INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION
Welcome to our home! Banks Cottage has been in the family since 1953. Many of the books and the pictures (and bits of hare!) belonged to our grandparents, Ronald and Jay Hamilton, and we have tried to preserve the character of the cottage as they had it. We hope you love it as much as we do.
WHAT TO BRING
Your own sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers. The double bed is kingsize with a double duvet and there are two singles with single duvets. Please also bring your own bath towels and you may want to bring a bath mat, although there is one in the cottage. At this time of Covid you may prefer to bring your own pillows and tea towels. There is a small washing machine if you need to wash anything while you’re there.
Bring walking boots and clothes for every season. It can be surprisingly cold or surprisingly hot at the strangest times of year!
ON ARRIVAL IN THE COTTAGE
You’ll find the key under the door mat.
Turn on lights, stereo and telephone wifi (upstairs) at plug sockets.
Turn heating (if you need it) and hot water (see below)
HEATING AND HOT WATER
The heating is provided by liquid petroleum gas in cylinders outside the house. The controls for heating and hot water are in the kitchen next to the fridge. When you arrive, set heating and hot water to TWICE. If you don’t need heating switch to OFF. Please don’t use CONSTANT or ONCE or the gas gets depleted horribly fast. TIME SET should always be on AUTO. When you leave, slide HEATING and HOT WATER to OFF. The log burner is a good source of extra warmth.
TELEPHONE AND WIFI
The telephone is at the top of the stairs with another handset downstairs. The number is 015394 37175. If you make landline calls, please leave a contribution to the ‘phone bill in the Peter Rabbit box.
The code for the Wifi is on the back of the black box.
Network: BT Hub 6-8R3Q, password: i6YrP7xh3iRp
Please unplug when you leave - once we had a storm and the Wifi hub blew up!
We don’t have a television, which hopefully you will find quite liberating! We also don’t have a television licence, so please don’t watch live TV while you’re here. Netflix and Amazon are fine, but please don’t watch BBC i-player.
By contrast, there are lots of board games. These are kept in the dresser in the sitting room in the lower cupboards.
MUSIC
There is a stereo with CD player, which can be connected to ‘phones via bluetooth (see laminated instruction sheet next to the stereo). There is also a small but powerful Bluetooth speaker on bookshelves near the stereo. It’s rechargable via a laptop or USB plug. The battery lasts about ten hours. To connect to it via your mobile phone, switch it on then go into Bluetooth in your Settings and connect to SRS-XB01.
KITCHEN and SITTING ROOM
The kitchen is pretty well stocked, particularly with frying pans, which we have an inexplicable abundance of. Cutlery is in the top drawer, mugs are in the top right cupboard, crockery in the bottom right. The dishwasher, which was kindly donated by two regular guests, takes a full meal setting. Dishwasher tablets are in the bottom drawer. Please replace if you Finish (ha!). Please rinse food off plates before putting them in the dishwasher. Remember to empty it before you leave.
Please be careful not to scrape the cooker with anything metal and please ensure that you leave it nice and clean for the next guests. Remember to check the oven if you’ve been using it.
Glasses are kept in the top cupboards in the dresser in the sitting room. Wine and champagne glasses in the top right cupboard, tumblers in the top left.
There is a small washing machine in the kitchen under the sink. It can do a 3kg load, which is about the amount of clothes that can fit in a plastic bag. We don’t have a dryer, but the airing cupboard (right hand on mountain-facing wall) is good for drying, as are the radiators. Please replace washing capsules and fabric conditioner if you use them up.
Don’t forget to empty the washing machine before leaving (you’d be surprised how many people leave their clothes behind in the washing machine or in the downstairs cloakroom).
If you break a glass, mug or plate, please don’t worry - just let us know so we can get a matching replacement.
We have lots of nice big bowls, which can double as salad bowls, dotted around the kitchen and sitting room. Feel free to use them and everything else, but please put them back where you found them. It’s rather disconcerting when people move our furniture around - if you do, please put it back how you found it!
The cottage now has a Nespresso coffee machine! Please bring up Nespresso (or equivalent) capsules and enjoy great coffee. Alternatively, there is a coffee press in the larder if you prefer.
A good supply of cleaning materials and the hoover are in the middle cupboard in the kitchen.
WOOD BURNING FIRE
The cottage has a wood burning fire. Instructions are in the kitchen drawer. Logs are in the chest in the sitting room and in the downstairs loo. Please only burn wood, which can be bought in the Co-op or the garage in Ambleside. Please let Clare know if the supply of wood is running low and please leave wood and kindling for the next guests.
DOUBLE BEDROOM
There is a hairdryer in the chest of drawers and a travel cot, an ancient camp bed and lots of wooden hangers in the wardrobe.
MAPS AND GUIDEBOOKS
In the box next to the CD player in the living room. If you accidentally leave with a map, which is easily done, just post it back to the cottage.
SHOPPING/SUPPLIES
The Co-op in the village is a great shop and sells almost everything (have a look upstairs!) PLEASE ALWAYS QUOTE NUMBER 212 WHEN BUYING ANYTHING. It was our grandmother’s old membership number and means we get a small dividend each year to spend on cottage improvements.
Please check in the kitchen cupboards before buying anything as we try to keep a supply of basics like sugar, salt and tea in storage jars in the top cupboards. Otherwise we end up with five salts and seven sugars…
If you use something up (e.g. washing up liquid or silver foil) we’d be really grateful if you could replace them.
By contrast, please do not leave behind half used packets of rice, cereal, etc. You may think these will be lovely for the next guests, but they aren’t and just cause a build-up of food which needs to be taken to the tip!
RUBBISH COLLECTION
Chart of collection days in the blue bowl on the windowsill in the sitting room, under the instruction book and guest book. Use the black bin for general waste and the green bin for recycling. If they’re full, there is a very good recycling centre on the left as you’re coming into Ambleside.
CHECK LIST BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE COTTAGE
Clean cottage thoroughly. Cleaning materials and hoover are in the middle big cupboard in the kitchen.
Pay particular attention to oven, loos, bath and fire.
Take all food out of the fridge, but don’t switch the fridge off.
Empty the fire ash pan and clean around the fire.
Empty all bins in the house.
Check washing machine for socks and dishwasher for dishes.
Check the cloakroom for hats and coats.
Switch off wifi router and all other plugs in the cottage (except the fridge!)
Turn off all lights, lock the door and put the key back under the mat.
Feel sad that it’s a beautiful sunny day, the first since you arrived!