Interesting anecdotes about running a yurt camp!
Many of our guests ask us about our camp, how long we have been running it, how long it takes to build yurts, and other facts about yurt living and glamping in general. We have compiled the list below, not to put you off staying with us but to give a small insight into some of the things that our guests have done in previous years which we would prefer to make sure don't happen again!!!
1. Guests Moved 2 fire pits from their bases on the yurt field and then lit them under the overhang of our stable block as it was raining and they didnt want to get wet whilst having a camp fire. The logs in the fire pits were spitting out sparks in the breeze and the fire risk was enormous. The stables are timber built and are full of hay, straw and wood shavings for our livestock. The guests were asked to extinguish them and move them back to the field.
Please do not move the fire pits from their location for safety reasons.
2. Guests left one of the battery operated night lanterns on top of the wood burning stove and then lit it forgetting about the heat. The batteries and lamp melted causing a massive mess, welding plastic and battery acid onto the hot plate of the stove and giving off noxious fumes. Please try not to repeat this when staying with us. Use our stoves with caution at all times. Burnt plastic gives off poisonous fumes.
3. Guests put a disposable barbecue in the waste bin. This was still hot and smouldering and caused a minor fire. Whilst we are well insured, please Make sure your disposable barbecue is fully extinguished with water before placing it in the bins or boxes provided.
4. Guests lit a number of candles and tea lights in the yurt leaving hot wax melted all over the floor and near the stove - this is very dangerous - fire and noxious fumes can kill in a short space of time.
5. Guests used the wood burning stove inside the yurt to cook a meal. This is not permitted due to the problems with Carbon Monoxide as a by-product of combustion. Please make sure you do not try to cook inside a yurt with a gas stove/barbecue and please do not use the log burners for cooking - this is for your own safety.
6. Guests assumed that it was fine to arrive for their holiday at any time of the evening (after pub closing time!). This is not possible, we ask all our guests to arrive between 4 and 5pm this is because we are not like a hotel or guest house and there is no member of staff permanently on site during the evenings unless prior arrangements have been made. Latest arrival time is 8pm and is only are accepted by prior agreement and payment of a fee. No arrivals are permitted after dark due to the disturbance that might be caused to other guests, and due to the rural nature and peacefulness of the location - some guests have found it hard to located the camp at night in the dark - there are no street lights here! If you are unable to arrive at a reasonable time due to unexpected traffic delays please inform us as soon as possible. The discretionary charge for arriving between 6pm and 8pm is £15.
7. Guests left behind used condoms under the bed (eewww!!!!!)- please dispose of such items responsibly!
8. Guests left the kitchen in a filthy condition (unwashed pots and pans, food waste on the surfaces). Please leave the communal kitchen, fridge room and bathrooms as you would wish to find them!!
9. Guests broke the camping stoves and didn't let us know and blamed someone else despite being the only guests at the time. Please listen very carefully to the demonstration on how to use the stoves. Please do not force down the lever to engage the gas - this will only engage once the heat dial is off. If a stove is broken please advise us as soon as possible so we can fix it or replace it.
10. Guests let their toddler roam freely without supervision - allowing them into the kitchen unsupervised where they fell off the chair they had climbed onto and hurt their head. Children must be supervised at all times to ensure their safety particularly around the lake and river at the camp.
11. Guests lit the wood burning stove and filled it to the brim with logs and then left to go to the pub for the evening -
never be tempted to over fill the stove as this is a fire risk - this is for your safety.
Do not remove the batteries from the smoke alarms or CO alarms.
12. Guests arrived with their large dog, as apparently they couldn't find anyone to look after it so at the last minute they decided to bring it along despite knowing we could not permit dogs on site, and said it "could sleep in the car and they wouldn't let it out on our land" - Due to the proximity of our livestock and the lake and river, we cannot accept dogs on the site at all. Please respect our animals and livestock and don't bring your dog.
13. Guests used a whole pack of 18 toilet rolls to wipe their washed dishes in the communal kitchen and left the remains in the bin - please bring your own tea towels .
14. Guests unwittingly allowed their children who were under 10 to toast marshmallows on the camping gas stove in the kitchen for breakfast - the parents were blissfully unaware as they were still asleep in the yurt and the kitchen was left in a sticky mess with marshmallows all over the floor - yuk!- please supervise your children at all times - children are not permitted to use the kitchen stoves without an adult being present.
15. Guests used a whole pack of 32 fire lighters to light one fire. If you are not experienced in lighting a fire then please read the instructions provided very carefully - only one fire lighter is needed to light each fire - patience is required when using logs on a wood burning stove or fire pit.
16. Guests discarded cigarette butts all over the field, all over the gravelled areas and outside the toilets. please respect the country code - Our outbuildings and yurts are a non smoking area. If you have to smoke, please dispose of your cigarette butts when fully extinguished responsibly in the bins provided, DO NOT SMOKE INSIDE THE YURT, INSIDE THE KITCHEN OR OUTBUILDINGS, NO SMOKING PERMITTED IN THE BATHROOMS.
PLEASE DO NOT VAPE INSIDE THE YURTS - not everyone enjoys the smell!
17. Guests expect the camp to be an insect free zone - the camp is located in a 3 acre meadow. Insects are vital to the eco system as they provide nutrition for the local birds, bees moths and butterflies.
Please don't expect our camp to be totally free of wildlife!
18. Guests took a bed spread from their yurt to the beach with them and then brought it back and left it in a heap on the floor inside the yurt, it was damp, covered in sand and sand insects and stinking of salty water - yuk!!. Please do not take bedding from the yurt to the beach with you. Do not remove any bedding from the yurt camp at any time.
19. Guests tried to light the wood burning stove inside the yurt by carrying burning embers inside from the outside fire pit. This caused large holes to be burned in the carpet and through to the groundsheet but very fortunately averted a major blaze. Please read very carefully all the instructions provided about using the wood burning stoves safely. The same guests also left without mentioning this - please report any damages as soon as they occur.
20. Guests invited several of their friends to visit the site without asking or notifying us. We are strictly a private site and not open for visitors. Please do not invite your family and friends to visit you whilst staying here unless you have requested and paid for extra numbers. This is due to strict rules about overcrowding in yurts, fire risk, and insurance implications. We need all members of your group to be named on the booking form at time of booking for safety rules.
21. Guests booked a 4 person yurt, however the couple brought 3 children with them but only put 2 children on the booking form. The reason why its a 4 person yurt is because there is not enough room for 5 people to sleep comfortably or safely inside a yurt for 4 people. Please do not expect to bring additional children just because they sleep with their parents. Please book a yurt for the number of people including all children, toddlers and babies.
22. Guests didn't realise that their children had carved their names into the wood of our stable block. Please supervise your children at all times and do not permit them to grafffiti our stables. As they helpfully carved their own names it was easy to identify the culprits!!
23. Guests took a single mattress from one of the beds outside onto the (damp) grass area in front of their yurt and allowed their children and baby to roll on it. Please do not remove any of the mattresses from the beds inside the yurt.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.