Access

Access Statement for The Barn And Pinn Cottage.

Our Policies including Smoking, Cancellation, Late Arrivals, Wedding and Dog policies are below the Room descriptions

The Barn and Pinn Cottage is 500 years old. We have refurbished it with loving care and consideration for both our guests and the property. Everything has been done in keeping with the character of the cottage. We can cater for many different people but by the nature of the building most of the bedrooms are not large and it is not suitable for severely disabled guests. Our most accessible room is Room 8. We are located a 5 minute drive away from the seafront of Sidmouth and are situated in the countryside with beautiful walks directly from our doorstep. There is a pavement from our property round to the bus stop at the top of our garden. The Barn and Pinn Cottage is situated in the middle of its 2 acre gardens so it is set well back from the main road. The beautiful gardens at the front gently slope up to the road with flat paths around the cottage. The paths are of block paving and flagstones. This is a mainly flat site with only a small slope to the private car park at the back which has 10 numbered bays. Each room has an allocated space. The driveway and car park is tarmac. Guests can be dropped off by the front door if they wish. The entrance is level‚ the doorway width is 810mm (32″) There are gardens surrounding the property and seating areas both in the front garden and also at the back.

There is a smaller garden which has a gently sloping gravel pathway by room 8, leading to a really peaceful sunny area for our guests. Next to this garden‚ to the left there is a private garden (separated into 2 ) for the sole use of our guests staying in our Luxury rooms which are 9 & 10. To the right is a new garden named after our Spaniel Molly. To access this area there are grey gates in the middle of the picket fence. This area has tables, chairs and sun umbrellas.
Our driveway entrance is directly opposite the entrance to the Bowd Inn Pub car park. Follow our private driveway past 2 small cottages to Pinn Cottage and the driveway goes round to the right which takes you to our private car park at the back of the property. Guests park in the space numbered the same as their room and come to the front door marked Accommodation. The buzzer (doorbell) rings both in the kitchen of The Barn and Pinn Cottage and also in our bungalow at the top of the car park. We come to meet you and welcome you in. No need to carry your luggage down we will help you with this when we show you your room. All hallways and the landing have automatic sensor lighting on both the wall and ceiling lights so there is no need to look for light switches and the fire alarm system has emergency lights which lead you to the exits. The entrance hallway to the oldest part of the property which is Pinn Cottage has a tiled floor‚ this flooring continues through into the breakfast room. (Apart from Rooms 6, 7 & 8 everywhere else is carpeted.)

The guest lounge is the second door on the left which is a large room with a wood burning stove‚ 42″ Television with DVD player and 3 very comfortable settees for our guests to relax in. There is also a cupboard under the window that has a chess set on, full of games and books for our guests to use. Outside the guest lounge in the hallway is a small table which has postcards on.  All of our bedrooms are clearly numbered with raised brass numbers. They all have en-suite shower rooms with natural travertine flooring‚ co-ordinating porcelain wall tiles‚ white bathroom furniture‚ under floor heating and heated towel rails. All our Televisions have Freeview and the facility for subtitles should this be required. There is a Hairdryer in each room. Various items including clocks are available on request. Tea and Coffee making facilities are also in each room. Ironing is not permitted in the rooms but we can supply an ironing board and iron should you need one to be used in a safe area. All our bedding and towels are 100% Egyptian Cotton. Bedrooms 1‚2‚3 and 5 in Pinn Cottage overlook the front garden. Room 4 overlooks the side gardens and entrance driveway. We have 6 downstairs rooms one of these (Room 5) is in the oldest part which is Pinn Cottage. The cottage has 4 rooms upstairs. The stairs are spiral and carpeted and have good handrails. Room 5 (in Pinn Cottage) is next to the lounge and has a very small step into it (70mm) this room has a subtle green carpet and is painted in a soft heather with mahogany furniture‚ wardrobe‚ chest of drawers and 2 bedside cabinets and a four poster (no canopy) bed with a sprung base memory foam mattress. It has a window seat and a wicker chair. The television has a built in DVD player. The small shower room has a shower ( the opening is 550mm with a 120mm step into it)‚ sink and toilet. At the top of the stairs to the right is Room 1.
Room 1 has a very small step up to it (140mm) and is the largest of these rooms‚ it has a lovely high ceiling‚ beige carpet and is painted a subtle pale cream‚ it has pine furniture‚ a chest of drawers 2 bedside cabinets and a chunky king size bed with a memory foam mattress. It also has a built in wardrobe‚ a window seat and 2 bedroom chairs. The television has a built in DVD player. This room also has a good size shower room. (The shower opening is 580mm with a 135mm step into it). Room 2 is at the top of the stairs in front of you.

Room 2 also has a very small step (140mm ) This room again has a lovely high ceiling it has a subtle green carpet is painted a soft pale pink and has white iron bed frames with brass knobs (handmade in Cornwall) with sprung base and memory foam mattresses and rustic pine furniture‚ wardrobe‚ chest of drawers and bedside cabinet. This room has a window seat and a bedroom chair. The small shower room has a shower ( the opening is 530mm with a 120mm step into it)‚ sink and toilet. The television has a built in DVD player. Room 3 is up the stairs to the left.

Room 3 This is a cosy double room with a lower ceiling, it has a light brown carpet and is painted a subtle pale green with a black iron bed frame with brass knobs (handmade in Cornwall ) with sprung base and memory foam mattress and a fitted oak wardrobe with both hanging space and shelves. A bedroom chair and television with built in DVD player. This room has a good size shower room (The shower opening is 380mm with a 120mm step into it). Room 4 is up the stairs to the left at the end.
Room 4 – This is our only single room‚ it has a 4ft bed (which is 500mm high) with a sprung and memory foam mattress with double bedding, pine furniture‚ single wardrobe‚ chest of drawers and bedside cabinet‚ a bedroom chair and television with built in DVD player. This room has a beige carpet and is painted a subtle pale blue. It has a sloping ceiling to one side (over one half of the bed and the chest of drawers) So there is no need to duck at all. This room also has a good size shower room. (The shower opening is 390mm with a 120mm step into it).

Downstairs again and the Breakfast room is opposite the guest lounge. Still in Pinn cottage the door being opened at breakfast and dinner time. The Breakfast room is a cosy room and accommodates 4 of our rooms for breakfast, the other rooms use the dining room next to this room which is ‘the barn’

We have 5 other bedrooms – all downstairs. Room 8 is a twin room. This is our most accessible room for ease of our less mobile guests. It has good quality warm, comfortable, non-slip wood plank effect flooring and is painted a beautiful blue. This room has both inside and outside access The outside door being a stable door. It has double aspect windows‚ one to the guest garden and one to the entrance courtyard. This room has wider doorways (820mm 32″) It also has a walk- in wet room. The sink is a pedestal one with Bristol not lever taps (in keeping with the property) We have a seat for the shower and a frame for the toilet‚ if required. These are not permanent fixtures and there are not any grab rails. Furniture is set out for the room and is not moved around or removed by the guests, we can rearrange the room if additional sleeping is required. The addition of a z-bed is possible in this room. If this is required then one of the 2 bedroom chairs is removed and the chest of drawers moved to make room for the z-bed. With the addition of the z-bed, access is soley through the stable door. The bathroom has pale coloured naturally non-slip travertine tiles with co-ordinating porcelain wall tiles. The bathroom also has under floor heating and a heated towel rail. There are ceiling spot lights in both the room and bathroom with a fluorescent shaving light over the bathroom mirror and a bedside light in the room. A night light is also there for guests use. The beds are sprung mattresses with memory foam and are 22″ 560mm to the top of the mattress. This bedroom has solid Mango furniture‚ wardrobe‚ chest of drawers and bedside cabinet‚ 2 wicker bedroom chairs and television with built in DVD player. (The wardrobe does not have adjustable rails)

Rooms 9 & 10 are our Luxury rooms and are to the rear of 8 and accessed by a private stable door to the right of the main entrance. As with Room 8 for breakfast and dinner there is access through the hallway which has a slight slope at one end, into the dining room and breakfast room. At other times if we are not in that part of the building the door to these areas will be locked. Access to the lounge will then be through the main entrance door.
There are 3 steps up to the 2 rooms(approx 130mm each) and then room 9 is on your left and 10 on your right‚ which has another 2 steps up to it (approx 190mm). Room 9 This room has pale cream walls and a rich dark pink carpet a King size four poster bed with deep memory foam mattress‚ solid oak furniture and 2 wicker bedroom chairs. It has a very good size shower room with an electric velux window. (The shower opening is 470mm with a 140mm step into it.) There are French doors on a small step (80mm) opening onto a private patio and garden. There are 3 steps up into the garden off the patio (170mm). This room has a 26″ Television. Room 10 This room has subtle pink walls with rich light coffee carpet a King size four poster bed, with deep memory foam mattress‚ solid oak furniture and 2 wicker bedroom chairs. It has a good size shower room.(The shower opening is 420mm with a 140mm step into it) There are French doors opening onto a private patio and garden with a very small 100mm step onto a flat patio. This room has a 26″ Television.

Rooms 6 and 7 were outside buildings converted in 2010 into ground floor accommodation. These rooms are not attached to the main building but are only 8-10ft from the front door. These rooms together with Room 8 make up the entrance courtyard.  Room 7 window faces the carved wooden entrance door and Room 6 faces towards the guest garden and Room 8.
Room 7 has a stable door. There is a small step (130mm) into the room. The floor is tiled with under floor heating. There is a Double bedroom painted in a rich cream with an oak bed frame with a full memory foam mattress. It has 2 wardrobes with hanging space and shelving behind the door‚ Lounge/Dining area‚ painted in a soft terracotta‚ with a double sofa bed‚ Table and 4 chairs‚ fully equipped Kitchenette and Shower room.(The shower opening is 470mm with a 140mm step into it) This room also has 2 electric velux windows‚ one in the kitchen area and one in the bathroom. The bedroom has a slightly sloping ceiling – not low and the lounge has a high vaulted ceiling. This room has a 26″ Television. The sofa bed in the lounge area of this room can be made up as either single or small double. For your comfort the sofa bed is suitable for up to 2 children up to age 12 depending on the size of the children, age 12+ a single person in the sofa bed. When the room is booked with additional sleeping, the sofa bed is made up and is only put back to a sofa when the guests leave. So that the sofa bed is comfortable we make the bed up with a memory foam topper. With the sofa bed made up it turns the Lounge/Dining Area into a 2nd bedroom. This means that the room can then only be booked on a bed and breakfast basis. Not as self catering.
Room 6 – This room used to be a coach house, it also has a stable door and a small step into the room(100mm ) The room is a light cream with a high ceiling a black iron bed with brass knobs and a full memory foam mattress. The furniture is solid Mango‚ a wardrobe‚ chest of drawers and bedside tables. The television has a built in DVD player. The bedroom and bathroom are tiled with under floor heating. It has a good size shower room with a curved wall (The shower opening is 470mm with a 140mm step into it).
Our Dog Friendly Rooms The Rooms we allow dogs in are 6, 7 and 8 Please read our dog policy as we will ask you to agree and sign this upon your arrival. We do not allow dogs in the cottage. Our cleaning is extremely thorough and guests would not know that a dog had ever been in our dog friendly rooms. But we know that some people have very severe allergies to pets and they can book with complete confidence in any of our rooms in the cottage Rooms 1-5 and also our 2 Luxury rooms with 4 poster beds, with the knowledge that there has never been any pets in these rooms. All considerate and responsible dog owners should not have a problem with the policy, it is in place to ensure that we may continue to welcome both the owners with their much loved dogs, for many years to come. If you do have any queries with any of the points, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our Policies : Please read all our following policies carefully as we have put them in place to keep our home safe and in beautiful condition for your comfort. Thank you

Smoking Policy We are a strictly non-smoking establishment also the use of candles in the room is strictly prohibited. The  smoking areas are either in the middle of the Car Park. Or we have a bench in Mollys garden for your use with a special bucket.  There is also a bucket for the disposal of cigarette ends by Bay 10. There is an umbrella for your use.

Deposits, Balance & Cancellation Policy

Should you need to cancel : We have a 60 day cancellation policy. Please inform us asap so that we can re-let your room for you. We will always endeavour to re-let rooms If we can re-let your room for the entirety of your stay, any additional payment over your deposit will be refunded to you less booking fees if it is let through booking.com. If your room is part booked we will refund accordingly. It is advisable for all guests to use Travel and Cancellation insurance to protect themselves in the event of cancellations occurring.
Late Arrivals Policy  

Checking in time is between 4 & 6pm Non Arrival by 7pm with no contact will be taken as a cancelled booking, our cancellation policy will then automatically apply. If you do wish for a slightly later booking-in time this may be possible but is to be pre-arranged when you book The booking-in time is to ensure that we are here when you arrive to welcome you in. If you arrive outside these hours without prior notice this cannot be guaranteed. If any unforseen circumstances e.g. traffic accidents causing severe delays, please ring to let us know. Once you have arrived and you have your key you are welcome to come and go as you please.

Electronics Policy We supply a Hairdryer in each room for your use. We ask that all electronics such as curling tongs, straighteners and hairdryers are turned off and unplugged after use and before leaving the room. No large electric appliances, cool boxes, air con units, fans etc can be used here.
Washing & Ironing is prohibited in the rooms, if you require the use of the iron and ironing board please ask and it can be set up for you in the breakfast room after breakfast service.

No Perishable/Dairy Products are to be kept in the rooms   If you wish us to put something in our fridge for you please ask. Please bear in mind we have limited fridge space. We don’t mind the odd ice block for cool bags either.

Tea & Coffee making facilities are in each room. These are for use in the rooms only and no items are to be removed or used elsewhere.
Damages As the registered guest, you are financially responsible for any excessive and/or exceptional cleaning or in the event of any damage to towels, Furniture, carpets, etc.  We have Natural Travertine flooring in most of our bathrooms. Rooms 6 & 7 have porcelain tiles.The use of oil based sprays and products which may come in contact with the floor are not permitted as it damages the stone and the natural non-slip properties of the Travertine. They also would make the porcelain tiles slippery and therefore dangerous, so this applies to all rooms.
Lost Keys There will be a charge of £40 in the event that you are unable to surrender the keys to your room on departure. If upon your return home and within 2 days of your departure the keys are found, please ring us. Upon receipt of the keys within 1 week of your departure we will refund the charge.
Left Items Please check the room carefully on departure to make sure you have not left anything behind If you contact us and ask that we send the item(s) to you the charge will be the cost of postage and packing (Plus £10 if you require us to make an urgent trip to the post office for you) Items left of no particular monetary value and not requested will be donated to the local charity shop.
Illness  We have a number for an emergency doctor should you need one. Please ring the doorbell and we will call them for you If you are unwell then you need to go home and/or see a doctor Please see our Cancellation Policy

Our Dog policy.

All our policies have been put in place to keep our home and garden in beautiful condition for your enjoyment. We do not allow dogs in the cottage. Our cleaning is extremely thorough and guests would not know that a dog had ever been in our dog friendly rooms. But we know that some people have very severe allergies to pets and they can book with complete confidence in any of our rooms in the cottage Rooms 1-5 and also our 2 Luxury rooms with 4 poster beds, with the knowledge that there has never been any pets in these rooms.
All considerate and responsible dog owners should not have a problem with the policy, it is in place to ensure that we may continue to welcome both the owners with their much loved dogs, for many years to come. If you do have any queries with any of the points, please do not hesitate to discuss them with us.

All Well behaved and friendly dogs will be welcomed to The Barn and Pinn Cottage.

1 Dogs are not permitted into the Main Building.

2 They must be on a lead at all times whilst on the property.

3 Dogs are not permitted on any furniture.

4 Muddy dogs are not allowed in the rooms.  We have a hosepipe located in the car park. Towels for dogs are available.
Please just ask

5 Any damages/ Excessive cleaning/deodorising due to dog will becharged for.   

6 If trustworthy then dogs can be left for a short time in the room while guests eat breakfast with us. If not then they must   be left owners car. Secure car park with CCTV.  If the weather is good we are happy to lay a table up on our patio so that your dog can join you for breakfast.

7 Dogs are not to be left in the room on their own at any other time.

 8 We need to start to clean rooms at 10am and ask that they and yourselves are vacated around 10am daily to enable us to do this. You may request for your room to be done last or first.

9  No fouling is permitted on the property. Our property begins at our sign opposite the Bowd Inn. ( Head directly down the driveway away from your room. If you dog does have an accident en-route down the driveway, then please pick up and wash down with watering can located by lounge windows)

We have a lovely new guest garden this year which is enclosed by fencing and we are happy for you to enjoy this with your dog. Please ensure your dog has toileted before you relax in there. This way our property stays fresh smelling and lovely for all. 

10 Doggy Poo bags may be put in bin located in the car park by Bay 7 on hatched lines it is black with a black lid

11  Any young dogs not 100% housetrained will need to be crated whilst in the room. Only rooms suitable for this are Rooms 7 & 8

Reasons: We have included some additional points in recent years due to incidents with guests. For example:

Point 7, we had a guest leave his dog in the room and go out for the day with friends. We were unable to enter the room to clean as the dog would not let us in. The dog is on holiday too why bring it away then leave it?

If you have a dog which is happy to sleep in its bed while you come into the cottage for breakfast with us then, not a problem. But if it is going to jump up on the bed and chew the furniture, then obviously we can’t have that. And we need to be able to get in and clean your room in the morning.

Point 9 the addition of the wees. One guest was allowing his dog to wee up the cottage walls in the courtyard! Another let it wee up car tyres in our car park. Also recently we have had a couple of guests let their dogs toilet on the grass in the guest gardens !! Which not only kills the grass and leaves yellow patches on it, but these are gardens where guests can use for picnics etc. if they wish. We can’t have dogs using these to toilet on. Or our new Grey garden in memory of our beloved Spaniel Molly. We have 2 Acres of beautiful gardens which we tend with loving care.  We love dogs. We want everyone who stays here to have a truly wonderful relaxing, stress free break. By understanding our policies hopefully everyone will.

Our Events Policy Each year we have some guests staying who are attending weddings, Funerals, Birthday Parties Etc Most are lovely and we welcome them back. Unfortunately we have had some guests attending weddings whilst staying with us which necessitates this policy. We wish for you and us to enjoy your stay. No ironing is to be done in the rooms. If the use of an Iron and Ironing board is needed, this can be set up for you in the breakfast room after breakfast service. We do ask that you vacate your room after breakfast so that we can freshen it and replenish the tea trays for you. It will only take about 15 mins per room. Cleaning usually begins at 10am. For the day of the event you may request your room to be done first or last depending on when you would like to get ready. You may wait in the grounds or the guest lounge while this is done. When your room has been cleaned for the day you are welcome to come and go as you please. If a lie-in is preferable for you rather than breakfast the next morning then this is not a problem, but breakfast service does finish when I have taken the last order by 9am. Guests not appearing for breakfast will have their rooms done last, but when all other rooms have been serviced, you will need to vacate for a while so that your room can be done. On your departure day Check out is by 10.30am To maintain our high standards all rooms are checked following check out. The cardholder is deemed to be responsible for their actions and those of any of their party. We reserve the right to replace, with new, any missing, damaged or soiled items, any additional cleaning will be charged appropriately and may include any cost for loss of business. The cost of the replacement or cleaning will be charged against the card used to secure the room. The Barn and Pinn Cottage is our home. We welcome guests and hope they will enjoy this peaceful location and beautiful area. If we feel that peaceful enjoyment would be jeopardised by another person or person’s actions or demeanour then we do, if necessary, reserve the right to refuse admission or terminate the letting period irrespective of bookings or monies paid.

Information: Public Transport. The nearest Railway station is Honiton which is 10 miles away then Exeter which is 14. Taxis are available at the stations and also in Sidmouth town centre. There is a bus stop at the top of our garden with a regular bus service to Exeter‚ Sidmouth‚ Lyme Regis etc we have bus timetables in the guest room folders for their use. There is a local shop which hires buggies and wheelchairs should our guests need them. Information cards are in our guest lounge.