Westward Living Self Catering Holiday Cottages in Westward Ho! North devon

One of the things that make us stand out from the crowd are all the added little touches which we love to provide with our compliments;

Bespoke toiletries;

In your cottage you will find a beautiful hand-crafted soap to use during your stay with us. We have moved away from providing lots of different bottles as many of our customers are concerned about the impact of single use plastics and detergent based shampoos on the environment and particularly the beautiful waters surrounding our North Devon coastline.

Making the switch to soap-based toiletries means no plastic waste as our beautiful Seagull paper is compostable and printed on FSC paper with environmentally friendly inks. Our stickers which seal the soaps are made from compostable cellulose which breakdown within a few months in a hot composter. Soap itself does not cause harm to aquatic life and biodegrades naturally with no harm to the water systems. Our soaps can be used for Shave, Shower and Shampoo and are also much kinder to your skin and scalp than harsher detergent based shampoos and liquid soaps

We hope you love the new locally hand made products and our continued efforts to protect our beautiful environment, if you have any questions about them please do not hesitate to ask.

Cream teas;

A trip to Westward Living at Duckhaven Stud would not be complete without sampling a world famous delicious local cream tea. All the ingredients are locally sourced and placed in your cottage ready for your arrival – please let us know 10 days in advance or your stay if you have any food intolerance.

Towels and linen;

Linen and towels are included for all cottages.

Cottage inventories

Each cottage will have the following as standard,
Hair dryers
Microwaves
Dish washer (with the exception of Surcoat cottage)
Washing machine and tumble dryer or washer dryer
Iron & ironing board

The essentials;

All our of cottages are self-catering and we are close by to a great selection of local shops to stock up on the essentials for use during your stay with us, however each cottage is equipped with a small selection of essential cleaning products to get you through your first night including dish washer tablets, washing up liquid, bin bag, tea towels, washing sponges, anti bac spray and toilet paper.

If you require our directions, access statement or any other documents in larger point font please contact us [email protected] or call us on 01237 238967

We have 4 accessible cottages, these are can be viewed here.

Each property has a full access statement on the listing.

Smiley cottage has been built with accessibility in mind, a ramp access into the main lounge and 2ft 9" door into the master bedroom and wet room. The wet room is equipped for disabled persons use.

We offer a choice of bathroom chairs, one with wheels and one static, please advise when booking which you prefer.

Our larger family properties Farriers, Gallops and Furlong are also suitable for disabled access and have wet rooms.

Wheelchair friendly beaches

Westward Ho! Beach facilities include disabled access, toilets (including disabled), easy access refreshments and lifeguard cover during the summer months.

Exmoor National Park A Tramper electric wheelchair is available to hire to explore sections of the stunning north Exmoor coast.

Ilfracombe Tunnels Beaches Beach facilities include disabled access, toilets (including disabled), refreshments and lifeguard cover during the summer months.

Saunton Beach Easy Disabled Access. Toilets and Showers with disabled facilities including the new Landeez, the all-terrain and beach wheelchair available for hire. Sand is very soft sand at entrance making wheelchair access difficult.

Croyde Bay Easy Disabled Access. However, sand very soft sand at entrance making wheelchair access difficult.

Combe Martin A great beach for families with loads to keep the kids entertained. Shingle at the top with sand closer to the water for building sandcastles, rockpools to explore plus easy disabled access.

Woolacombe. Ideal beach with broad golden sand and safe swimming. Easy disabled access from lower car parks

The Tarka Trail

Shared usage part of the trail runs from Braunton to Meeth and is suitable for wheelchairs with easy access at many locations along the route.

The local AONB have worked hard to produce a range of very informative information on accessible tourism, local walks and cycle routes, please click here for more info.

Can I bring horses?

We welcome horses as well has humans here at Westward Living. Farriers cottage has a private paddock including field shelter, adjacent to the garden where you are welcome to bring your own horse at a small fee of £100 per week which includes hay and straw bedding. Please call us on 01237 238 967 to request more information about our livery option.

Do you accept dogs?

With the exception of Dream, Kala's, Smiley, Sadlers & Furlong cottages, our properties do not accept dogs. Guests who are bringing dogs must comply with our dog policy and will be charged for damages. If you have not advised us that your dog will be travelling with you we reserve the right to append your booking if possible (with relevant surcharges) or deny access to your dog. Please ensure that you are aware of the conditions before booking.

We love dogs, but unfortunately due to our location on a stud farm with many thorough bred horses running free in the cliff top fields & goats and chickens living within the grounds we are not able to accept dogs in all of our cottages. Assistance dogs are made very welcome all year round and Smiley Cottage is our recommended property for guests requiring an accessible cottage or wishing to bring an assistance dog. We do accept well behaved dogs over 12 months old in Smiley & small dogs in Furlong, Kala's, Surcoat, Sadlers & Dream cottage by prior arrangement, however all dogs are expected to be on a lead at all times and not to jump up on sofas or beds.

If you are considering bringing a dog, please advise us on point of booking to check if this is permitted & we will forward you a copy of our dog policy which forms part of your contract with us.

There is a £20 surcharge for bringing along your four-legged friend to cover to cost of a deep steam clean that is carried out after your departure. This is not intended to offend in any way but is simply to ensure that the fibres of the fabrics and soft furnishings in the cottage are ready for our next guests and will not affect any future guests with allergies.

If you have not advised us that your dog will be travelling with you we reserve the right to append your booking if possible (with relevant surcharges) or deny access to your dog. This is because we have a max head count of dogs that can be permitted on site at one time.We advise that you contact us on 01237 238967 to discuss the availability of our dog friendly cottages and to receive a copy of our dog policy prior to booking your short break.

OUR WESTWARD LIVING COMMITMENT TO YOUR SAFTEY WHEN WE REOPEN

The much awaiting reopening is almost here, the safety of our guests, staff and local community are always our priority, here are a few measures we will be putting in place to keep our little piece of heaven in Devon safe for all to share and enjoy.

1. BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

Our offices are closed at the moment until 4^th July, however if you have any questions or concerns about your stay with us, you can call us on our guest phone number which is 07807 096 997 or email Kathy and Chris on [email protected]

Duckhaven Stud is not only our business it’s also our home so we respectfully ask you to be mindful that if you are showing any signs of COVID-19 or suspect that you may have been in contact with someone who has, that you let us know ASAP so you can request to postpone your stay with us.

Here is a reminder of the symptoms https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

Please make sure you have sent us all the names of guests who are travelling in your party. It is also recommended that you download the government approved tracking and tracing app to ensure we are all alerted to any guests or visitors who may pose a risk of spreading COVID-19.

Think about where you will be visiting and what activities you will be doing and whether you need to pack extra hand gel, wipes, face masks or other PPE. - also, sunscreen and a beach hat for fun days out on the beach is highly recommended!

Please make sure you have notified us of any special requirements or bed configuration requests well in advance of your arrival.

2. ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN

We politely remind you not to enter the grounds to the complex on arrival day if you or any member of your party are displaying signs of COVID-19, this is includes and is not limited to a high temperature, a new and persistent cough and loss of taste and smell – all symptoms and be viewed here. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

To ensure your safety, we are offering a 100% contactless self-catering experience with us. We will make contact with you pre arrival to make sure we have all your guest information details and you are aware of check in time, directions and how to contact us. Please note that due to significantly increased housekeeping requirements our check in time for all cottages will now be from 5pm.

For your and our safety, we reserve the right to temperature check (non-contact)

When you arrive your UV light sterilised key will be in the door of your property.

Unless you request otherwise, your property will have been fogged with anti-viral mist and your linen will be in a sterilised sealed bag ready for you to pop on the bed. All complimentary toiletries will be individually wrapped for your safety.

If you need to enter the reception office, please make sure you follow the social distancing protocol and ensure social distancing with a minimum or 2 metres at all times.

A hand sanitising station will be provided at the entrance. All guests will be required to sanitise before entering the office.

3. COMMON AREAS

You are welcome to enjoy the outdoor children’s play area and picnic tables; we ask that they are occupied by one family group at a time.

Picnic tables on the front lawn are all spaced at a minimum of 2 metres apart.

Hand sanitising stations are located at the picnic area, chicken coops and children’s play area.

Our rustic barn is equipped with customer toilets with sanitising hand wash at the basins. As well as contact-free hand dryers and/or disposable hand towels.

To avoid overcrowding and unnecessary contact we ask that guests who are staying with us - where possible - use the bathrooms in their cottages.

If you see other guests within the grounds during your stay with us, please be mindful to keep a social distance of a minimum of 2 metres between yourself and other guests.

4. INSIDE YOUR SELF-CATERING COTTAGE

Unless you request otherwise, your property will have been fogged with anti-viral mist and your linen will be in a sterilised sealed bag ready for you to pop on the bed. All complimentary toiletries will be individually wrapped for your safety.

We have replaced guest information folders with a personal guest info pack which will be recycled after use. This is for one time use only and is to prevent cross contamination. This pack will contain helpful info on best practices for staying safe during your stay with us.

Every guest bedroom and en-suite will be fully sanitised before each stay and sealed to ensure no contamination occurs prior to your arrival.

Fabric items such as mattresses, pillows, cushions, carpet, chairs and other furniture will be sprayed by our fogging machine with an approved sanitising mist solution. This is the most effective method of controlling the spread of Covid-19 but otherwise harmless to you and us.

All surfaces are thoroughly wiped down and cleaned prior to your arrival.

Linens, towels and robes are professionally washed on a high heat, with added sanitisation. These will be sealed on your arrival. Slippers and all consumables are replaced before each stay.

Our housekeeping teams undergo strict sanitisation methods prior to starting work and will wear the appropriate PPE during cleaning and will be adopting highly effective and through cleaning practices.

Should you require maintenance assistance during your stay, rooms will need to be vacant and personal items including toiletries stowed away.

If during your stay a member of your family shows any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or generally feels unwell, we kindly ask that you should make arrangements immediately to return home and self-isolate for required periods.

5. PLUNGE POOL AND INDOOR GAMES ROOM

These areas will be remain closed until further notice.

Please note: our processes and precautions for our small indoor plunge pool and games room will be under constant review, this plan will be frequently updated to give you the very latest information. We will, of course, always comply with all government regulations – if this means that this communal indoor facility will need to remain closed then we will adhere to this guidance.

6. CHECK-OUT

Please note check out time for all properties is 9:30am, this is to ensure that the cottages are cleaned and sanitised to the same high standard that you would have found them to be on your arrival ready for the next incoming guests.

To help protect our team we respectfully ask that you consider assisting us with the following;

Please strip the beds and place linen and towels in bags provided.
Open all doors and windows.
Open all drawers and cupboards.
Please remove all food stuffs from the cupboards and fridges and place all general rubbish and recycling in the refuse areas provided.

Please ensure that you have taken all personal belongings with you as we will not be able to store or post left items.

Finally, please drop your keys in the secure key box your departure.

7. OUR PEOPLE: STAFF TRAINING, HYGIENE & PROTECTION

It’s important for us to share with you how we are putting your safety at the forefront of everything we are doing. All our team will have had detailed training on how to prevent cross contamination as well as undergoing risk assessments in each area of their role.

If we suspect any colleague (or ourselves) of showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 they will be immediately sent home and will be required to self-isolate for 14 days prior to returning to work.

Hand sanitising stations are located at all office and staff rooms for the team to use at regular intervals, they will also be wearing facemasks and gloves when required. Please do not be alarmed as this is to protect both you and us.

We are closely following the Government Guidelines on a daily basis and will make changes as and when required.