Accommodation

• Low power LED lighting throughout
• Cupboard lights that automatically turn on and off
• WC’s with water saving dual flush mechanisms
• A digital room thermostat with an ECO mode
• Thermostatically controlled radiators in all rooms
• An ‘A’ rated boiler
• Equipment with good energy efficiency ratings, including:
  • An A+ rated oven
  • A highly efficient induction hob (Philips rating 5/5)
  • A+ rated dishwasher
  • A+ rated fridge-freezer
  • B rated washer dryer

We promote local business. For example, we provide a small welcome pack on arrival, which is stocked with local goods, some of which carry the New Forest Marque www.newforestproduce.co.uk. This includes shampoo and shower gel from New Forest Aromatics www.newforestaromatics.co.uk, and cookies from the Isle of Wight.. The framed pictures which have been used to decorate Homelands are from local photographer Paul Robertson. A comprehensive information folder kept at the property has details of local attractions, local walks, cycle routes & cycle hire and public transport. We have arranged a discount for our guests at local cycle hire shop Cyclexperience www.newforestcyclehire.co.uk to encourage cycling. The information folder also offers some tips on how guests can help look after the environment during their stay.

Access Statement for Homelands, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire, SO42 7RY – UPDATED FEB2020

Introduction.  Homelands is a recently refurbished, centrally heated, modern 3 bedroom semi-detached cottage which is available for self-catering holiday letting all year round. It is located in the heart of the village of Brockenhurst and only few minutes’ walk from the local shops and restaurants and the open forest. Homelands can be found at the end of Highwood Road, off Sway Road (B3055).

Pre-Arrival. Our comprehensive web site details what can be found at Homelands by way of facilities and appliances etc, and has photographs of the property & surrounding area. It also provides directions to the property and a list of activities and local pubs and restaurants. The property is marketed through New Forest Cottages (newforestcottages.co.uk) which is a reputable holiday letting agent which specialises in New Forest self-catering accommodation.

Brockenhurst railway station on the main Waterloo to Bournemouth and Lymington line is 300 metres away, reached via a part tarmacked and part paved level footpath. Please note that access to the station using this route is via a gate. There is a ramp (with hand rail) leading down to the station which is across the station car park. Cycle hire and a taxi service (Brockenhurst Station Taxis 01590 615261) are available near to the railway station. The nearest bus stop can be found on Sway Road which can be found at the bottom of Highwood Road, some 200 metres from the property.

Brockenhurst village has one small supermarket, Tesco which offers an on-line ordering and delivery service. Tesco opening hours are 7am to 10pm.

Key Collection, Welcome and Car Parking. Access to Homelands is via a large 5 bar gate which opens in the middle and on to a level gravel driveway which leads to the front of the property. The driveway is shared with a neighbouring property. The parking area is shown on the website and is sufficient for 2 medium sized cars. Highwood Road is a level, tarmacked road. (Click here to go to our Directions page which shows a diagram of the parking area).There is a sensor activated security light which illuminates the driveway at night and a smaller sensor light which illumintes the front door and key safe. The property also has two outside lights to the front which are controlled from a switch in the hallway. The keys to Homelands are kept in a secure key safe attached to the front of the property. The access code for the safe will be provided by the letting agent prior to arrival. It can be arranged for a local contact to meet and greet upon arrival during working hours.

Entrance to the Property.  The front entrance to the property is via a short paved pathway leading from the gravel driveway with one step up to the front door. The door opening is 84 cm wide and leads into the hallway. An inset door mat positioned in the entrance part of the hallway. The rear entrance is by a pair of hinged French doors (total opening width 114 cm) that open out onto the rear patio and garden.

Hall, Stairs, Landing, Corridors etc. The property is well lit by a number of LED lights set into the ceiling, including the stairwell to the first floor which is to the left of the front entrance. There are 12 stairs to the first floor, all even in size (20 cm deep x 82 cm wide x 22 cm high). The stairs are carpeted in a contrasting stripe design. The stairwell has a handrail to the right hand side as you ascend. There is low level LED lighting which illuminates the stairway. The hallway is 96 cm wide and has a wooden laminate floor.

From the hallway, there is access to the kitchen via a doorway (74 cm wide) on the right and a downstairs WC with hand basin (doorway 70 cm wide). At the end of the hallway is a doorway (74 cm wide) leading to the lounge/diner. The landing at top of stairs is carpeted with a contrasting stripe design. Entrance to the 2 double and 1 twin bedrooms is via doorways each 74 cm wide. The doorway to the bathroom is narrower at 66 cm. All doorways open inward except the airing cupboard door and cupboards in the hallway which open outwards. Walls are painted in an off-white colour and all woodwork including stair bannisters and handrail are painted in a contrasting grey colour.

Sitting Room /Lounge.  The lounge / diner is accessed from the hallway. The entrance door is at the end of the hallway, directly opposite the front door and is 74 cm wide. It has the same wooden laminate floor continued from the hallway. This room features a large corner sofa, a large low level coffee table in front of the sofa, an extendable dining table (seating 4 un-extended, 6 extended – spare chairs are kept in the hallway cupboard). Other equipment includes a wood burning stove, 48” smart LED TV with Freeview and internet TV access, Bluetooth sound-bar system (which will wirelessly play music from smart phones, iPads etc.), DAB radio, Blu-ray DVD player, Nintendo Wii and a selection of board games, DVD’s and books. French doors open out onto the patio and garden. An information folder and guest book can also be found in this room.

The dining table is 76 cm high and of a high gloss lacquer finish. Dining chairs are without arms and are finished in a grey upholstery. The table is positioned to allow sufficient space for seats access on all 4 sides, but can be moved more centrally in to the room if greater access width is required.

The lounge/diner is well lit by dimmable LED lights set into the ceiling and two wall lights which can be operated independently from the ceiling lights. A table lamp also sits on a console table next the wood burning stove. Walls are painted in an off-white colour and all woodwork is painted in a contrasting grey colour.

Kitchen.  The kitchen is accessed from the hallway. The entrance door is to immediately to the right as you enter the property from the front door and is 74 cm wide. The kitchen is fully equipped and includes an electric combination oven with drop down door (low level), induction hob (work surface level – 88 cm), microwave oven (work surface level – 88 cm), built in fridge-freezer (top section fridge, bottom section freezer) & dishwasher (low level), washer dryer (front loading, low level), 22” LED TV with radio function, toaster, 360 degree revolving kettle, food processor and a breakfast bar (88cm high) with 3 bar-stools. Wall cupboards are 135 cm high. The sink unit features a single lever tap.

The kitchen is well lit by LED lights set into the ceiling. Additional under cupboard and over sink lighting is controlled by a separate switch which further illuminates the surfaces. Walls are painted in an off-white colour and all woodwork and kitchen units are in a contrasting grey colour. The work surface is finished in a contracting oak colour.

An outdoor rotating washing line is also kept at the property.

Bedrooms.  The 3 bedrooms are on the first floor of the property and are accessed via the first floor landing. Doors open inwards into the bedrooms and are all 74 cm wide. The master bedroom has a king sized bed, en-suite bathroom, bedside units & lamps, built in wardrobe with vanity light, 22” LED TV and radio alarm clock. The 2nd bedroom has a double bed and the 3rd bedroom has two full size single beds, each with bedside lamps and radio alarm clocks. All beds are fitted with award winning, hypoallergenic mattresses and hypoallergenic duvets and pillows. All bedrooms have pull down blackout blinds and are carpeted in a plain grey colour. The bedrooms are well lit by LED lights set into the ceiling with additional bedside lighting in the form of table lamps. Walls are painted in an off-white colour and all woodwork is painted in a contrasting grey colour.

Bathroom & En-suite.  The bathroom is accessed via the first floor landing. The door opens inward to the left and has an opening of 66 cm. However, a towel rail just past the door opening on the right hand side narrows the access into the bathroom to 56 cm. The bathroom has a regular sized bath (57 cm opening width and 57 cm high) with over-head shower, a WC and hand basin. A separately operated hand shower at the opposite end of the bath to the overhead shower is also provided. The bath and shower mixers are thermostatically controlled in order to maintain a constant temperature and reduce the risk of scolding. The wash basin has a single lever tap. The WC has a soft close lid and push button flush operation. There is also an illuminated and heated wall mounted vanity mirror. Lighting for the bathroom is via switches on the landing adjacent to the bathroom door. The bathroom is well lit by LED lights set into the ceiling and also features ambient / night lighting which can be independently turned on and off from the main lights. This is appropriate, for example, so that the bathroom can be modestly illuminated for night time use without disturbing other guests.

The bathroom is mostly tiled in a neutral colour. The floor is also tiled and features under-floor heating which is controlled from a panel in the landing adjacent to the doorway. The under-floor heating can be programmed to automatically turn on and off at set times.

The en-suite bathroom is accessed via a doorway in the master bedroom (door width 68 cm) which opens outwards into the bedroom. This room is fairly narrow and width is further reduced due to the protrusion of the wash basin and vanity unit and also a towel rail (minimum access width is (40 cm). The en-suite features a large low level shower. The shower tray is level with the floor but there is an 8cm ‘lip’ to the shower tray. The shower is accessed via a bi-fold sliding shower door (max. access width 52 cm). The shower mixer is thermostatically controlled in order to maintain a constant temperature and reduce the risk of scolding. The wash basin has a single lever tap. The WC has a soft close lid and push button flush operation. There is also an illuminated and heated wall mounted vanity mirror. Lighting for the en-suite is via switches in the bedroom adjacent to the en-suite door. The bathroom is well lit by LED lights set into the ceiling and also features ambient / night lighting which can be independently switched. This is appropriate, for example, so that the en-suite can be modestly illuminated for night time use without disturbing other guests.

The en-suite is fully tiled in a neutral colour. The floor is also tiled and features under-floor heating which is controlled from a panel in the bedroom adjacent to the doorway. The under-floor heating can be programmed to automatically turn on and off at set times.

Garden.  Private and enclosed south facing garden, mostly laid to lawn, patio area with garden furniture including a large table & chairs, parasol, BBQ and rotary washing line. The patio area is raised from the lawn part of the garden by some 30 cm (2 steps). The rear garden is level.

Additional Information. A rechargeable torch can be found at the property. This will immediately illuminate in the event of a power cut and also doubles as a night light when lighting levels fall. This is normally plugged into the electric socket on the landing, but can be moved to a more convenient location.

All radiators at the property are fitted with thermostatically controlled valves for individual temperature control.

There are two fire extinguishers at the property, one in the kitchen and one in the upstairs landing.

There are two smoke detectors at the property, one in the hallway and one in the upstairs landing.

There are two carbon monoxide detectors at the property, one in the boiler cupboard in the kitchen and one in the lounge near the wood burning stove.

For guests with very young children, a high chair, pair of stair gates and a travel cot are kept on the premises. (Guests are requested to supply their own cot bedding however).

A fixed line telephone is included at the property for receiving calls or making emergency calls.

Full instructions for all appliances are kept in a folder at the property. A comprehensive information folder is also provided. This contains much of the information on the web-site (such as places to go, places to eat) as well as tourist information and leaflets for some of the main attractions in the New Forest and contact numbers for local hospitals and doctors etc.

Strictly no pets except for assistance dogs. Homelands has a strict no smoking policy.

Future Plans. Homelands was extensively refurbished in 2014 and consequently there are no plans for further development. A suggestion book is kept at the property and will be reviewed regularly by the owners.

Contact Information.

Address: Homelands, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire, SO42 7RQ

Owner : Lisa Lodwick Telephone: +44 7977 939822 Email: homelandsnf@gmail.com Website: www.homelandsnewforest.co.uk