Cotswold Charm

Cotswold Charm was originally set up by Michael Haines in 1999 and ran up to six cottages he jointly owned in conjunction with his brother Stephen, sister Margaret - all under the careful eye of their late mother Elsie.

Since her passing, each of them now owns a cottage each with Michael letting them through Cotswold Charm Holiday Cottages which acts as an agency.   Stephen (and wife Shirley) own the Ewe Pen on the western side of Blind Lane, Margaret has Stable Cottage alongside the old farmhouse and Michael has the Old Granary by the entrance to the farmhouse where he was born and still lives.  They all hope that this change will lead to an improved and more personal service for the many friends who have stayed with them over the years.

To maintain a sizeable Chipping Campden presence, Michael is delighted to have added local artist David Birch’s Croftsbrook at the bottom of Blind Lane to the brochure and hopes to attract more in the area over the coming months.

He is also pleased to include the Horsfield’s six luxury Stratford Court apartments at the top end of Henley Street in Stratford upon Avon.  This enables customers to enjoy a few days in and around each town without really having to constantly get back into the dreaded car.

This partnership also enables us to offer special packages including discounted golf and pamper days at Welcome Golf Club and Wild Moor Spa as well as visits to the Butterfly Farm, River Avon Cruises and even a Royal Shakespeare company Performance.

For those that would prefer something nearer to the middle of the Cotswolds, then John Hiscock's Old Stable in Poole Keynes just to the south of Cirencester provides a historic alternative, but you will have to get in very early to book it.

Today, things are a lot different at Top Farm than they were 300 years ago when a member of the Haines family first lived at and farmed at and/or alongside it. 

ACCESS STATEMENT

Our Aims

• Cotswold Charm Holiday Cottages aims to be the best one-stop shop for self-catering accommodation and services in the Cotswolds and in Chipping Campden in particular.
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• Within our cottages we aim to make each as supportive as possible within the physical limitations of the individual building.
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• Wherever possible we aim to meet the requirements of those with a wide range of physical disabilities.

Cotswold Charm Holiday Cottages owns and lets self-catering holiday accommodation (including at least one M3i accessible unit) in Chipping Campden, Stratford upon Avon and elsewhere in the Cotswolds.

We have been operating since 1999 and have had at least one accessible unit since 2006 (current plans include another one/two units that will hopefully become available during 2012/13).

Many people with varying disabilities have stayed in our previous three cottages which had a range of characteristics to support some of those with a disability.  We are delighted to report that feedback has been very positive and that a great time has been had by all of those who stayed in Barn & Rick Cottages and more recently the Ewe Pen!

The Ewe Pen - 3Mi

The Ewe Pen at Top Farm in Chipping Campden has been designed and adapted to meet the needs of travellers with a wide range of disabilities.     The 3 bedroom unit has a ramp leading up to sheltered decking and wide double door access to the kitchen, lounge and two of the three bedrooms.   There are extra wide doors between these rooms including the “disabled” twin bedded room and its ensuite wet-room - turning circles throughout these allow easy access for wheelchair users.   We can provide a shower chair and can provide contacts specialist equipment is best hired through an appropriately qualified company.

Out cottages in Chipping Campden are all within 600 yards of Chipping Campden’s High Street and the town square, etc.  The location means restaurants and shops are close by and are easily accessible by wheelchair.

The accommodation has fully equipped kitchens including washing machine, dish washer, fridge-freezer, oven/hob and utility area.  The Ewe Pen has appropriate turning circles for wheeIchair users.

We can provide a  shower-chair, but hoists and other specialist are best hired from professional companies like Huntleigh Health Care (0845 734 2000) who provide a 7-day rental service for a wide range of products that can be arranged prior to your stay.

Housing21 (01386 – 840691) can provide extra support for those that need it and if you have problem with a wheelchair or scooter, then  Wheel-Ability (Colette or Phillip Kilminster) from Gloucester on 01452 – 414968 can provide on-site servicing and/or repairs.

Dogs & Pets - Ewe Pen

Cotswold Charm Holiday Cottages' general policy is that dogs and pets are not allowed in any of its cottages – this is essentially to protect those customers who can suffer from an allergic response.

The only possible exception to this is Guide Dogs for which a notional £25.00 cleaning charge is made. Please note that this does not negate the section in our Terms & Conditions which indicates that we reserve the right "to charge for any Additional Cleaning required at the greater of either £60.00p or £15.00p per hour when the cottage is left in an unsatisfactory condition".

Whilst we have never experienced any such problems with Guide Dogs, unfortunately the same cannot be said of Caring Dogs. The severe nature of these experiences has been so stressful to the dog owning cottage owners that they have very reluctantly decided that no dogs & pets will be allowed with the sole exception of Guide Dogs.

The background to understanding this decision, is that the standard Departure (10.00) and Arrival (16.00) times only allows a maximum of 6 hours in which to prepare the cottage for the incoming customer. Operationally, this is possible with the normal cleaning time of 4 to 5 hours.

Regrettably, the owners' experiences show that the same cannot be said when Caring Pets have been allowed and it has taken 10 to 12 hours to return the cottage to standard they want to present it in to the incoming customer. On these occasions, this was totally unacceptable to both the incoming customers and the owners of the cottage.

The total distress caused to the owners was so great that on considered reflection, they felt that the only realistic alternatives were to either firstly, "remove the cottage completely from the holiday cottage market and let it locally on a longer term basis" or secondly to "not allowing Dogs & Pets with the sole exception of Guide Dogs".

Given that the first would effectively totally remove the opportunity for any persons with a disability to enjoy the cottage and the local area, they hope that you will understand their reasons for going for the second rather than the first option.

They sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and distress that you may be caused and hope that you will understand their situation.

Please don't hesitate to  contact us if you have any questions.