Things to know | Countryside Retreat

Welcome to The Firs, Suffolk Countryside Retreat

We moved here in 2017 and set about turning the old farm buildings and grounds into a space for guests, to enjoy this quiet tranquil area of Suffolk. We cannot imagine being anywhere else and we hope you understand why.

We feel privileged that you have chosen us for your well earned rest and holiday and while we wish for you a peaceful and relaxing stay, we are on hand to help should you have any questions or need help with anything. We are Alison and Amy, so just come and find us at the house or in the grounds.

Here is a brief introduction to the site and facilities but the best way to discover the Firs, is to just wander around, through the woods, the newly planted orchard and over to the moat.

At The Firs Suffolk

Lanterns and keys

You will have found your lantern, key and directions to your home for the coming days, now you are inside the lanterns is fully charged but may need a top up with the USB cable provided, depending on how much you use it. The key is yours for the duration of your stay but please keep it safe, as we will have to charge £5 to replace a lost key.

The bike shed, situated in the black building near the entrance to the car park is currently locked with a padlock and code is available on request. You can leave your bikes there safely during your stay at your own risk.

The Kitchen Garden

This is a new project too and something we have begun to create for our guests to encourage eating seasonally, plus we think that there is nothing quite like gathering up a small bundle of freshly dug up or plucked fruit and veg from a plant and serving them up on your plate half an hour later. It feels good, wholesome and very satisfying! So we wanted you to experience this too.

The idea is that you can wander in, any time, and help yourself to whatever is in season to contribute towards your lunch or meal for the evening. The prices of each veg will be listed, and pay the balance when you leave.

The garden is in its infancy and will change throughout the year, but permanent fixtures are the asparagus bed, which, due to the growing stages of the plant, we will be able to offer to guests next year. Fig trees which had self seeded around the place and we have now moved to one row against The Big Shed. The largest is currently producing lots of figs and now is the time to pick them, great with feta in a salad or with yoghurt as a sweet treat.

We have tomatoes, cucumbers, sweetcorn, chillis, aubergines, courgettes and squash, gherkins, beetroot, runner beans and artichokes, all at various stages of growth. Come in and take a browse. It has been a little neglected of late as we have worked to get the holidays lets ready for you all, so please bear with us, wander around and returning guests will see the changes and planned improvements over the coming months and years

Noise and consideration for neighbours and other guests

We operate a Low Noise Policy at The Firs Suffolk.

To respect fellow guests and neighbours, noise should be kept to a minimum for the comfort of others on the site as well as people who live or work nearby.

Loud noise and nuisance behaviour will not be tolerated.

Guests who in our reasonable opinion are causing nuisance may be required to immediately leave the site.

We ask that there are no high noise levels after 9.00pm, with all noise to stop by 11.00pm

We want you to enjoy yourself while you stay at The Firs, and for some this is to enjoy the silence and natural sounds provided by the surrounding countryside and nature. For others it is accompanied by music. We understand everyone is different and ask you to understand this too.

If you want to listen to music, while you are sitting outside, we ask that you play it from inside your holiday let and keep it at a level that will not disturb those around you, who may be choosing to enjoy the sounds of nature and the silence that is accompanied by being at a Countryside Retreat.

We do not allow loud amplified music or drumming.

So, relax and enjoy yourselves on your holiday at The Firs Suffolk, but please be mindful that it is a Countryside Retreat and as such, your fellow guests will have come here for peace and quiet, relaxation. So please kindly adhere to the above rules that we have set at The Firs Suffolk. This is for your continued enjoyment of your holiday, our neighbours’ and our work and home lives, and your fellow guests’ enjoyment of their holiday.

Thank you.

Amy & Alison

Environment

We are endeavouring to be conscious of the local environment and the wider environment and encourage all guests to recycle as much as possible. The bins are by the main gate in the car park and ask that you use them during your stay.

Green - food and garden waste, we have provided a food caddy under your sink with biodegradable compost bags. We plan to compost all this waste in the future, but currently please use the Green Bin.

Blue lid - recyclables. We can recycle everything in this bin apart from Glass and Plastic bags. There is a box in the bin area for glass which we will take to the bottle bank for you. Please tip your loose DRY recycling directly into the bin as the council won’t accept it in a bag.

Black - all other waste, if we are doing it right, there won’t need to be much waste to go in this one, rubbish can be bagged for this bin.

All bin liners are provided and compostable.

The hand soap that we provide is Bio D Lime and aloe and our washing up liquid is ecover. We are not on mains drainage, so we have to be mindful of what we put down the drain and sinks. Please put all sanitary products in the bins, not down the toilets as this may block them up. Also, if you are pouring cooking fat down the plug, please run the hot water while you do, to help it get flushed away.

Water

We hope you love the natural environment as much as we do! We ask that you consider the Countryside Code when on our site and also when you are enjoying the surrounding countryside. Please do not leave any rubbish wherever you decide to pause, whether for a picnic or to simply take in the scenery.

Water Safety

The Moat

We have a moat on site, this is now an L-shape pond as 2 sides of the moat have filled in over time. We believe this moat was used to house cattle, but in truth we are not sure why it was created there. This is an ongoing project of regeneration, but we hope you enjoy watching the damson flies and dragonflies across the water. Feel free to dip your toes or even go in.

Please note this area is unfenced, unmanned and you enter the pond area at your own risk. Please do not allow children unsupervised near The Moat. If you do go in please follow wild swimming guidelines (find online) and never swim alone.

The Spa Area

We have Spa area for you to enjoy. The Spa comprises of a Sauna, a wood fired hot tub, an outdoor shower, a plunge bucket (eeek) and an indoor shower room and changing facility. Please book with us directly for a private session.

Please use the spa towels we have provided in your lodges.

General Spa Rules will be supplied for you to read and agree to prior to your session.

This is open and bookable in advance, hopefully you will have booked your day with us, but if you haven’t please do ask us and we will try to accommodate you during your stay.

**Important Covid-19**

Please be aware that during Covid times, if you have not booked the Spa, do not go into this space

It will have had a full clean down and be ready for the guests who have booked it for that day.

Please only go into the spa, between the times of the booking, when you have reserved the space for you and your party.

Outside these times we will be in and out cleaning and maintaining the area. Please consider our safety as well as that of yourselves and the other guests.

Fire Safety

We operate a no smoking and no candle site. Please be careful around fire and remember things on or close to the fire will get hot. Please also be mindful of the weather, if it is breezy this will obviously fan the flames, so starting with a few logs and only adding 1 or 2 at a time would be safer.

We have a pizza oven, fire pits, Esse stoves inside and a wood fired hot tub in thd spa. Fires are amazing, beautiful and mesmerizing.

We have fire blankets in your kitchen, under the sink and in The Spa

A Fire Extinguisher is positioned near the main door and is safe for use on electrical fires.

Fire pits

Please place the lid over the fire pit before going to bed. This will mean the fire pit will die down safely and leaves no chance of embers blowing around in the wind. Cooking over the fire pit is a fantastic experience, we hope you enjoy it.

Esse stoves

Please make sure you do not overload the fire and also dampen the fire down before going to bed.

Logs

We provide you with a good sized starter pack and quite a few logs to keep you going. If you need more logs please let us know and we can provide another basket with kindling and firelighters for £6

Please don’t help yourself to logs as some of the logs aren’t dry enough to be used and will cause excessive smoke.

The Boot Room

Attached to the main house.

This will be open, and the machines available to use, between 10am and 4pm.

Please do not use the machines and space outside these times, due to the noise that will be created for other guests nearby and ourselves. Thank you.

Washing Machine
Tumble Dryer
Iron / Ironing board
Vacuum cleaner
Mop, brooms etc

If you need anything that you can’t find in here, please let us know and we will do what we can to help.

Useful information

WIFI: The Firs Suffolk

PASSWORD: theoldcart

Special Notice: COVID-19

In these strange times we are asking guests to be mindful of other people on the site. Therefore, please make sure you are not only being careful about where you go and what you touch around the site but also when you are out and about.

We hope that by being sensible, we can all stay safe.

The Spa

Please only enter the Spa area during your booked time slot. Please do not enter at other times to maintain cleanliness and hygiene levels.

Please note the Sauna is currently closed

Games/Equipment

If you use any of our games or equipment (Pizza Oven/Large firepit) around the site please can you make sure you wipe them down before and after use.

CHECKIN/OUT

We are operating a slighting different check-in/out times as we have to allow this extra time for the safety of those working onsite and also the next guests arriving.

CHECK-IN 4pm

CHECK-OUT 10am

Please be aware the agency you booked with may ask you for some extra information and ask you to do some extra tasks, particularly with regard to stripping your beds at the end of your stay. This is just to safeguard everyone, as much as we can.

Thank you