Access Statement for Heather Cottage

This statement provides details about Heather Cottage, which some guests may need for deciding whether the accommodation is suitable for them. Measurements are provided where appropriate, such as the clearance width through doors and details of the stairs. People with restricted mobility or other impairment may need such information to confirm suitability.

Introduction

Heather Cottage is a 2-storey mid-terraced house, one of a set of 7 holiday cottages arranged around a level tarmac courtyard providing off-road parking. Easy access from a main road, with space for turning round in the courtyard. Unlike some cottages in the Lake District, road access is not a problem at any time of year.

From the cottage it is an easy mostly level walk into the centre of Ambleside, giving access to shops, Tourist Information, Post Office, cinema, local buses and taxis. There are many good eating places, pubs and takeaways within walking distance.

Bookings and Enquiries

All bookings and enquiries are handled by Lakes Cottage Holidays, who will provide you with the key to the cottage and will help with any questions or problems during your stay.

• Lakes Cottage Holidays telephone: 017687 74060 (also 015394 48081)
• Lakes Cottage Holidays website: www.lakescottageholiday.co.uk

Arrival and Parking

• Ambleside is 4 miles north of Windermere on the A591
• Click here for roadmap
• Entering Ambleside from the south (400 m beyond the "Ambleside" boundary sign):
  • Bear right at the traffic lights, staying on the upper road to the town centre
  • 1 km (½ mile) beyond the traffic lights, the road turns sharply left into Wansfell Road
  • Just after this turn, the courtyard is the second opening on the left
  • Drive into the courtyard and park in bay 6
• Be aware of one-way system around centre of Ambleside. Wansfell Road is one-way.
• Street parking around the town centre is restricted

Main entrance

• Entrance is just 5 m level walk from the parking space
• Outside light near entrance comes on automatically at night
• Key by combination keybox near door
• Door keyhole is 110 cm above courtyard
• Door handle is 115 cm above courtyard
• Single stone step 14 cm up from courtyard
• Further 3 cm up over metal threshold
• Entrance door opens inwards, hinged at right, clearance width 71 cm

General Internal

• All rooms have high ceilings, making the cottage feel quite spacious
• Walls and ceilings are light colours, carpets are darker colours
• Decorations generally neutral with most woodwork as natural medium/light wood
• Skirting (except bathroom), doors, stairs, handrails are natural wood
• Door handles and fittings are solid brass
• Lounge/dining room, stairs, landing and bedrooms are fully carpeted
• All carpets are short pile
• All furnishings and bedding are non-feather
• Extra duvets available for each bed (stored in cupboard in second bedroom)
• Blankets available (stored in blanket box in second bedroom)
• No smoking in the cottage
• We do allow pets, along with considerate owners. Pets are not allowed on any furniture or beds. Dog hairs must be cleaned up before departure.
• Ground floor is open-plan lounge & dining area with kitchen at rear through wide archway. Click here for ground floorplan.
• Upstairs are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The only toilet is in the bathroom. Click here for upstairs floorplan.
• Room heating is by overnight electric storage heaters plus fan heaters
• Water heating is by overnight electric immersion heater with daytime top-up
• Most light switches are modern rocker type, typical height 135 cm
• All electrical sockets are switched, typical height 35 cm (except kitchen)
• Audible smoke alarms upstairs and downstairs
• Instruction leaflets in the cottage for all electrical appliances

Entrance Porch

• Coathooks height 170 cm
• Storage shelf height 75 cm, with racks underneath for shoes and boots
• Wall map of the Lake District and also sketch map of Ambleside town
• Door into lounge opens inwards, hinged at left, clearance width 71 cm

Lounge & Dining Area

• Easy seating (2 armchairs plus 2-seat sofa) with seats height 45 cm
• LCD digital TV. Video/DVD player. CD/radio/cassette stereo.
• Various board games and cards plus books, videos, DVDs and CDs
• Dining table is to one side with restricted space and may need to be moved to use all seats
• Dining table is 120 cm x 90 cm and is 76 cm high
• Dining chairs have padded seats, 46 cm high
• Separate light directly over dining table

Kitchen

• Wide archway into kitchen, clearance width 128 cm
• Good lighting from suspended ceiling spotlights and over worktops and cooker hob
• Kitchen units are natural wood colour with wood knob handles of same colour
• Kitchen flooring is wood laminate, similar colour to kitchen units
• Solid worktops height 92 cm, speckled grey colour
• Kitchen sink has large bowl to left, small bowl in middle, drainer to right
• Electric cooker has 4 hotplates and 2 ovens:
  • Hob height 90 cm, with ovens below the hob and control knobs on back panel above the hob
  • Control knobs 125 cm above floor, but also 50 cm back from front of cooker
  • Main oven door is hinged at left, access from front only
  • Top oven/grill door hinges down
• Extractor fan and light above cooker, controls at height 165 cm
• Some cooking fumes may trigger smoke alarms: you may need to open windows and doors
• Fridge built-in below worktop with small freezer compartment. Extra freezer in walk-in storage area under stairs.
• Dishwasher below worktop
• Walk-in storage area with light. Door opens outwards, hinged at right, clearance width 64 cm
• Restricted sloping headroom in walk-in storage area, 125 cm at lowest point
• Washing machine in walk-in storage area. Front loading. Washing and drying.

Stairs

• Stairs are in 2 sections, with a flat square half-landing part-way up
• 12 steps up to half-landing, then turn left and further 5 steps up to landing
• Width of each tread is 79 cm
• Half-landing is flat, 90 cm x 90 cm
• Handrail to left for part of lower section of stairs. Handrail to right for upper section.

Main Bedroom

• Door opens inwards, hinged at left, clearance width 71 cm
• Solid wood double bed with slatted base and centre supports
• Firm mattress (new in 2007) width 135 cm, length 190 cm, top of mattress 60 cm above floor
• Non-feather duvets and pillows
• Wardrobe and chest of drawers for storage
• 2 small bedside units for personal items
• Furniture is natural wood, with wood knob handles of the same colour
• Bedside lights and spotlights give choice of illumination
• Clearance width around bottom and both sides of bed is at least 34 cm
• Largest free space clear of furniture and door is 140 cm x 100 cm, at right side of bed

Second Bedroom

• Door opens inwards, hinged at left, clearance width 71 cm
• Solid wood bunk beds, one above the other, each with slatted base
• Firm mattresses, width 90 cm, length 190 cm
• Each bed has individual wall-mounted reading light
• Lower bed:
  • Top of mattress is 50 cm above floor
  • Easy access, but with limited headroom of 65 cm above mattress
  • Small table for personal items
• Upper bed:
  • Access using wooden ladder, which some people may find difficult
  • Top of mattress is 135 cm above floor
  • Wooden safety rails to prevent falling out
  • Good headroom due to high ceiling
  • Small shelf for personal items
• Non-feather duvets and pillows
• Small chest of drawers of natural wood, with wood knob handles of the same colour
• Walk-in cupboard (with light), providing wardrobe space and storage for cases and bags. Double outward-opening doors with clearance width of 71 cm, but with high step up of 75 cm. Grab handles fitted to door frame.
• Clearance width along one side of beds is at least 70 cm
• Largest free space clear of furniture and door is 100 cm x 100 cm

Bathroom

Modern bathroom with wide bath and electric shower over the bath with curved glass shower screen. The bathroom includes the only toilet in the cottage, along with a washbasin. Floor area is quite small but with high ceiling.

• Door opens inwards, hinged at right, clearance width 63 cm
• In emergency, bathroom door lock can be opened from outside with a coin
• Pull-cord light switch, cord 120 cm above floor
• Fully-tiled white with several contrasting narrow vertical strips of dark tiles
• Light-coloured laminate flooring. White skirting. White bath, basin and toilet.
• Toilet seat height 43 cm, limited gap to right of toilet of 26 cm
• Toilet is dual flush: push buttons on top of cistern, height 80 cm
• Basin height 80 cm
• Wide bath 55 cm high, inside width 70 cm at shower end
• Bath taps are on side of bath for ease of use, but may impede entry into the bath
• Bath and basin taps are smooth white ceramic, may be slippery to turn when wet
• Grab handle on back wall above bath, 110 cm above base of bath
• Grab handle in showering area, 70 cm above base of bath
• Electric shower is "Mira Sport", highest control 145 cm above base of bath
• Shower head is adjustable height and can be detached. Head has adjustable spray settings.
• Shower main switch is outside bathroom
• Electric heated panel for drying towels and warming bathroom
• Pull-cord fan heater, cord 170 cm above floor
• High 'Velux' skylight can be opened for extra ventilation if needed using a long wood pole. Requires some coordination to engage pole's hook into window's eye to open and close the window.

Grounds

The cottage does not have a garden, but does have a small sitting-out area at the front with a wooden garden bench seat. View of Fairfield mountain range. Road traffic can be noisy.

Transport

Ambleside is centrally positioned in the Lake District so being a good base for exploring in any direction. The roads can become congested at peak times and many roads are winding and require care. In winter, some minor roads and high level passes may become unusable. Good roads north to Grasmere and Keswick, south to Windermere and Kendal, west to Consiston and Hawkshead. Local buses and taxis provide an alternative to using the car, and allow the many country pubs to be enjoyed at leisure.

• Car:

  You must turn left when leaving the courtyard as the road is one-way. At the bottom of the bank, turn left to go south (Windermere) or west (Coniston), turn right to go north (Keswick) or to continue round the one-way system. This junction requires care: two-way traffic to the left, one-way traffic going off to the right.

• Bus:

  Main bus stops are in the centre of Ambleside, 200 m from the cottage

• Taxi:

  Taxis in the centre of Ambleside outside the Tourist Information office, 400 m from the cottage

• Train:

  Nearest station is 4 miles south at Windermere, which joins the main line at Oxenholme near Kendal

• Boat:

  Scheduled services on Lake Windermere from Waterhead at the south end of Ambleside, 1 km (½ mile) from the cottage

Local facilities

Ambleside has become a thriving tourist centre, providing many shops and services for visitors as well as for the local community. As the town centre is an easy walk from the cottage, all these facilities are readily accessible. Most walks are level or gently sloping.

• Tourist Information: in town centre, 400 m (phone: 015394 32582)
• Post Office: within Tourist Information
• Banks and hole-in-the-wall cashpoints: in the main street, 300 m
• Petrol station: at the top of Wansfell Road (only 50 m from the cottage, but you will have to drive round the one-way system)
• Nearest shop for simple provisions: at the petrol station, 50 m
• Food shops, outdoor shops, gift shops etc: mostly around 400 m
• Nearest supermarket: Booths in Windermere, 4 miles south (015394 46114)
• Cinema: Zeffirellis in Compston Road, 400 m (015394 33845)
• Garden centre: Hayes, 400 m south (015394 33434)
• Nearest Internet access: at the public library in Kelsick Road, 200 m (015394 32507)
• Doctors: Ambleside Group Practice, 800 m north (015394 32693)
• Dentist: Ambleside Dental Surgery in Millans Park, 600 m (015394 32544)
• Vet: Oakhill Vet Centre in Church Street, 300 m (015394 32631)
• Nearest open area for exercising dogs: Rothay Park, 500 m
• Nearest RADAR public toilet: Rothay Park (and also at the main car parks)

Useful telephone numbers

• Emergency (fire, police, ambulance, mountain rescue): 999
• Cumbria police non-emergency: 0845 3300 247
• NHS Direct (for medical advice): 0845 4647

This statement updated: December 2011