Accessibility at Pilchard Cottage
Pilchard Cottage is a delightfully wonky 220+ year old cottage built of cob (mud and straw), over the years it has been modified and extended adding to its character, however if you have limited mobility or are particularly tall then please be aware that there is a possibility that the cottage may not be suitable for you.
On this page we will describe the layout of the cottage, where there are steps and what safety measure have been installed to mitigate risks.
Should you need any additional information prior to making your booking please do not hesitate to ask, it is very important to us that our guests feel comfortable and safe on their holiday.
Cottage Description
Pilchard Cottage is located on a flat road, just around the corner from the town centre.
The cottage is accessed directly from the pavement with one step to access the house. There isn’t a grab rail next to the front door.
Upon entering Pilchard Cottage through the front door, you will walk through the porch into the hallway, to your left is the lounge which is accessed by one step. There is one grab handle on the wall on your left as you step down. The same grab handle would need to be used to exit the lounge, which would then be on your right.
In the lounge there is a three person sofa, an Ikea Strandmon armchair and an occasional chair with high sides.
The dining room is also accessed from the main hallway, there is also one step down, with a grab handle on the wall to your right as you step into the room and to your left as you step out of the room.
There is a bookshelf with large print books (more large print books are upstairs in the front bedroom wardrobe.
The kitchen is at the end of the hallway, there are no steps to access the kitchen.
The rear courtyard is located through the back door in the kitchen, there are two steps to access the courtyard, with a grab handle to the right as you step out of the door and to the left as you step back in.
The bathroom is located at the end of the kitchen, the shower is over the bath and so you would need to step into the bath to use it. There is a grab rail on the wall to the left as you step over the side of the bath, there is also another grab rail next to the shower.
A non-slip rubber bathmat is supplied to reduce the risk of slips and falls, should you wish to use it.
Back in the main hallway on the ground floor the staircase which leads to the bedrooms upstairs is in between the lounge and the dining room. The staircase has a stair rail on both sides to hold onto, when you reach the small landing at the top of the stairs, the front bedroom is accessed to the left by two further steps with a stair rail on both sides. The rear bedroom is accessed to the right by one further step and has a grab handle on both sides.
The front bedroom is one of the oldest parts of the house and so please be aware that the floor does have a noticeable slope.
There are no bathroom facilities upstairs.
Types of Flooring
- Front Porch: Fitted entrance matting carpet with a rubber backed welcome mat on top.
- Downstairs hall, kitchen and bathroom: Limestone Flags (tiles) please note that these are natural stone tiles and so there are some undulations.
- Lounge, Dining Room, Stairs & bedrooms: Fitted Carpet throughout. There is also a rug in front of the fireplace in the lounge.
- Rear Courtyard: Sandstone Flags (patio slabs) please note that these are natural stone tiles and so there are some undulations.
Further Information
Assistance
Need some help to bring your luggage into the cottage? We are more than happy to assist you, please just let us know ahead of your arrival. We are happy to help you familiarise yourself with the cottage and the appliances, please just ask.
Car Parking
There is free and unrestricted on-street car parking outside of Pilchard Cottage, however due to our location in the town centre these spaces are very popular. If there are no spaces outside when you arrive, we would recommend parking in the restricted one hour parking spaces on Park Road (which is the next road over) and less than a one minute walk, to unload your car.
If you have a blue badge, we believe you can park in these one hour restricted spaces without restriction, although we urge you to double check this before doing so.
We also offer our guests complimentary use of our Car Park Permit (for one car), which can be used in Barton Hill Long Stay Car Park (EX7 9QF) which is approximately 350 yards from Pilchard Cottage.
The permit can also be used at Sandy Lane (EX7 0AF) close to Dawlish Leisure Centre and two Teignbridge Council car parks at Dawlish Warren - Landward (EX7 0NF) and Seaward (EX7 0NA).
Low Head Height
Please be aware that there are some areas around the house (mostly door frames) which are a little lower than standard. If you would like some more information or need some measurements, please just ask.
Please let us know if you need a large print copy of our health and safety information, things to do guide and welcome letter. We can also print on yellow paper if this helps.