Heather Barn – Access Statement
Heather Barn used to be the heather packing shed for what was once one of the largest heather farms in the country. The single storey building with level entry has been adapted for wheelchair users. The barn has a National Accessible Scheme M3(a) rating. There is underfloor heating throughout.
Parking – Heather Barn has a very generous tarmac parking area (approx 25ft x 35 ft) with plenty of space for at least 2 cars and ample room for turning. The parking area is immediately adjacent to the cottage and gives directly onto the terrace area, which is paved. There are no steps.
Front Entrance – the front entrance has double doors, both of which are 850mm wide. The threshold is level entry. The cottage has wooden flooring throughout, which is environmentally friendly and provides a low allergen environment.
Kitchen/Dining area – the kitchen has most appliances and storage located under or on the worktop, with the exception of the microwave oven and crockery kept in wall-mounted cupboards above (the bottom of all wall mounted cupboards is maximum 1200mm). The fridge freezer is in a single unit with the freezer in the bottom half (floor to 680mm) and the fridge in the top half (700-1500mm). The work surfaces, ceramic hob and sink rim are all at 850mm. The oven and microwave are housed one above the other in a tall purpose-built unit, with the oven door handle 1000mm above floor level and the microwave door release 1300mm above floor level. There is no space under the units for wheelchair users. The dining table top is 750mm and the seat height of the dining chairs is 470mm above floor level.
Sitting area – the seating area has one three-seater leather sofa, one two-seater leather sofa and one matching leather armchair with rigid arms. Seat heights for these are 440mm.
Bedroom 1 – the bedroom doorway is 850mm wide. There is a 1200mm turning circle in the bedroom. The bed is a ziplock bed (can be a superking double or twin beds) with 150mm of clear space underneath the bed and a mattress height of 540mm above the floor. The wardrobe has a drop down rail, where the handle turns into a foot, making it easy for a wheelchair user to hang up or reach down clothes from the rail.
Accessible ensuite – The doorway into the ensuite shower room is 850mm wide. There is a turning circle of minimum 1200mm in the shower room. The shower is a level entry wet room with horizontal grab rails on either side of the shower area (one of which is drop-down and lockable, on the transfer side). We have a self-propelled shower wheelchair or a static (non-wheeled) shower chair that can be put in the shower room on request. There is a fixed overhead shower rose and also an adjustable shower head on a riser rail. The shower is thermostatic with a temperature limiter. The taps are all lever-type.
The basin is wall-hung with clear space beneath and has a lever tap. The rim of the basin is at 790mm from the floor, with the bottom of the bowl at 630mm from floor height. There is a vertical chrome grab rail to the left of the basin. The loo is a Freedom toilet, with spatula flush, a projection of 750mm and seat height of 540mm. There is a drop-down lockable rail on the transfer side and a fixed horizontal rail on the opposite side. The floor surface is a specialist non-slip Altra Marine range bathroom flooring.
Self-propelled shower wheelchair available
Bedroom 2 – The door width into bedroom 2 is 850mm. The room has ziplock beds which can be set up either as twin beds or as a superking double. The bed height is 580mm. The ensuite bathroom is accessed via a door 760mm wide. The wardrobe has a drop down rail, where the handle turns into a foot, making it easy for a wheelchair user to hang up or reach down clothes from the rail.
Ensuite Bathroom – In the bathroom, the toilet has a seat height of 440mm and a button flush. The wash basin lip is 840mm above floor height, with the bottom of the bowl at 730mm. There is a shower-bath, the edge of which is 540mm above floor level. The shower is wall mounted and there is a sail-type glass shower screen.
Garden – The garden has a combination of grass and paved terrace area all on the same level. There is a barbeque at one end, and ample seating with access under the table for a wheelchair. There is exterior lighting which can either be on a sensor or fixed for outside dining.
Equipment – We have a selection of equipment that may be helpful, including a bed grab rail (to aid pulling yourself into a seated position), “elephant feet” (5″), a shower chair, a hard-armed chair, a1000w blender (useful for tube feeding), foot stools, anti-allergenic bedding, an induction/hearing loop, and a medication fridge, which can all be provided on request (there is no charge for these). Larger items such as motorised recliner chairs can be hired from the Plymouth Mobility Centre (tel 01752 546222).
Baby Equipment – we have an extensive range of baby equipment available to you during your stay. Please see the Kids tab for the full list.
Dogs – we welcome dogs at Kernock. Our older doggy guests particularly enjoy the lack of stairs and the “under-paw” heating in Heather Barn! Assistance dogs are welcomed free of charge. Please see our dogs page for more details.
Public Transport – the closest railway station is Saltash (but the most practical is Plymouth, which is 10 miles away). There are no buses locally.
Shops – there is a good greengrocer in Carkeel (3miles) (great for local fruit & veg, cheese, milk, sausages etc; they also do wonderful raw frozen croissants and pain au chocolat etc – so much nicer than the ready made ones!). There is also a good butcher van at Carkeel, which does good local meat. Excellent for barbeque provisions (their burgers don’t shrink to the size of a 50p piece at the sight of a flame…), local chicken, beef and pork. There are several excellent butchers in the area – one in Tideford and one in Saltash. Waitrose is 4 miles away (on the 2nd roundabout after the bridge, if you follow my directions).
Online shopping – Waitrose, Sainsbury and Tesco all deliver to the cottages. There are several local companies which deliver locally-sourced food (including ready meals) to the cottages. One is www.food4myholiday.com – their full shopping list is on their website. Another West Country company sourcing green, ethical, healthy and/or organic produce is www.thelocalfoodcompany.co.uk, who also offer a delivery service. If you have ordered a shop and let us know, we can unpack your shopping and have it ready in the cottage for your arrival.