If you need to contact us, you can email info@wheatlandfarm.co.uk, or telephone 01837 83499 or phone, text or WhatsApp to 07780708747. WhatsApp is best – because wifi coverage is better than mobile signal here.

Arrival time is 4pm and departure time is 9am. Do tell us if you leave early.

Balebarn Eco Lodge – how it all works

Handwashing and Hygeine

If your hand sanitizer needs refilling, contact us at the farmhouse. There are handwashing stations by the bikes, by Balebarn Lodge, and by the lodge field campfire site.

Waste and rubbish

At Wheatland Farm we can recycle almost everything – so long as it’s clean.

• Please put washed recycling in the crate near the main gate to Balebarn Lodge. That includes tins, glass, paper, card, cartons, tubs etc.
• All food waste, oil and paper towel (not wet wipes please) goes in your food collection bin, and, if you fill that, into the larger collection caddy in the corner of the field where Wheatland Farm’s wooden lodges are. Just ask if you’re unsure. Please don’t put food or food dirtied items in the bin – we don’t have a waste stream for mixed waste.
• Rubbish is sanitary products, foil crisp packets, really irretrievably greasy BBQ foil, plastic-based wet wipes (but it’s so much better not to use them), broken shoes – things like that.
• Please take as much of your left over food as possible home with you. But if you really can’t take food with you, please still don’t put it in the bin! Leave it on the kitchen table and we will deal with it.
• Batteries and electricals – leave these in a pot by the bin and we will ensure they don’t end up in landfill.
• Dog poo goes in the dog poo bin in the old farmyard (wrapped please).

The fold-back windows onto the veranda

The door on the right of the big folding windows works as an ordinary door, or can be set to open only at the top for ventilation. There’s just one really important thing to remember. If you want to fold the windows right back, you need to open the right hand door first. See this video for a demo.

The induction hob

The hob in Balebarn Eco Lodge kitchen is induction. If you’ve not used induction hobs before, you’ll find they heat up and cool down as fast as gas. But they only work with induction suitable (magnetic) pans. See this short demo for how the controls work.

The combination microwave and convection oven/grill

In Balebarn Lodge there’s a conventional oven and the microwave also works as a convection oven and a grill, giving you a bit more capacity. The instructions are on top of the microwave.

Hot Water

Your hot water is solar, with an immersion top up. You can switch it on at any time. Climb up to the attic room where the boiler is, and on the far wall you’ll find a control panel (pictured). Press the grey lozenge button. One press turns on the immersion heater for 30 minutes, 2 presses gives an hour, three presses 2 hours. Four presses switches it off again.

Power cuts

If there’s a power cut, it’s usually temporary. If it persists, ring Western Power Distribution on 08006738105 for more details and contact the farmhouse. The fuse box, should you need it, is by the wetroom bathroom.

Wifi

Wifi should work without a code. Please don’t touch the modem, even if you think you know what you’re doing, as the set up is complex. Instead, contact Ian if there are problems.

Firewood refills

In Balebarn, woodburner refills are free (one box per day max). DO NOT EMPTY THE ASH –  hot ash is a carbon monoxide risk inside and a genuine fire risk outside. Please don’t use the woodburner wood for the campfire – we have other wood for that. Just ask. Here’s a video on how to use the woodburner.

Smoking

Balebarn Eco Lodge is non-smoking. If you smoke outside, please dispose of butts responsibly.

Accessibility equipment

If you find you need something, please ask. There’s a list of equipment to borrow on our accessibility pages (subject to availability).

Hot Tub

We will show you how the hot tub works. We check it each day for water quality. Please read and abide by the safety instructions posted by the tub and set out in our Terms and Conditions. Don’t get in with sandy feet. Please note that if you don’t look after the water quality, we’ll have to empty the tub and refilling costs an additional £30 and takes time to reheat.

Laundry

We include use of the washing machine if you’re staying in Balebarn Eco Lodge. Please only use the eco-friendly detergent we provide.

Around the farm

BBQs – Please don’t light any BBQ, even the free standing one, on the wooden veranda.

Campfire site – please message Ian about wood if you’d like to have an evening fire in the meadow. Please don’t use the wood supplied for the woodburner.

Exploring: Feel free to wander anywhere within the red line, on the map, but please respect our neighbour’s privacy (or they might really turn into dragons). Parents/carers – there is a simple tree house, built for our own kids, among the trees at the southern edge of the lodge field. We check it routinely, but please also go and look, and decide whether or not you are happy for the kids to play there, as you use it at your own risk. Note there may sometimes be standing water in the wet areas. Popehouse Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (no dogs here please) is the area at the bottom of the map, running the length of our land. It is bordered by the woodland fringe at the bottom of the turbine field and below the big wildlife pond. Please leave gates as you find them, and expect to encounter cows in summer, mud, and sometimes electric fences on Popehouse Moor.

Nature walks: are available with Maggie by appointment, one ‘household’ at a time.

Dogs on leads please at all times – to help with social distancing and to protect our wildlife. Don’t take dogs onto Popehouse Moor SSSI, even on a lead please. There is a dog waste bin in the old farmyard. See our terms and conditions for full ‘dog rules’.

Badminton: You can borrow equipment for the lodge field badminton/volleyball pitch from the farmhouse. Please return it to us personally, for cleaning between users.

Boats: ask Ian for the briefing, then you can borrow the key. Please return the key, paddles and any buoyancy aids, directly to us. Please read the terms and conditions.

Wild swimming: the water between the pontoons gets deep quickly. Please only swim if you’re a confident swimmer and accept the inherent risks of wild swimming. You are responsible for your own and children’s safety. Please read the terms and conditions.

Bikes: Talk to Ian. You may be able to borrow a bike to keep for your stay. If you want bikes for long trips, please come and chat. Please read the terms and conditions.

Wellies: we have a few to borrow. Please return them to us for washing.

Local facilities and food

Please see the current information on the main welcome page, and in the things to do section of the Wheatland Farm website.