Access
Access is from 4pm on the day of arrival. You will arrive at a pair of electric gates. If you are in a car, stop in front of the white line and the gates will open automatically. If for any reason they do not, or if you are arriving on foot, please press the green gate release button on the side of the side gate (not the black button on the side of the main gate, which is just a doorbell!). When you leave, there is a grey exit button on the door of the outhouse to the right. There are two entrance doors to the property, but the one you should use on arrival is to your right, not straight ahead. Entrance keys are in a keysafe. Go to the door and then look back at the window to the left and you will see the keysafe in the window reveal. The code will have been sent to you separately and the same code works the gate to the lake.
Balcony
Please take care when using the balcony to follow these simple rules
- Remember to lock the balcony door every time you come in
- Switch the lights off if you have used them
- Put cushions away if rain is expected or at the end of each day
- Clear any litter, wipe clean the glass if there are any handprints
- Furniture should be kept at least 0.5m away from the glass balustrade, especially if you have small children, to avoid climbing risks
Bicycles
A secure bike store is to be found at the rear of the car port. Keys are on the back of the door by the kitchen (this room is also used for our laundry supplier to take and return laundry so please don’t block it).
Birds
Please feel free to feed them. There should be adequate supplies in the various containers, but please make sure the lids are firmly closed to avoid attracting other animals (a badger is a regular visitor).
Books
The library has an extensive array of fiction and nonfiction, and there are lots of children’s books up in the Sheldon bedroom on the top floor (see plan).
Breakages & Spills
If you should lose or break something, please let us know so we can replace it for subsequent guests. If it’s something valuable (a Villeroy & Boch dinner plate is about £25 for example) we’d be grateful if you could fill in a breakage/damage form, to be found in the chest in the hall, and leave a contribution.
CCTV
You may notice there is a Ring doorbell and two Ring security cameras. These can be monitored by the owners. There is also a security camera covering the jetty down by the lake. Please rest assured that there is no monitoring, audio or video, inside the property!
Children
There are 2 high chairs in the breakfast kitchen and a travel cot and a changing mat in the cupboard in the hallway next to the main kitchen. There is a supply of toddler plastic crockery and cutlery in the drawer next to the sink in the breakfast kitchen. There are some toys under the stairs in the rear hall. They might enjoy one or two of the diversions in the Activity File by the front door.
There is a climbing frame and a set of swings in the garden (An adult should inspect the climbing frame and swings before any child uses them, and they do so at your own risk.) Under the car port are giant chess, draughts, Connect 4 and a set of rustic outdoor dominoes we made from discarded jetty planks. Near the climbing frame is a secret path from which grown-ups are banned and the North Island bed provides a great den for children …
Cleaning
Vacuum cleaners are in the under stairs cupboard along with a selection of cleaning products. Please put the hand-held Dyson back on charge after use.
Coffee
You are welcome to use the Nespresso machine. We supply a small starter pack, but if you want to get more there is a wide array of compatible options in Booths. A Villeroy and Boch mug fills to a nice level if you use Lungo then Espresso for the same pod.
Cooking
The range cooker is dual fuel. Shut off controls are in the bottom of the cupboard immediately to the right. Instructions for use are in the manuals drawer in the breakfast kitchen. The ovens are as follows:
- Grill and small conventional oven
- Conventional oven with fanned grill
- Multifunction oven
- Slow cooker or warming oven
The Neff oven opposite the cooker has a steam function too.
The induction hob in the breakfast kitchen is a sensitive thing. It will only work with certain pans. However, Goldilocks has painted the tips of the relevant pan handles the same colour as her hair so she can remember. These pans are in the cupboard below this hob.
Dentist
Mint Dental is on Elleray Road in Windermere, 01539 488661
Departure Time
We ask that you leave by 10am on the day of departure. Please review the list of departure instructions in the kitchen. If you leave before your nominated departure date, please email northhighfield@gmail.com so we can set the heating to eco.
Dishwasher
Enough dishwasher tablets are provided to run the dishwasher at least once a day (if you run out there should be a container of dishwasher powder under the sink). Please look out for symbols indicating when salt and Rinse Aid are necessary (under the sink). The dishwasher isolation switch is strangely to the right of the sink.
Doctor
St Mary’s Surgery is on Ambleside Road, just next to the church, 01539 488484.
Dogs
This is a dog friendly property. We ask that you leave the property such that a subsequent guest would not know that your pet had come to stay. In particular, if your dog moults, please hoover up and clean dog hairs from furniture and carpets. Outside, whilst we and our guests endeavour to ensure that evidence of prior doggy guests is removed, you should inspect the lawn before allowing children to play.
First Aid
Some first aid resources are in one of the cupboards to the left of the sink in the breakfast kitchen.
Games
Board games can be found in the central cupboard in the library, and the corner cupboards have playing cards. Under the stairs outside the dining room are children’s toys. Outdoor games can be found under the car port (please make sure they are put away after use to avoid rain or car damage).
Garden
We hope you enjoy the garden. In the summerhouse, if you are interested, there is a guide to the planting (please let us know on northhighfield@gmail.com if you think we have made any mistakes!).
If you know what you are doing, you are very welcome to take cuttings.
There are some precautions you should take in the garden:
• Taking extra care on the steps or driveway slopes when icy or wet
• Supervising children near the pond or on the swings or climbing frame
• Checking the lawn is free from animal droppings.
Heating
Central heating and hot water are fired by two modern efficient boilers in a basement boiler room to which only the maintenance team has access. A NEST system commands the boilers. The heating thermostat is located in the main entrance hall (on the staircase wall), and this runs to a standard schedule, set to a comfortable temperature from 0630 to 2230 and to a cooler temperature during the night. The guide temperature in the main entrance hall is cooler than in the main living areas. If you feel the overall temperature is too high or too low, you can just tap the NEST and twist to a different temperature, but remember that the stated temperature should be about 3 degrees cooler in the hall than you want in the living areas. If it’s just one room you want to adjust, use the radiator thermostats, but if you do please return them to the ΙΙ symbol when you leave. There is a fan to cool the top front bedroom which can get a little warm in the summer.
Inventory
Having spent many years using other people’s holiday lets, we have a keen sense of the importance of providing an inventory at least as good as we would expect in our main home, and we hope you have been able to find all that you need. If there is anything else you think we should provide, please let us know (northhighfield@gmail.com).
IT
You are welcome to use the keyboard and display in the library desk. This docking point also has the potential for hard-wired internet. Just Google startech.uk, go to Downloads, enter the product code USB3SDOCKHDV and accept everything, restart and then plug in the USB cable trailing to the left of the display screen, and the green internet cable to one of the mesh routers.
Keys
Apart from the front door, all other keys are located on hooks close to the doors concerned. Please note which doors and windows you unlock, lock on departure and return the keys to where you find them. The large fobs for mission critical keys are designed to reduce the risk of you accidentally taking them home – please do not remove them! Please be aware that regulations for exit doors in holiday lets are very specific – you must not lock doors with the barrel key at night, merely leave the nightlatch engaged. When you leave the property however, you must use the barrel lock and make sure the nightlatch is NOT engaged.
Lake Access
The gate to the lake (please make sure the weight is able to shut it fully behind you) leads to a private footpath owned by our neighbours but over which we have a right of way. This leads to a patch of foreshore and a jetty owned by us which you are welcome to use at your own risk. Sheep graze adjacent fields and the fences are not secure, so keep your dogs on a lead and close all gates firmly behind you. Do not take the first gate left as that leads to our neighbour’s property. Do not allow children to visit the lake unsupervised.
The path is steep, has tree roots and stumps and rocks in places and can occasionally get muddy, so take care, use suitable footwear, and know that your journey and your time at the lakeshore is at your own risk. Please follow the signs to the NH Lakeshore and do not deviate onto other parts of our neighbour’s property. At the lakeshore you should be aware that CCTV operates, with a feed back to the owner.
At the lake you should inspect the jetty and the deck before use as both are susceptible to weather damage. There are some woodpiles and other structures which are not safe for climbing. There is a large storage unit at the back of the lakeshore plot containing 8 chairs and a table should you want to have a picnic. The combination code is the same as the front door. The small storage unit and the boats are not available for your use, as the liability issues are too complex.
If you want to have a BBQ down there, there is a griddle available and you can gather together stones to rest it on. Do not use disposable BBQs on the jetty or decking. When you have finished, please wash the griddle in lake water with the wire brush from the storage box and pour a bucket of water over the coals. Do not leave the lakeshore with any fire still burning. When you leave the lakeshore, you must gather up your possessions and litter and bring them back. You must also return the table and chairs to the storage unit as this area is vulnerable both to trespassers and rising lake levels. The lake can sometimes rise above the height of the jetty. This is why the deck is up by the wall. It used to be by the jetty but nearly got washed away in a flood. Regrettably, it has been known for trespassers to throw bottles in the lake, and so there is a risk of broken glass, so wear shoes when paddling. The lakeshore to the left and right is owned by neighbours, so please don’t trespass. Equally, be careful not to stray from the path onto our neighbour’s land when walking there and back. Our neighbours have a right of access to the lake shore and jetty.
Don’t just leave any valuable equipment lying around at the lake overnight, as local urchins have been known to interfere. If you don’t want to schlepp a paddleboard all the way back up every night we have provided a combination padlock with cable to enable you to anchor it to a big tree there. The code is 1847 (if you get to the lake and have forgotten, Google “when was Windermere station opened?”)
Please note that from time to time, blue green algae can accumulate in the lake. This can be fatal to pets and can cause skin rashes to humans or illness if the water is ingested. Tell take signs to watch out for are clumps of greenish flakes or brown dots floating on the water or coating stones or other surfaces near the waterline. There may also be official notices at the public Miller Ground jetty, or check this link.
Laundry
There is a washing machine is in the laundry at the back of the car port. Washing powder is supplied. Because of our bacterial waste treatment plant it is important not to use biological powders as these can adversely affect the micro-organisms that do the dirty work down there. If you use the electric airer, please be sure to use the timer adaptor to avoid unnecessary costs, and if you are interested in energy efficiency please concentrate your laundry activities between midnight and 6am or 2pm and 4pm. The nearest launderette is in the town centre next to Musgraves, the hardware shop, for example should you need to clean a duvet.
Please note that fresh linen supplies for the following week’s guests are delivered on Thursdays and are placed in the bike store.
Open Fire
A starter quantity of kindling is provided in the baskets next to the grate in the sitting room, together with your first load of logs. In winter months for full week stays we provide additional logs and coal which can be found outside the log store next to the laundry at the back of the car port. Please do not leave the fire unattended at any time and use the fireguard to ensure nothing escapes from the fireplace (the Turkish rug is not cheap for you to replace!). Should you run out of fuel, the best place to get more logs is Cosy Logs on the road to Kendal (in Ings) and you can get coal from Booths. Use the black lidded bucket for ash and if it becomes full, empty it into the ash pit next to the compost bins.
Parking
To make the best use of the parking space we suggest you try to put up to two cars in the enclosure by the greenhouse, one outside the main kitchen window, and two under the car port. Leave the space by the front door as a turning point.
Power Cut
If there is a power cut, you will find emergency lighting in a box above the coat rack in the entrance vestibule. Battery table lamps for use in bedrooms. Battery pendant lamps for use in the living rooms.
Printing
For the printer, just download the Lexmark print manager from the Apple Store or Google Play and proceed from there, and use the USB lead if you have difficulty finding it on the network. For more serious use, to install the driver on a laptop for example, just search and download a Lexmark MX310dn driver. The printer copies, scans and prints at just over a penny a sheet, so provided you’re being reasonable, consider it on the house. Spare paper is in the bottom left drawer of the desk.
Recycling
Please note the co-mingled collection is for empty, clean glass, plastic and cans only (collected normally on a Thursday). Do not put paper, card, plastic wraps or juice cartons in this bin. Please squash cans and squeeze the air out of plastics to reduce the volume. As a courtesy to the next guest, if you have an exceptional volume of drinks bottles, please consider taking some of them to the bottle bank at the Broad Street car park in Windermere. All other waste, including paper and cardboard, goes in general waste. We do ask that everything for the general waste is put in bin bags before going in the bins in order to avoid ‘orrible smells.
Cumbria Waste have a clever process that converts the general waste into Refuse Derived Fuel, leading to an effective 98% diversion away from landfill.
TV & Audio
There are many TVs provided. The TVs in the sitting room, the dining room, the library and bedroom 6 are smart and there is a Netflix subscription you can access, along with Amazon Prime (not with the code to purchase extras, sorry!). There is a Blu-Ray player in the library, where you will find a very large array of DVDs, arranged alphabetically. The TV in bedroom 3 (there’s a magic button hanging on the bed that brings it to life, Thunderbirds style) can be used to play DVDs.
The Google Home Minis in each kitchen can play your Spotify account. There is a conventional digital radio in the library.
User manuals for TVs are in the unit beneath the sitting room TV.
Waste Management
We have a biological sewage treatment plant. Its armies of micro-organisms are very sensitive, and aside from the usual ban on wet-wipes, nappies, sanitary towels and the like going down the toilet, you should make sure that you significantly dilute any bleach, sterilising solutions and even beer put down any loo or sink.
Bins are kept in the enclosure at the top of the drive. Please do not move them down to the house. One of them is general waste and one of them is co-mingled. Cumbria Waste will collect at 6am on Monday for general, some time on Thursday for recycling. Do not leave any waste outside the bins provided. There is a recycling centre in Ambleside and bins for glass, plastic and card in the Windermere town car park if you generate too much for the containers.
Water
The hot water is scheduled to come on at 0630 to 0800, and again from 1630 to 2000. If you want it at other times, you can tap and twist the NEST for a boost period. Note that the ensuite bathrooms are all supplied from the Megaflow cylinder in the cupboard on the top floor, but the shared bathroom is supplied from the other cylinder above the main stairs.
The stop cock is in the laundry at the back of the car port.
Wifi
The ID is North Highfield, and the password is K4talian. The router is located in the breakfast room, and there is a mesh network of six repeaters strategically located around the house. Do not unplug or relocate these as a lot of care has been put into optimising locations in a house whose two foot thick walls challenge the most powerful of WiFi solutions! For extra wired speed you can use the ports on top of the main router or the grey cable coming out of the floor behind the TV in the sitting room. Internet signal in Windermere is very good at its best, but it often dips significantly below its best, particularly in peak holiday periods or in mid-evening (streaming peak). When the Wifi dips you will often find a very good 4G signal on the Lake side of the house.