A Warm Welcome to Wishbone!

Amenities

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Internet Access 

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Our Wifi information is written on the blackboard in the kitchen – you can find the network and password there, usage is of course free.  

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Wood Burner 

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Please keep the door of the wood burner closed when in use. To avoid burning through your wood supply too quickly, close the air inlet down to a minimum once the fire has set and is burning well. You can find kindling and firelighters plus matches in the basket to help you get started. We provide one basket of logs and some kindling free of charge – should you require more during your stay, we charge £5 per basket. Please fill your basket from the summerhouse, and post your £5 (coins or notes) into the locked post box outside the front door. Above all – enjoy! 

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Electricity, Gas & Water 

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All utilities are included in the rental of your stay. We would be so grateful if guests use these services responsibly, turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Responsible use will really help us keep our costs down which in turn keeps our prices low. Thank you! 

Our heating is operated from the thermostat next to the bathroom, and will automatically regulate. Please do not touch the boiler or its settings. Should you wish to increase the heating during your stay, do turn up the thermostat on the landing, but please do return this to the previous level when leaving to avoid the house continuing to overheat. Please note, that if the house's ambient temperature has already been reached, the heating will not come on unless the thermostat is set to a higher figure. There is also a fan in each bedroom for your convenience.

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The Barbeque 

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The barbeque is there for your enjoyment and we provide gas – we just ask that our guests clean it after use. There are tools for this in the BBQ unit. Do please remove the regulator from the bottle after use and ensure everything is safely turned off. Please do advise us if it runs very low and we will replace it for the next guest.  

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Toiletries & Basic Provisions 

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Wishbone is a self-catering cottage, however to get you started during your stay with have provided you with some toilet roll, shampoo, shower gel and soap. We have also provided tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, salt and pepper, cooking oil, kitchen roll, dishwasher tablets, washing machine liquid, washing up liquid, hand soap, matches, firelighters and a few refreshments. Should you require more during your stay, there is a local store in the market square by the Bull Pub for you to stock up and another just down the road heading out of Fairford towards Lechlade. The nearest large hypermarket is Cirencester. 

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Television, Books, DVDs, Amazon Echo, Games 

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Wishbone is traditional but enjoys up to date technology which is made available for your use.  

• The cottage TV has standard programming, on demand services such as Netflix and also a Google Chromecast should you wish to cast your shows from your ipad or phone.  Simply press the Netflix button on the remove, choose Wishbone Guest profile and away you go. 

• PLEASE DO NOT LOG OUT OF NETFLIX, PLEASE USE THE WISHBONE GUEST ACCOUNT - this ensures other guests have the service ready to use. If you need to use your own Netflix account, please chromecast it from your phone.

• In the event that you find Netflix logged out by a previous guest, or not showing the Wishbone Guest account, you can log back in by going into the existing Netflix profile that was last logged in, accessing the top left menu button, choosing 'Get Help' near the bottom of the list, then choosing Sign Out, then signing back in using          wishbonecottagefairford@gmail.com      and password          Wishbonewifi1   

• There is also an Amazon Echo/Alexa in the sitting room should you wish to play music or ask Alexa basic questions such as the weather, news headlines or time etc.  

• There are instructions for all devices on call out signs near the devices themselves.   

• We also have a supply of books in the book case and dvds in the television cupboard for your enjoyment. 

• There is a selection of board games in the television cupboard as well as playing cards 

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Parking 

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• There is usually space right outside Wishbone on the street, and plenty of parking the full length of Milton Street, as well as plenty of unrestricted parking in the village a short walk away from the cottage, opposite the coffee shop. Please do not block our neighbours’ driveways and we recommend popping in your wing mirror just in case! Should you find the places along the street are taken, there is a car park just next to the church in which parking is free, although overnight parking is prohibited. 
  Parking in the Market Place and at the top of the High Street is free and unrestricted. 
   

• One hour parking restrictions (Monday - Saturday including bank holidays) are in force along the High Street and Market Place from Croft Alley to the junction with A417, London Street, and outside the shops on London Street. 

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The Boring Stuff (sorry!) 

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During your stay 

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It would really help us if you didn’t unplug appliances and lamps, log out of networks / digital accounts on the likes of Netflix / Alexa and move furniture around too much – this can prove an issue for our next guests coming in if things don’t then work as expected.  

Phone Charging 

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We have a charging hub with multiple types of wire in the kitchen on the sideboard so that everyone can leave their devices there charging, and you will also find wireless phone chargers by all the beds in the cottage for your convenience.  

Bins & Recycling 

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We operate a non recyclable/mixed recycling policy at Wishbone. There are two large bins outside the kitchen window on the terrace which you may sort your rubbish into, the black bin is for general waste/non recyclables, whilst the green bin is for all mixed recycling. Please ensure that all rubbish placed in the outdoor bins, including mixed recycling, is in bin bags.  

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Outside Lights 

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Garden spotlights and summer house wall lights are on a set timer so don’t worry if these appear to be left on. Summer house deck and gazebo lights are on a switch on the left inside the summer house. There is a back door light by the kitchen garden door, which you can turn on and off via the switch by that door.  

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Kitchen Appliances 

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Instructions for appliances are in the second leather booklet found with this one. There is a microwave, dishwasher, washing machine (in the cupboard under the stairs) and tumble dryer (outside in the summer house) for your convenience. You will find dishwasher tabs in the corner cupboard space in the kitchen in a tall jar, and washing machine liquid in the cupboard by the machine. NB. Extra stool for seating 5 at the dining table can be found by the front door. 

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Coffee Machine

The coffee machine takes original Nespresso capsules (provided, we seek to provide both decaf and normal). Please fill the coffee machine with fresh water by elevating the flap on the rear water tank to unlock the tank and taking it to the tap. Do the same in reverse, lifting then closing the flap so that it locks into the rear of the machine. The machine only has two buttons, Espresso and Lungo. Press either to turn the machine on. They will flash to indicate the machine is heating (25 seconds). Once they are steady, the machine is ready. Lift the lever handle at the front of the machine, insert a pod, then press it firmly back down. Then just press either Espresso or Lungo once, putting an appropriately sized cup underneath the spout. Please note that if the machine's bin is full of used capsules, it will block another capsule from being inserted (you pull out the perforated container at the front of the machine to empty. Once you have finished your stay, kindly empty the water and pods and rinse out the containers for the next guest. 

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Security 

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Please keep the windows shut and both external doors locked while you are out for the security of Wishbone and your belongings, especially the Velux roof light in the 2nd bedroom to avoid rain entering.  

The back door is locked by lifting the handle to an almost vertical position before you lock the door with the key – but not when unlocking. 

Please look at the Fire Risk Assessment in this booklet, familiarise yourself with the layout of the cottage and plan how you would leave Wishbone if there were a fire. Remember in the unlikely event of a fire, get out, get the fire brigade out by calling 999 and asking for the fire service and stay out! There is a fire ladder in a clear plastic box under the bed in the 2nd bedroom in case of emergencies. There are fire extinguishers on each floor, please familiarise yourself with their locations. 

When you leave at the end of your stay do just check all lights and appliances are off, windows are closed and doors locked, pop your key back in the key safe by the front door and scramble the combination well – thank you! 

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Dogs 

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If you have brought your best friend with you, they are very welcome at Wishbone. We just ask that they follow the house rules to ensure that Wishbone stays at its best for all our guests. Dogs should remain downstairs for the duration of their stay – there is a dog barrier in the kitchen in case you find this helpful (we do!) We also ask that dogs keep to their bed at night rather than sleeping on the furniture. If helpful to this end, a crate is available to you in the summerhouse, flattened leaning against the wall and we would appreciate it if this were used at night where feasible or for dogs to be blocked in the kitchen at night. We also provide water and food bowls, a soft cuddly dog bed and toys for your pooch’s comfort – all can be found in the summer house. Please keep the garden and house clean and ensure that your dog leaves Wishbone as he found it so that we can keep welcoming doggy visitors, thank you so much! A treat jar for your friend can be found by the microwave in the kitchen.  

The Garden 

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Should you happen to fancy watering any of our plants during your stay, we would of course love that! They could always do with a bit of extra TLC as we are unable to do this while we have guests staying, but of course don’t feel obliged! Please do of course take extra care when walking on the wooden areas of the garden when they are wet to avoid slipping. 

Your Stay 

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Local amenities 

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Our website provides you with lots of ideas of places to go during your stay. You can find a convenience store in the market place a few minutes walk from the house, as well as a Boots if you need a pharmacy. We would recommend that if you are looking for local groceries, you head to the Londis on London Street (just a short walk past the market square on the main road near the Indian takeaway), as this has a good selection of food, wine, small electronics such as chargers, hosiery and a Cook frozen food concession which is ideal for last minute meals to keep in the freezer during your stay. The Bull serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and just opposite the church you can grab great coffee and cake at Lynwood & Co. There are a variety of local places to eat if you don’t want to go too far afield. Local favourite pubs include The Crown at Down Ampney, The Keepers at Quenington, The Swan at Southrop and the Masons Arms at Meysey Hampton. Cirencester also offers plenty of restaurants, Made by Bob is recommended for tea.  A little further afield, The Hive at Stow is a lovely buzzing café with excellent brunch in a cosy atmosphere (dog friendly) and Daylesford Farm (GL56 0YG) is a gorgeous, high end farm store selling top rate food, décor items and with a great café, a local favourite. Burford Garden Centre also offers a nice selection of gifts and a pleasant café with outdoor seating (neither Daylesford nor Burford are dog friendly unfortunately.) Surprisingly, dogs are welcome at The Cotswold Wildlife Park, where you can see Rhino graze in front of a gorgeous country house – our dogs love seeing the animals, it’s their favourite day out! If you are a fan of Clarkson’s Farm, why not visit Diddly Squat farm shop? Burford is a nice shopping and eating spot, and if you are feeling ready to brave the tourists, Bibury and Boughton on the Water are very popular – we would suggest aiming for the quietest times you can to dodge the crowds. Lower Slaughter can be a calmer option. The Jolly Nice Farm shop is also a winner.  

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Walks 

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Walkers can hop over the stile just a door or two down from the property towards the town and walk straight into the water meadows, or indeed all the way to Quenington and its pubs! There are also lovely short walks just opposite the cottage and slightly to the left (with your back to Wishbone), to Dilly’s bridge – after the bridge, you can turn left to get back into the market square, or walk right along the river. Keep an eye out for our local water voles, and even otters have been spotted recently! Kingfisher also pop in, and of course we have our resident swans. We provide plenty of walking books and maps near where you found this book, in the kitchen on the side board, and we find the Alltrails app (subscription required but you can cancel this I believe after your visit, do check) very useful to explore all the many many walks the Cotswolds has to offer.  

South Cerney in the Cotswolds Water Park has a lovely walk along what is called the Bow Wow, whilst another lovely walk is at Minster Lovell near Burford – head to the Minster Hall and navigate from there, parking in the cricket club car park. Pubs both half way around and at the end of your walk.  

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Leaving the Cottage – sob! 

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Our cleaning team would of course really appreciate you leaving the cottage in a tidy state – if you could indicate which towels you have used by leaving them in the bath that would be helpful. You do not need to strip the beds. If you could please close and lock all windows and doors, turn out all lights and appliances and leave furniture where you found it, that would be helpful. Do remember to replace your key in the keybox and scramble the lock! We then hope to have you back asap! 

With the boring bits out of the way, we really do hope you have a lovely stay at Wishbone. Should you need anything at all, please email info@wishbonecottage.co.uk 

Daisy