flooring is a good quality, wool mix brown carpet as this room also receives the most foot traffic
• Heating is gas central heating - the main thermostat is in the large dining room, by the chrome shelves
• There is a door leading into a corridor towards the ground floor apartment, which has a door on the right leading to the Twin Blue Room (2 singles), which has two single beds, clothes hanging rail and pegs, two chests of drawers, a chair and a blanket box. Opposite this is a door on the left leading back into the wc/wet room
• Flooring is carpet
• Heating is a wall mounted gas central heating radiator

Ground Floor Apartment to The General Stores

• The Main Dining Room seats 20, on vintage oak drop down seats in banks of 3 and 4, at large pine tables joined together
• It has double French doors to the courtyard garden, up onto a slate step
• Flooring is oak tongue and groove.
• Heating is via a wall mounted central heating radiators, controlled by a thermostat next to the wire shelves
• The Galley Kitchen has a commercial gas cooker, fridge and dishwasher and all crockery, cutlery, china and glassware necessary for 20 guests

• The Bunk Room (2 bunks) has double French doors to the courtyard garden over a small threshold step
• Flooring is oak tongue and groove.
• Heating is via a wall mounted central heating radiator, controlled by an individual thermostat

• The Rose Double Room (1 double) has double French doors to the courtyard garden over a small threshold step
• Flooring is oak tongue and groove.
• Heating is via a wall mounted central heating radiator, controlled by an individual thermostat

• The Black and White Bath Room has a bath with over shower, wc and wash hand basin. There is a shaver socket
• Flooring is black ceramic floor tiles
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator

Upstairs of The General Stores

• Small step to the right at the top of the stairs and another step down, leading to The Bunk Room (2 bunks). This has a small chest of drawers, a blanket box at the end of the bunk, two runs of hooks along the end of the bunk and a rail with hangers for short garments. It has two single mattresses and is fully prepared with a duvet and white linen. This room is intended as a child’s room or for a group weekend where guests want to reduce the costs per head. There is actually no charge for this room, as it has long curtains to screen it off but does not have it’s own door and leads directly through to

• The Butterfly Room (1 double, 1 daybed). This has a door, a window with window seat, its own wash hand basin, two wardrobes, two small chairs, and a large, double sleigh bed and a built in daybed. There is no charge for the daybed, though it has an adult size single mattress and is fully prepared with duvet and white linen. The tumble dryer is in the left hand cupboard.
• There are extra quilts and blankets in the cupboards in the Butterfly Room for both this room and the bunk.
• Flooring is thick carpet
• Heating is a wall mounted panel radiator

• Small step down on the landing to The Japanese Room (1 double, 1 single). This has a step down in the doorway, a window to the street, a built in wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a king size, a double sleigh bed and a single sleigh bed and three bedside tables, all with lights.
• Flooring is wide, oak floor boards with large rugs
• Heating is a wall mounted panel radiator

• The White Room (2 singles) has a window to the street, a large chest of drawers, and a bedside table, with 2 lights.
• Flooring is thick carpet
• Heating is a wall mounted panel radiator

• Small step down in doorway to Small Bathroom, which has Bette Sitz mini bath with shower over, cloak room basin and wc.
• Flooring is black and white lino.
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator, permanently on through the year.

• Three steps up to corridor, with window and window seat to garden, and door on right leading to
• Chinese Room (1 double, 1 single). This has a window to the street, a low wardrobe with shelves and hanging space, a bookshelf, three bedside tables each with light, a child’s cot and two chairs. There is a hair dryer in a box
• Flooring is thick carpet
• Heating is a wall mounted panel radiator
• This room is en-suite with it’s own wc, bath and wash basin

• The next door on the right leads into The Family Bathroom, with a built in shower cubicle, a bath, a large wash basin, a toilet and a shaver point. The toilet flushes using a saniflow system so care must be taken with not allowing any items other than toilet tissue to go down.
• Flooring is thick carpet
• Heating is via a wall mounted towel radiator

• The final door on the corridor leads to Helen’s Four Poster Room (1 double four poster). This is a vaulted double height room with beams, and has a window to the street, a small window in the wc cubicle and two large windows with window seats looking on to the garden on the other side. It has two bedside tables, each with light, a chest of drawers and two chairs. It also has a free standing bath with centre taps set into a window alcove. There are custom made shutters on all windows.
• Flooring is oak floor boards
• Heating is two gas central heating radiators with individual thermostats

Laundry

• There is a washing machine in the main kitchen
• There is a tumble dryer in the cupboard in the Japanese Room
• There is an iron and ironing board in the cupboard in The Japanese Room
• There are clothes airers under the stairs and a washing line in the garden
• For long stays, fresh linen can be provided for a fee, as can housekeeping services

Child Minding Services

• Claire at Pebbles Nursery on Plump Hill, Mitcheldean, provides an excellent part time service and could probably arrange baby sitting services if required - www.littlepebbles.org.uk, October Cottage, Plump Hill, Mitcheldean - 01594 541171

Outdoor Facilities

• Hot tub available
• Sandpit and swings etc in garden

Garden

• Level top lawn with kissing seat and table with four chairs, getting evening sun
• Sand pit, swing, rope ladder and rings in shade of Yew Tree
• Sloping grassed walkway to lower garden
• Stone steps around hot tub
• Small herb garden through gate in wall opening beyond hot tub
• Layered garden with stone rockeries – the owners would like to warn guests to watch small children. (Our own three year old has free reign and is fine, but we cannot be held responsible for accidents with unsupervised and less confident children)
• Large wooden table and benches next to hot tub and in front of kitchen window
• Small round table with four seats and long bench, receiving early morning sun, outside arched French doors from downstairs apartment
• Bench seat and stone seats by built in stone BBQ area, getting sun all day long

Hot Tub Care and Use

• Please do not use the hot tub if you have been drinking alcohol, and please eat at the table and not in the tub.

• Please only use plastic beakers, found in the baskets in the kitchen, on and around the tub – both for your own safety and that of future guests in terms of broken glass

• Please shower before you enter the hot tub – this is for health and hygiene reasons – sun creams and body lotions alter the ph balance of the tub and make the water appear cloudy very quickly

• Please remove as much debris as possible from your feet before entering the hot tub

• For the safety of children, and also to slow down the evaporation of chemicals from the water, please replace the lid when not in use

• The only button you need to use is the jet on and off button – and turn the two grey dials to increase and decrease the jets

• Please do not alter the temperature buttons or touch the box on the wall

• The hot tub will switch on and off, of it’s own accord during the day, as this is it’s way of circulating water over the heater elements to maintain the desired temperature. If you find this too noisy when not in use, check that the two grey jet dials are off – one needs to be up and the other down

• Please do not stay in the tub for more than 30 minutes at one time

• The hot tub water is completely changed, the tub cleaned and re-filled and new chemicals put in and tested prior to each change of guests – therefore you will only ever be sharing water with your own house guests! Because of this, sometimes the water will not have had time to warm up to it’s optimum temperature in time for your arrival. Please be patient and do not touch the temperature button – it will not make it heat up any more quickly.

• Please be aware that you use the tub entirely at your own discretion and are requested to follow these instructions for use. The owners cannot be held responsible for accidents or misuse

• Please respect the rights of our nearest neighbours not to be disturbed in the small hours by loud and lively hot tub use!

• Please do not sit or lean on the cover, or let your small children climb on it – it is polystyrene and will not take much weight. The cover cost £350.00 so if damaged during your stay, your deposit will be withheld in full. To lift, stand in front of the tub and flip the half lid over towards the back. Then go to the side and lift both halves back using the arm. Thankyou

There are currently 8 bedrooms (with Helen's and Snug rooms available from January 2009) - and a children's bunk-room, with beds as follows:

Ground Floor 'Blue' Room - a twin room in cornflower & white, with cerise furnishings (2)

First Floor 'Butterfly' Room - a white room, with a double & a single (3)

First Floor Bunk Room - an ante-room, leading to Butterfly Room - with bunk beds (2)

First Floor 'Japanese' Room - a large room, with solid, oak floor boards, sleigh beds, & red & black, japanese style furnishings, with a double & a single (3)

First Floor 'White' Room - a twin room, in white, gold and lilac, rococo style (2)

First Floor 'Chinese' Room - a double & a single, furnished in a soft, chinese style (3)

First Floor 'Helen's' Room - master en-suite, four poster room with free standing bath in the room (2)

Downstairs Snug room - with double futon platform bed

Jovial Colliers Rose Room - double bedroom with french doors to garden (2)

Jovial Colliers Bunk Room - bunk room with french doors to garden (2)

Upper Malt House - rinky dinky pink bunk room - (2)

Upper Malt House - sunshine yellow room - (2)

Linen, Laundry & Provisions:
Toilet roll & cleaning materials and duvets, pillows & quilts, plus extra for the children's beds, are included in the price. Clean bed-linen and one towel per person are included. The house is cleaned before & after you visit, & the bed linen is washed professionally, but please remove any used bed-linen & leave it in the wet room on your departure. Also, the cleaning services included are for general bed linen and laundry, emptying bedroom bins and hoovering etc, but DO NOT cover excessive mess, animal mess, mess of a personal nature and excessive washing up/cleaning kitchens/emptying dishwashers.

Kitchen:
The following basics are included - tea/coffee/sugar & cooking oils/herbs etc. Please replace anything you finish. There are plenty of cookery books including Two Fat Ladies, Carluccio's, Culinaria Spanish and Italian & Marco Pierre White & a fresh herb garden outside, from which you are welcome to use the herbs . There is also plenty of cooking and baking equipment, including a full length fish pan, asparagus steamers, chocolate fondue sets, bread maker, professional mixers, chocolate fondue, doughnut maker and biscuit press etc. There is a local butcher on the High St, & the Co-op is open until 10.00pm. There is also a fresh fruit and vegetable shop next to the Mews, behind the library. Cinderford is 4 miles away, with a Co-op superstore and a Lidl, amongst independent healthfood shops and chemists etc.

In The House:
Art work by Bristol artists and photographers, and Il Bordello members - www.ilbordello.co.uk - hangs throughout the house - including Nick Walker (Judge Dread, Eyes Wide Shut), Dan Buzzo, Julian Monoghan, & North Wales' painters Helen Job and Dave Merrils . It is a very creative house, with lots of things you can use, but please respect them. There are books in the bedrooms, including children's books, & board & card games in the sitting room for both adults & children. There are CDs and DVD libraries also.

Central Heating & Hot Water:
There is gas central heating in the Jovial Colliers apartment, blue room and sitting room. There are towel radiators on permanently all year round in the bathrooms and kitchen, and there are individually thermostated panel radiators in the bedrooms. The hot water is heated and stored in a large tank in the Butterfly Room, the hot water in the Jovial Coliers is on a separate hot water boiler and tank and there are three independent electric showers.

Hoover and Brushes etc:
These are all in the hall cupboard. Exterior brushes are in the porch. All cleaning materials are under the sink in the garden kitchen.

Washing Machine:
The washing machine is in the main kitchen, and there is a tumble dryer in the japaneseroom. There is a clothes line outside for fair weather drying, & a couple of clothes horses in the under stairs cupboard. Unfortunately, as the house is 600 years old, the ceilings are too low to hang a clothes pulley. There is a laundry basket & hoover under the stairs & an iron and ironing board in the japanese room cupboard .

Dustbins:
Bins go early on a Thursday morning. The cleaners will put bags outside the gate on a Wednesday night if you are staying for a week. There are boxes by the car-park gate for re-cycling. There are re-cycling bags by the back door but please make sure that you take them to the bin store in the car-park before you leave. For those interested, there is a compost by the herbs, past the hot tub. Thank you.

Smoking:
Please do not smoke in the house. There are ashtrays in the porch by the back door. Please help keep the house smelling fresh, and do not drop cigarette ends in the garden! Thank you.

Music and TV:
There is a TV and DVD player in the sitting room, a CD player/radio on the pool room and a CD/radio in the breakfast room, and ipod docking stations in two places in the house.

Al Fresco Seating:
There is seating & a table in the courtyard garden, which gets the sun most of the day in summer. There is also seating in the built-in BBQ area, which has a south facing wall, under the very rare 'bee skip indentations' in the old Malt House Wall. There is also seating in the top garden, which catches the early evening sun, until it sets over the malt-house. Please feel free to water the plants in tubs whilst you are staying, summer or winter!

Courtyard Parking:
There is parking space for 8-10 cars in the parking area. There is always free & safe parking in the quiet lane (New St) at the back of the house. Please park sensibly in the lane & respect local residents, as it is fairly narrow. Thank you.

Dogs Welcome:
Dogs are allowed, though not upstairs, & definitely not on furniture. Any fouling or damage to furniture will be charged for and deducted from the ecurity deposit. Please also do not leave any dog mess in the garden. There are spare leads, bowls & towels in the gazebo porch, along with nappy bags for picking up mess. Please make sure that dog mess is bagged up and then put into black bin bags.

The quickest & nearest places to exercise dogs areout of the parking area, & up the lane in a loop repeatedly turning left, along the path round the primary school. There is a public right of way at the top of New St, at the back of the house, leading straight up onto the hill with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Also, if you turn right out of the car-park and cross the road, go through the church yard and turn left, then right, there is a path leading to the swings and playing field, and a woodland hill-top walk.

Kids Welcome:
There are plenty of things for children to do, both in the house and within the village. In the house, there are games, books & colouring & art things. The village has playing fields and a play-ground. The upper garden is ideal for football etc as it is away from windows. There are 2 cots available and 6 high chairs, and a box trunk of baby toys in the sitting room. There are board books and early board jigsaws for toddlers in the cabinet under the television. There are plenty of toys in the snug playroom, and there are board games and jigsaws for older kids in the sitting room cupboard.

Walkers and Cyclists Welcome :
There are plenty of hooks in both the internal and external porches for coats and jackets, and three racks of boot pegs. There is also a boot scraper and an outdoor hosepipe for cleaning off excessively muddy walking boots. Cycles can be stored in the garden side of the second set of gates, which have a sliding bolt on the inside for overight security.

Maps:
There are plenty of local maps & guide books in the hall drawers and tourist information display. The village library on the High St, carries a lot of local tourist information.

Library & Wireless Internet Access:
The local library, on the High St, offers temporary visitor’s membership for loan of books & videos, & has free internet access & use of Microsoft Office programmes. There is also a wireless internet hub in the house, with broadband connection - the net work key is 77 9b 9d 4f c6, for the BT Home Hub 2 9RM9.

Arts & Crafts:
Harts Barn is on the edge of the village, & has lots of craft workshops & a cafe. Dick Wittington's is between Mitcheldean and Longhope, and Ruardean Pottery workshops are on the other side of Mitcheldean, towards Cinderford.

Eating Out:
There is a Chinese Takeaway in Mitcheldean, which also does English dishes & chips, and a new Pizza and Kebab shop called Marco's. For good food, we would recommend The Red Hart in Blaisdon (01452 830 477) or The Ship Inn in Newnham on Severn.

Cinema and Theatre:
The nearest cinema is in Coleford – 8 miles away. The library will probably have details of what is showing.

Shopping:
The nearest town with all the usual small, retailers, is Cinderford – 4 miles away. There are also the small local towns of Coleford and Ross-on-Wye, and slightly further afield, Gloucester & Cheltenham.

REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT:

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 £300.00 for a weekend and £500.00 for a full week, payable to Liz Lewitt, and send it to the address below, no less than two weeks prior to your stay, along with your e-mail address. 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 remember that the house is self-catering and therefore we expect guests to empty all the bins and strip all their beds and put all sheets and towels in the downstairs wet room on departure. If this done, every member of your party will have a £50.00 off voucher to redeem against future bookings. If this is not done in full, we will retain £25.00 for stripping all the beds and bathrooms and £25.00 for emptying all bins/sorting re-cycling.

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, we will retain the necessary monies for repair or replacement.

Arrival time is 5.00pm on Friday. Cleaning is done on a Friday afternoon by four cleaners so please do not arrive any earlier. Please text me on 07971 249 726, or e-mail me on postmaster@millendmitcheldean.co.uk for the entry code prior to your arrival, or you can contact me by e-mail, with any advance problems or queries, and I will do my best to help.

Departure time is 9.00am on Monday for weekend lets, or 9.00am on Friday if booked for a mid-week. Please return the keys to the combination safe, and scramble the combination code.

Please be reminded that the main house, The General Stores, is recommended for and priced for 10 adults. The 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 20 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.

POSITIVE STUFF ABOUT THE GENERAL STORES
There are details of local attractions, the facilities and the terms of hire on www.millendmitcheldean.co.uk and 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 a 6-seater hot tub in the garden. There is a sand-pit for the smaller members of the party, and a massive activity play area on the top lawn for children of all ages. There is also wireless internet access for the larger members of the party taking laptops – the net work key is 77 9b 9d 4f c6, for the BT Home Hub 2 9RM9.

There is an Italian decorative biscuit press, 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 wet room, 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 if you have problems.

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.

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 wipes etc down them as these are likely to catch in the blades and block the systems. If they need to be stripped down or replaced, 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 10.30 pm and respect our neighbours’ rights to a good night’s sleep!

Finally, please put all refuse in tied, sealed bin bags in the black bins in the car park before you leave, return games and toys to the shelves, and strip your beds and leave all your sheets and towels in the downstairs wet-room. Thank you

If you have moved items 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 not a hotel, and as such we do expect guests to clear up after themselves. A big thank you in advance!

PUBS, RESTAURANTS, SHOPS AND CATERINGThe village has a convenience store which is open till 10.00pm every day, a 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 kitchen, a small fridge in the apartment kitchen and two fridges 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 to the address below.
Liz Lewitt, 24 Fairlawn Road, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5JS
Liz : 07971 249 726, Zoff : 07984 894 039
Please e-mail me on postmaster@millendmitcheldean with any queries you may have.

HAVE A FANTASTIC STAY!

Items and Equipment in the house for Adults:

• CD library – house, club, rock, 80’s, jazz and classical
• I-Pod docking stations x 2
• DVD library
• Card games, Chess, Draughts etc
• Bread maker
• Chocolate Fountain
• Cocktail equipment and books
• Facial Steamer
• Foot Spa

Items and Equipment in the house for Kids:

• Cot (in Chinese Room) and High chair
• Toilet step, potty and trainer seat – downstairs wet room
• Full medical kit and emergency baby supplies – downstairs wet room
• 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
• In toy store under tree – bats, balls, mini stilts, crazy golf etc

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.

Suggested Guidance Break down of hire fee
Based on Guests paying £2,000.00 for a weekend
Resulting in per room per night, for 3 nights:

Four Poster, en suite room, sleeps 2 £120.00 per night £240.00 per wkend

Chinese Room, en suite, sleeps 3 £120.00 per night £240.00 per wkend

Japanese Room, sleeps 3 £120.00 per night £240.00 per wkend

Butterfly Room, sink, sleeps 3 £95.00 per night £190.00 per wkend

White Room, twin, sleeps 2 £90.00 per night £180.00 per wkend

Blue Room, twin, sleeps 2 £90.00 per night £180.00 per wkend

Bunk Room, upstairs, sleeps 2 £70.00 per night £140.00 per wkend

Rose Room, double, sleeps 2 £85.00 per night £170.00 per wkend

Bunk Room, downstairs, sleeps 2 £70.00 per night £140.00 per wkend

Upper Malt House Rinky Dink Pink, 2 £70.00 per night £140.00 per wkend

Upper Malt House Sunshine, 2 £70.00 per night £140.00 per wkend

(The rooms have very different levels of furnishing and facilities and are of very different sizes, so we suggest this merely if you are a group of singles or couples staying and who might feel that some members of the group get a far better deal than others! It also gives the opportunity for some within the group who are less well off to have cheaper options.

This is purely optional – but knowing the rooms so well, it might make it fairer for you in organizing your party…….the price is per room so if only two people share a room for three, they still would pay the price allocated to that room’s facilities……)

Smoking is not permitted in the house. Thank you.

If you respect The General Stores and leave it as you found it, your deposit will be returned in full no less than two weeks following your visit.

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