Terms & Conditions

We very much want guests to have an enjoyable and safe stay in our Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts. Accidents can happen at any time, to the most careful of people, but there is an added risk when one is in unfamiliar surroundings. For your safety and information, we have tried to identify possible sources of ‘danger’ and advise how to avoid these and minimise risks.  Please scroll down for our latest cleaning guidelines, updated 1st June 2020.

Guests

We have identified two groups for whom the huts need an adult supervision: children and infants, and any adult with mobility problems, unable to cope confidently and safely with steps and/or open treads stairs. The stairs; the stairs could be slippery in rain, so extra care should be taken. Note Guests must take every care to ensure the safety of any visiting child/infant or less mobile adult.

Fire

Please familiarise yourself with the detailed instructions for use of the Fire equipment provided, and fire escape procedures, in the Welcome Pack provided for guest’s information. The Fire equipment provided is a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket. We do ask guests to be extremely sensible and aware of the special dangers posed by fire, and the risk to personal injury.

• Never leave cooking on the hob, unattended.
• Never leave an electrical appliance, unattended, such as the toaster, hairdryer or Electric iron.
• Please ensure all electrical appliances & lights are switched off, before going to bed.
• Please be aware of the dangers of a naked flame (candle) at all times, never leave unattended. Do not place a candle near any inflammable material, never leave unattended, do not use candles anywhere near to the bed.
• Please note, “Tea lights” and candles are not allowed.
• The Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts has a No Smoking policy within its property and patio garden.

Smoke Detector are fitted over the bedroom. Emergency lighting; A torch is provided.

The Wood-Burner

Detailed instructions for lighting and regulating the wood- burning stove are supplied in the Information and Advice folder for guest’s further information.

• Do not leave matches or spare logs on top of the stove.
• The wood-burner is to be used only with the door closed. Please ensure it is firmly closed, and ‘dampened down’ before going to bed.

Hygiene and Welfare

• No pets are allowed at the property.
• Our very own brand of Luxurious Lanolin Toiletries is provided for guests, details of the exact ingredients can be found www.romneymarshwools.co.uk
• Where possible we use Ecological cleaning materials and re-cycled paper toilet tissue.
• We can arrange for the huts to be cleaned weekly, on either a Monday or Friday, for guests staying a fortnight or longer.
• Mattress protector and pillow protection are fitted. Sheets, duvet covers & pillowcases are cotton.
• A small First Aid kit is provided.
• Note, some lights have energy saving light bulbs.
• During the Summer months there may be some light penetration into the bedroom area, from the windows in the Huts

 

Water Boiler, etc.

The Shepherds Huts electrics feed into our main house which has solar panels. Each hut has its own water boiler which is run off gas bottles.

Disposal of Waste

Please help us by sorting your refuse into the appropriate bin. Main Bins are stored in the car parking area. A bin is provided in the kitchen, spare liners are provided. The bin categories are: recyclable - glass (bottles/jars), plastic containers (milk cartons only) paper, cardboard, household rubbish - please rinse all cartons/tins and non-recyclable – foil, plastic, etc.

The refuse collection is on Wednesday a.m., and we normally put refuse/recycling out on Tuesday evening.

Note, alternate Wednesdays for 1. General refuse and 2. Recyclable refuse

Flooding

Internally, please do not leave any tap running, as there are potential serious consequences. Please do not leave the shower, basin or kitchen sink taps running, unattended.

Bathroom

Please take care when getting in or out of the shower and be aware that a wooden floor can become slippery. Please use the bath mat provided, to prevent slipping.

General

It is of the utmost importance for guests to read the information that we send you in advance of your arrival, (key collection etc), and the Welcome Pack on arrival. Please also ensure that you familiarise yourself with the hut, its surroundings and all safety instructions.

Cleaning Guidelines effective from 1st June 2020

Laundry

Towels, robes, and Tea towels will be washed at temperatures above 60°C.

Bedding laundry is laundered professionally

Housekeeping

Cleaner to wash their hands before starting work in each hut, even when using disposable gloves and will use paper towels to dry hands.

Hand contact surfaces will be sanitised using a chemical that is effective against respiratory viruses as well as bacteria.

Check list of all the touch points as follows:

Bedside lamp

Wall around bed

Taps

Flush handles

Door handles – inside and out

Hair dryer handles

Binoculars

Fan

Switches

Fridge

Kettle handle

Glasses and crockery will ALL be washed after each visitor

Metal Gate Handle, trolley and keypad locks will be cleaned after each visitor

Linen and bedding will be bagged for Laundry service to collect

Cleaner will protect themselves by hand washing immediately after cleaning each hut or use a sanitizing hand gel.

Any cloths will be disposed of after cleaning each hut, along with any disposable PPE used such as gloves and aprons.

We will permanently leave a Hand Gel in each hut for our customer to use.

Risk Assessment of Coronavirus cases in our business

If there is an infection relating to our huts, there is specific guidance that we will follow which includes how to deal with each hut safely. The following link to this government guidance is found at https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/page/coronavirus , but we have summarised the information here. We have a plan for this eventuality, and we have checked to make sure that we have the chemicals required, and PPE. Our Cleaner has been trained on new procedures. We have checked with our disinfectant or sanitiser supplier that our products are effective against the coronavirus. We will use disposable cloths, or paper rolls and disposable mop heads. Our Cleaner will wear disposable gloves and aprons. If a hut has had an infected guest staying, we will follow the Current best advice to leave the room secure and unoccupied for 72 hours to significantly reduce the risk of the virus surviving on surfaces. We will not allow anyone to go in and we will put a notice on the door to remind our cleaner that the hut is “Out of action.” This simple measure will reduce the risk to our cleaner and guests and means that soft furnishings which cannot be disinfected easily will be safe. If we do this, current UK Government guidance is that we can follow normal room cleaning regimes, as detailed above. If we have a booking, we will either use the other hut if available or change the date/refund the customer. Public Areas we will clean and disinfect all touch point public areas such as the keylock, metal fence and trolley. We will dispose of any cloths, disposable PPE and mop heads by double bagging and keeping secure for 72 hours before disposing in the general rubbish.

Sustainability and Green Credentials

Managing our Landscape

• We manage hedgerows in keeping with the environment stewardship scheme
• Leave wildflower paths around the edges of the arable field to provide and enhance wildlife habit
• Feed livestock on natural feeds
• Our Romney sheep graze on clover rich pastures managing our fields around the Shepherds Huts
• Barn Owl Box onsite and Owl sited.
• We have bats roosting in our area.
• We keep a closed flock and breed our own replacement ewes reducing travelling miles.
• We farm on diverse landscape which support a wide range of native species of wildlife.
• Ecological surveys have been carried out on farmland to assess suitability and density of wildlife population.
• Valuing the rural environment which is clearly conserved and enhanced – the farming management systems in the business make a positive contribution to the well-established marsh pasture which is traditionally grazed using low level inputs and thereby supporting the maintenance and conservation of the flora and fauna.
• Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts offers the opportunity to add value to local agriculture by acting as an exemplar business to encourage others to take a creative approach to rural business development.
• Protection and maintenance of nationally important genetic assets – the Romney Marsh sheep breed is an historic rural asset and has been grazed on the marsh for hundreds of years.  The farm is committed to keeping this breed and maintaining a high-quality gene pool to ensure the flock remains ‘true-to-type’.
• We launched our traditional Shepherds Huts holiday accommodation to invite customers to come and explore and enjoy our beautiful countryside and its nature and these became part of Green Tourisms Certification journey in February 2022.
• We have put in an electric charging station for electric cars for our hut customers to use whilst staying.
• We collaborate with local businesses to add enhanced experiences to your stay such as Wine Tours of Kent, The Picnic Hut and Marsh Safari and Channel Bike Hire.  
• We place locally produce into our huts.