These Dos and Don’ts keep the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage safe for all our guest and neighbours.
They are our house rules, and following them is a condition of your stay.
- Neighbours
- Parking
- Toilet and septic tank
- Naked Flames and Smoking
- Dogs
- Cliffs and open water – safety rules
- Storing bicycles and other items.
- Before you go
Neighbours
Our neighbours include people, farm animals, rare plants, birds, wild-life and sea-life; please be aware of them and respect them.
FIREWORKS OR SIMILAR ARE EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN as farm animals are nearby.
Parking
There must be clear vehicular access the Lighthouse at all times. We are not responsible for any actions taken by the Northern Lighthouse Board, the Coastguard, their contractors or agents or the emergency services if your vehicle blocks access to the Lighthouse.
There is parking outside the cottage for two cars; and we can accommodate additional vehicles – please just let us know.
Toilet and septic tank
Pee, poo and toilet paper only down the toilet please! There are bins in the bathroom for everything else including sanitary items, wipes, cotton wool, etc.
We have had several blockages due to “flushable” wipes and sanitary items going down the toilet, so please bin everything despite what it says on the packet.
Naked Flames and Smoking
Do not light candles, tea-lights, wax melts or any other item with a naked flame in the cottage or outside.
They pose a fire-risk, and the soot damages the lampshades, paintwork and upholstery.
Smoking, vaping and using e-cigarettes are forbidden inside the cottage including the porch but you may do so in the compound. There is a sand bucket in the porch for cigarette butts so please don’t leave them outside where they may harm wildlife.
Dogs
Your pet will be in an unfamiliar place and may become anxious, so we provide a plug-in which is calming for dogs. We also provide a water bowl, and throws.
Dogs and cats also live in the lighthouse compound, so please keep your dog under control at all times.
Our priority is keeping all the animals and birds here safe, including your dogs. Keeping your dogs under control and abiding by these house rules is a condition of your stay, and if you don’t do this we may ask you to leave immediately without a refund.
- Keep your dog on a lead outside, they can easily be distracted in a new place and the Cottage is near farmland, cliffs and open water.
- Don’t leave your dog alone, either in the Cottage or your car. We can provide you with the contact details for local pet-walkers and pet-sitters.
- In the cottage, your dog should sleep overnight in its own crate, basket or bed in the dining room.
- Please be responsible about allowing your pets onto the furniture in the living room, and please don’t allow them into the bedrooms at all.
- We provide poop bags and a covered bin for bagged poo. Please put the bagged poo in the green wheelie bin when you leave.
- We reserve the right to pass on the costs of any excessive cleaning including the costs of dealing with fleas or parasites.
Cliffs and open water – safety rules
The lighthouse compound is surrounded by cliffs with open water nearby.
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS: Only you can prevent an accident! These rules are to keep your children and dogs safe while they stay with us.
The gates of the compound are not closed, so there is walking access to the cliffs and the lochan (pond).
- Do not let your child leave the compound without supervision and make sure your children understand and follow this rule.
- Do not let your dog go outside the compound while off the lead.
- Don’t be distracted by animals or by other people while you are supervising your children or dogs.
- Beware of loose ground, slippery paths, water and overhanging cliff-tops at the top of the cliffs.
Storing bicycles and other items.
There is limited storage available on site and none of it is lockable, but please let us know if you would like us to store any items out of the weather and we will see what we can do.
Before you go
We want to keep our cleaners as safe as possible while they do their work.
Rubbish and recycling
Please use the bins and bags provided to sort your rubbish and put it into the appropriate wheelie bin by the gate before you leave or when the kitchen bins are full. Details are in the kitchen and the online info-pack.
The Council sometimes refuse to empty wheelie bins with unsorted rubbish. If this happens the charge is £50 minimum per external bin that the authorities won’t empty. The cost of any local authority fines for not following recycling rules could also be passed onto you.
We really don’t want to charge you anything, so please recycle!
Laundry
Our cleaners will strip the beds.