Checking in

Manor Cottage will be ready for you from 4pm on your date of arrival, we kindly ask that you self check-in. The door will be unlocked for your arrival, and you will find the key hanging on a hook behind the door.

Directions

If you are travelling by car, postcode for Satnavs - PL14 4RD. The what3words identification code for Manor Cottage is #straying.apes.rush
• Travelling from Plymouth on the A38 towards Liskeard - continue past Liskeard staying on A38 bypass.
• After two miles and at next roundabout signed Twelvewoods, take second left, A390 signposted St Austell.
• At end of next village, East Taphouse, turn left onto B3359 - signposted Looe.
• After approx 2 miles, turn right at our signpost, Botelet.
• Follow small white signs until you reach Botelet (approx 3/4 mile)
When you arrive at Botelet, come in the drive and pull up into the widened parking area. Manor Cottage is the first house on the right, there is a sign outside the front door.  You are welcome to park directly outside Manor Cottage for unloading and re-packing.  Watch out for the granite posts as you reverse!
After unloading, please then park in the widened area just before the red telephone box, either on the left or right hand side to ensure that there is still access for vehicles to drive right up to the houses, or you are welcome to park up in the yard leaving space for other vehicles to pass, thank you.

Please see travel to us page of our website for assistance with international travel.

Key Contacts

Please note that we are currently asking all guests to practice social distancing during their stays - with guests from other properties, and with us. Therefore we kindly ask that you contact us via telephone or email - see details below - in the first instance if you have any questions, thank you.

Botelet: 01503 220 225 and stay@botelet.com

Julie’s mobile: 07900 133 135

Tia’s mobile: 07968 501 384

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any queries.

Emergency numbers: 

General emergency: 999     
Quote Grid Reference:  0S201 18.4 60.3 or postcode PL14 4RD
For an emergency requiring ambulance, police or fire brigade.

Rosedean Doctors Surgery, Liskeard: 8 Dean Street, Liskeard, PL14 4AQ.  01579 343915

Liskeard Minor Injuries Unit: Clemo Rd, Liskeard PL14 3XD (casualty open 8am - 10pm daily).  01579 335 600

A&E at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth: Derriford Road, Crownhill, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8DH.  01752 202082

NHS Direct: health advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  0845 4647  

Dentist - Emergency dental treatment for unregistered patients is available at:

  • Smile Centre, 39 Church Street, Liskeard, PL14 3AQ (Private clinic).  01579 342 348 www.the-smile-centre.com

  • Windsor Place Dental Surgery, 8 Windsor Place, Liskeard, PL14 4BH (NHS clinic but also do private one-off emergency consultations).  01579 343 361.  

  • Community Dental Services – central number for emergency NHS dentist in Cornwall hospitals 01872 354 375.

  • Dental Access Centre, 1a Baring Street, Plymouth, PL4 8NF.  0845 155 8070

Fire Safety

To reduce the risk of fire, we ask that you: 

  • Do not leave any lighting materials directly beside the woodburner.  Follow instructions beside the woodburner and ensure you do not leave unattended when woodburner doors are open

  • Please do not smoke, vape, use e-cigarettes or candles in the cottage. If smoking, please move right away from the cottage outside, and ensure cigarette butts are thoroughly extinguished. Please be especially careful in dry weather when the grass/plants may be particularly prone to catching fire.

  • Please be extremely careful with the use of electrical appliances such as an iron or hair straighteners, to ensure they are not left attended when on, or near flammable materials.

  • Please do not place any items on top of the storage heater in the kitchen as this creates a fire risk.

  • Please shut doors behind you at night time.  If a fire started, this reduces the risk of it spreading quickly.

  • Please keep doorways, passageways, hallway, porch etc clear from obstructions during your stay.

  • If you lock the front door at night, we recommend that you leave the key within the lock for quick exit if required.

In the event of a fire:

Exit Manor Cottage as quickly as possible, without stopping to collect belongings.  Exit through the front door if you have access, and meet at the telephone box outside. The French Windows in the dining room are another exit point - they are opened via the latches at the top and bottom, and open out onto the garden without the need for a key.

Call 999 and ask for the fire brigade.  Quote postcode PL14 4RD, what3words identification #straying.apes.rush or grid reference 0S201 18.4 60.3

The fire alarms in the upstairs and downstairs hallways provide emergency lighting.  

Fire extinguishers can be found beside the front door and at the top of the stairs.  There is a fire blanket located in the kitchen. However we ask that you prioritise getting yourself and any other members of your party out of the cottage safely, over and above fire fighting.

Alert us as soon as possible - in the farmhouse or: Richard – 07979 570 508, Tia – 07968 501 384

Operating the Woodburning Stove

For safety and efficiency please make yourself familiar with the following important instructions before using the woodburning stove.

Fire safety

  • Please do not leave lighting materials (newspaper, matches, firelighters) or any flammable objects, including furniture, near the woodburner.

  • Never leave the fire unattended when the woodburner doors or chimney baffle are open.

  • Be aware that all parts of the stove become very hot - wear gloves and supervise children.

To operate the woodburning stove

  • To prepare for lighting - open the chimney baffle (handle at the base of the chimney) by twisting it to the vertical position, and open the draught sliders (front of the woodburner).  This enables air to draw through the woodburner and encourage it to light.

  • Crumple up plenty of single newspaper sheets.  Place small, dry lighting wood on the paper (optional firelighters are provided) then light.  Close the woodburner doors, and turn the baffle towards room direction (using gloves).

  • Whenever the doors are closed, the chimney baffle must be CLOSED (turned towards room direction) to avoid over-heating.

  • Regulate the fire using the draught slides - 1/2 an inch open normally works well, but this will vary according to weather conditions.  Keep attending the fire, and add increasing wood size.

  • When fire is well lit and stoked with good-sized logs, ensure the baffle is closed (pointing towards the room).

  • Whenever the woodburner doors are open, for example if you are adding logs, the chimney baffle should be opened (turned mid-way between room and floor direction) in order to keep maximum heat in the room, without smoke.

  • Please note: the room becomes HOTTER when the doors are closed.  When open, most of the heat is lost up the chimney.

  • If you wish to keep the fire going for long periods such as overnight, the draught slides should be closed or left slightly open, with the baffle CLOSED (towards the room).

If you have any difficulties or require paper, matches or firelighters, please ask.
For kindling, many people enjoy picking up small sticks they have found near the cottage.  If you require kindling, please let us know.

If you would like an additional basket of logs please let us know, there is a small charge for a second basket.
Many thanks

History of Manor Cottage

Manor Cottage is formed from the remains of Botelet Manor house which was recorded in the Doomsday Book 1086.  The current house was rebuilt in the 1700s, typifying the wing of a traditional Cornish long house, and is grade II listed.  The well, which can be seen through the floor of the kitchen when illuminated, was the main water supply for the Manor House.

The Tamblyns have lived at Botelet Farm for around 150 years.  Barbara’s late husband David’s grandfather Thomas and his wife Elizabeth were the first Tamblyns to farm at Botelet, living in Manor Cottage as tenants of Squire Trelawny.  In 1884, by the request of the current generation's great grand parents, Squire Trelawny came to inspect the condition of Botelet Manor House. When he nearly fell through the rotten floor, he ordered his men to build the current farmhouse just across the cobbled courtyard.  David’s father Cyrus was born in the farmhouse in the year it was built; he lived at Botelet to the tender age of 103!  David was also born in the farmhouse in 1924, and Barbara moved to Botelet in 1956 after their marriage.

The family focused on farming beef cattle along with sheep up until the 1980s with David specialising in breeding Charolais bulls; he was the first person in Cornwall to do so.  The family sold much of their cattle and sheep in the late 1980s with a shifting focus on more diverse farming activities including restoring buildings and historical features, improving the hedgerows and fences, and farming in a very gentle way as part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme. 

Heating in Manor Cottage

Heating from the radiators in Manor Cottage is provided by 100% renewable sources from the farm, using our wind turbines, solar and log biomass.

The heating system is weather compensated so will regulate heat to the radiators based on the outside temperature.

Individual radiators can be turned down or off with the lever handles where heat is not required.

If you require more heat, please ask and we may be able to raise it by a few degrees based on the availability of wind and sun.

Woodburning stove
You are welcome to use the woodburner during your stay. Newspaper, firelighters and matches can be found in the alcove on the left. 

When you arrive at Manor Cottage, there will be a good supply of seasoned logs provided for you. If you require more, please ask. There is a charge of £10 for an additional wheelbarrow of logs as we now need to prioritise our dry wood for the biomass boiler, which ticks all the boxes for efficiency and being kind to our planet.

You will find plenty of small pieces of dead wood which makes excellent kindling in the hedgerows around Botelet – dry the wood out indoors for use the following day.

Energy use at Botelet

We have taken steps to reduce energy consumption at Botelet, whilst trying to home maintain the comforts we expect – so that your holiday will leave only a gentle footprint.  With this in mind, we have explained below how energy is produced at Botelet. 

In 2011 we installed two domestic Gaia 11KW wind turbines.  These are located in a field called Bewtown opposite the entrance to the farm.  The turbines meet most of the energy needs for Manor Cottage, the farmhouse and the farm buildings.  We have also installed an 8KW photovoltaic solar system to help top-up energy.

Inevitably, we still need to import electricity from the national grid at times, and our mains supplier is Good Energy – 100% of the energy they supply is renewable.

In addition to wind and solar power, a key source of heating at Botelet is wood.  All of our logs have come from the farm, being harvested during work to maintain the hedges as part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme.  Wood is an environmentally sustainable way to provide heat, especially when the wood has been harvested on-site.  The process of burning wood is carbon neutral: although CO2 is released, the tree has absorbed CO2 whilst growing.  At Botelet, we plant approximately 3,000 new trees each year.

To help ‘green’ your holiday at Botelet you can:

  • Aim to increase energy use (eg washing machine, dishwasher, hot water boost) when it’s windy – although clearly this is not possible all of the time!

  • Turn off lights and appliances when not being used and when you leave the house.

  • Use recycling and compost facilities (see below) for waste where appropriate.

Supplies

You will find in Manor Cottage kitchen olive oil, salt and pepper, breakfast tea and a small selection of herbal teas, please bring all other kitchen supplies and condiments required for your stay. Please note that we don’t supply coffee - we find that everyone has different preferences and don’t want freshly ground coffee to go to waste! You will find a cafetiere and stovetop coffee maker in Manor and we highly recommend coffee roasters Lars & Margo, based in Liskeard, for locally sourced coffee.

Laundry and cleaning items such as washing-up liquid, laundry detergent and loo roll are supplied to get you started, please be prepared to top-up during your stay.  

Washing, drying & ironing clothes

The washing machine is located in the pantry adjoining the kitchen.  You will find some washing powder/liquid to keep you going in the basket on top of the washing machine, if you run out.

There are various options for drying clothes:

  • There is a washing line in the garden to the rear of Manor Cottage, you will find pegs in a tub in the pantry

  • There is a drying rack on a pully system in the kitchen

  • The airing cupboard upstairs on the landing has a rack and coat hangers for drying clothes

An iron and ironing board can be found in the pantry.

Rubbish, Recycling & Compost

When your kitchen bin bag is full, please dispose of it in the outside dustbins.  To find the rubbish and recycling area – come out of Manor Cottage front door and turn left.  Walk up through the courtyard keeping the pighouse (small shed with red doors) on your left, past Richard’s workshop with glass doors on your right, and the bins are located in the area on your right just beyond the workshop. 

You will also find space to recycle glass bottles, plastic bottles, tin cans, cardboard and paper.  Please:

  • Rinse and remove the tops from plastic bottles before recycling (place tops in general rubbish bins) and squash plastic bottles before placing in recycling

  • Rinse and remove tops from glass bottles

  • Rinse tin cans

  • Separate your recycling as appropriate

For fruit and vegetable waste that has not been cooked, we would be grateful if you could compost it.  The compost is located in the orchard near the trampoline – to find it, turn right out of Manor Cottage front door and walk out to the orchard beyond Manor Cottage and the farmhouse. There is a large copper beech tree in front of you, that has a swing on its branches. Behind the copper beech tree is the compost bin.

Any cooked food waste please place in the bins.

Any uncooked food that’s leftover at the end of your stay and you don’t want to take home, please leave in the fridge / place together on the side in the kitchen, and we will pass on to the chickens.

Thank you for helping us to minimise food waste!

Wireless Internet

Wifi is available throughout Manor Cottage - log in to Botelet, password Cornwall.

Please be aware that living in a rural area, our internet connection is not always as robust as in cities!  If you have any problems getting online, do let us know.

Mobile phone coverage

Mobile coverage at Botelet varies enormously according to the provider.  Most phones receive a signal somewhere in Manor Cottage (often in or near the windows); some have full coverage.  If your mobile does not have good coverage in Manor, try the private garden behind Manor, or beyond the garden in the orchard with the chalet, or the adjoining field.  

Piano

The top of the piano is kept locked to avoid small fingers being trapped if it falls.  The key is hanging on a hook on the mantelpiece to the left of the piano.

Barbeque

You will find a barbeque in the private garden to the rear of Manor Cottage.  Charcoal can be purchased from the Spar shop at Pelynt four miles away, or at local supermarkets - for details see food shopping recommendations.

Keys

The front door key for Manor Cottage can be found on the hook above the door.  If you lock the front door at night, we recommend that you leave the key in the lock for quick exit if required in case of fire.

The glass doors opening out to the garden from the dining room do not require a key - use the internal latches at the top and bottom of the door to open.

Electric Car Charging

Please let us know if you would like to top up your electric vehicle.  We have a dedicated standard 3-pin (13 amp) plug available for use in the yard.  Safe charging using this method should be set to a maximum of 10A which equates to 2.3kW.  We ask for £1 per hour of charging.  This is monitored from in the house but please also make a note of hours used.  Payment can be paid by cash or bank transfer. 

Breakages & damages

Please let us know about any breakages or damages that occur during your stay.  We ask that breakages and damages outside of normal wear and tear are paid for, thank you.

Wellbeing

We have a treatment room on-site offering therapeutic massage, along with wellbeing workshops. Please let us know if you would like to organise a treatment, advance booking highly recommended.

Departing from Botelet

Please note that we have a revised set of terms for departure, reflecting the changes we have had to make to be able to offer safe stays during the era of COVID. Thank you so much in advance for complying with these terms as changeover days are especially busy right now.

When departing from Botelet we ask that you:

  • Please check fridges, freezer, cupboards and pantry for leftover food - please put all compostable items (raw fruit and veg) into the compost that is located in the garden in front of the farmhouse (see sign in pantry), any leftover food you do not wish to take home please leave out clearly in one place.

  • Ensure that all kitchen items you have used have been washed (all crockery, cutlery, glasses, pots, pans etc), either in the dishwasher or the sink. You are welcome to leave the dishwasher running when departing.

  • Please empty all bins and recycling inside the property into outside bins before departing, including bedroom, bathroom and kitchen bins.

  • Please check property thoroughly before departing - including under beds and in drawers.

  • Please depart promptly by 10am. Our cleaners need the full changeover time to be able to prepare the property for the next guests.

Thank you for leaving Manor Cottage clean and tidy.

Local recommendations

Please click here to see our list of local recommendations, from shopping to eating out, walks, beaches, historic houses and gardens, local towns and outdoor activities.

Very many thanks for staying with us here at Botelet, we hope to see you again soon,
The Tamblyns