Before you arrive

Remember we supply wood, dishtowels, cleaning cloths, pan scrubbers, toilet paper and washing up liquid.
There is no need to bring any of these items.
The kitchen is so well equipped that you just need to bring yourselves, your gear and your food.
If you wish to arrive earlier than 3pm, this may be possible, but you will need to arrange this with us in advance.
If you are delayed or likely to arrive after 10pm please phone us.
If you don't phone us and arrive after 10pm the hotel may be locked and we will be fast asleep.

Insurance

You are advised to take out personal, cancellation & travel insurance.
We recommend Rothwell and Towler, Guest First insurance at www.rothwellandtowler.co.uk

Dogs

We love animals (oh yes we do).

Dogs are tolerated provided you ask first so that we do not end up with a pack of unrelated dogs.
They are kept under close control in the garden (tight control means on a lead or close to heel).
If they sleep in the hostel, it is on the floor on their own bedding.
If you are sharing a bedroom, the others in that room must agree.
If they sleep in the owner’s vehicle, they do not bark all night and keep everyone awake.
If they defecate on our lawn the owner picks up and disposes of the resulting mess (we can provide bags if necessary).
They do not jump up, bark or growl or otherwise threaten us or other hostellers.
They do not jump up to look out the bedroom window and scratch lumps out the wall underneath the window.
They do not try to eat the furniture or carpets.
They do not enter the hostel covered in mud.
They do not shed hair all over our nice clean hostel.
They do not attack kill and eat our chickens (yes this really haooened but you are Ok, we do not have any chickens just now!)

All the above things have happened. We do actually like dogs, but have had some problems.

Payment

You should have paid us in advance unless you have booked at short notice or booked online.
If you have still to pay us would the group leader/organiser please collect all the money.
Cheques are payable to 'PETER MAIN'.
Please do this as early in your stay as possible (at weekends definitely no later than Saturday night).

During your stay!

You may come and go as you please.
If you wish to speak to us come to the back door of the house.
Knock on the door or ring the cowbell loudly but keep out of our house unless we ask you to come in.
The conservatory forms part of the house (keep out of it) and yes, the notice on the door does apply to you.
To stay on extra nights you will need to ask as early as possible.
Scottish weather and snow conditions can be unpredictable; you should to plan an alternative programme.
Groups that have booked the whole Hostel can be provided with a front door key.

The Hostel

If you do not have exclusive use of the hostel please remember that other hostellers need to use the same facilities.
A complete take over is only acceptable if you have paid for the whole hostel.
If you are planning a noisy alcohol fueled piss-up then go and stay somewhere else.
DO NOT alter the controls on the large storage heaters (lounge, corridor, drying room).
If you feel the heaters need adjusting tell us and we ll sort it.
We will keep the toilets, showers and visible floors clean and deal with rubbish daily.
The hostel will be thoroughly cleaned before and after your stay but please keep it as you would like to find it.
If the fire alarm goes off you must come and tell us regardless of the time of day or night.
If the alarm goes off assume there is a fire and get out.
Trying to dismantle the sensors does not succeed in silencing the alarm or the siren and will cost you a lot of money.
Occasionally the fire alarm goes off if toast is burned or wet items are placed on the heaters.
Fill it in the logbook to educate or amuse others, cartoons, drawings and suggestions are particularly welcome.
Any offensive logbook material will be removed and returned to you.
Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the building, is now illegal under Scottish Law and has been known to set off the fire alarm.
You may smoke in the garden (providing we are not standing next to you).
Anyone thought to be smoking in the Hostel will be asked to leave (we can always tell).

The Village

Public telephones (cash and card) are in the square by the Post Office, beside the zebra crossing. Hotels have payphones.
Mobile reception is reasonably good in the garden.
Most shops are closed on Wednesday afternoons.
The Co-op food store is open 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday and Sundays 9am to 7pm.
The Esso Garage also sells food and papers, open 7am to10pm.
The only bank in the village has closed but we do have an excellent small post office.
There is a cash machine next to the village hall.
The nearest open bank is the Bank of Scotland in Kingussie (closed for lunch, 12.30 to 13.30).
If the BofS is not your 'Friend for Life' then the nearest alternative bank is in Inverness (50miles).
Please respect the peace, quiet and privacy of the other occupants, our neighbours and ourselves, especially after 11pm.
Don't 'eye up' the local girls too closely, it could end in tears (for you, not them!).

Kitchen/Lounge

There is an Inventory in the information file next to the microwave.
We do not expect you to count everything when you arrive but it will give you a picture of what is available.
If you feel something is missing then tell us.
Make sure the kitchen door is closed when cooking (especially when using the toaster).
Draughts and several other simple games are provided.
There is no TV and never will be, by request of our customers.
We believe in doing what we can to conserve resources and care for the environment.
Follow the instructions for re-cycling paper, metal, glass,plastic, batteries and compost.
Unwashed food containers will be returned to the sink for you to wash.
There is a small a small hi-fi system in the lounge (radio, tapes and CD s). Ski FM is on 96.6.
We supply a small number of CD s, all of our genre so if you are young you probably won't like them.
You are welcome to play with the wood burner in the lounge (and even light it).
Please read the instructions and run it at the correct temperature.
Shut the wood burner down if going to bed or the pub.
Please try to use the main entrance when arriving or leaving.
If everyone uses the patio doors as the main entrance it treads mud and wet directly into the lounge.

Garden/Parking

Leave the gates as you find them.
The gates are occasionally closed to deter uninvited guests and late night flowerbed urination.
The first people to open the gates in the morning should leave them open.
Please do your best not to reverse onto the main road.
Park cars tidily. There is parking space for four vehicles side by side facing the Hostel.
You are welcome to squeeze more vehicles in behind them at night but please remove them in the morning.
You may block your friends in if you want but not us or people not in your group (unless they have agreed).
Keep our garage access clear between 8am and 10pm (if we need access outside these times we will tell you).
Parking on the street outside the house is usually not a problem.
When we have a big snowfall its better if the whole street is clear for the ploughs.
Scrape the ice off your car rather than run the engine for 30+ minutes.
We can lend you ice scrapers and snow shovels.
Run engines for the shortest possible time before leaving as fumes get in our house.

Bedrooms

This is a low crime area. However, we will give you a a room key.
If you are staying one night you do not really need a key, but you may have one if you wish.
We will allocate you a room and a bed (unless you have booked the whole hostel).
If you are in a shared room we may ask you to share with the opposite sex, or with people from another group.
Let us know if you feel this is a problem.
Bedding is provided at no extra cost..
If you choose not to use a sheet sleeping bag, remember that the previous occupant of your bed may have made the same decision with the same bedding (and that was only yesterday).
Remove your shoes before getting into bed.
You can use the bedroom heater as you wish. Switch it off in the morning.
If several people are sleeping in a bedroom it can become very hot & stuffy and we suggest you sleep with the window open.

Showers & Toilets

Keep the bloody shower curtain inside the shower tray!
If you don't the water runs down the curtain, onto the shower floor and out into the corridor.
Use the heaters in showers & toilets only when using the facility.
These heaters are very expensive to leave running and trip out if left on.
These heaters are switched off between April and October.
The drying room works really well, honest!
Towels and soap are provided in the toilets. This is so you can wash and dry your hands.
If you want a towel for a shower then you can hire one from us.

Drying Room

Even if several of you have been swimming fully clothed everything will dry overnight.
Hang your things up carefully bearing in mind others staying in the hostel may also want to use the facility.
If we are passing the drying room we may interfere/improve with the way your things are hung up.
If you throw your stuff in a heap on the floor you don t deserve dry gear in the morning.
Check that the de-humidifier is running; if not then switch it on.
Using the de-humidifier means the room only needs to be warm, not hot.
Use the spinner first if your stuff is very wet.
Use the spin-dryer after hand washing and your clothes will dry overnight.
Please supervise the spinner carefully; it does not switch off automatically (and does not switch off from the bar of the Glen!).
Hang washing outside in good weather.
The extractor fan should not be used.

Children (a parents guide)

We love children (oh yes we do)

We welcome all ages, but some of our hostel and fittings have not been designed for children under the age of 5 years.
Keep hands (and all other body parts) and socks off the wood burner (socks melt in an interesting way).
Very small children would probably be safer on the bottom bunks.
The greenhouse, garden shed and garage are out of bounds.
Keep children out of the borders and in spring and summer, the area of trees in front of the hostel.
Shut the gates if you want to prevent young children escaping (the main road can be very busy).
Children should be supervised when using the swing.
The swing is only suitable for young children.
The lawn is not suitable for games of football; it damages the plants and flowers.
Hens can only be fed (and eggs collected) after asking us.
Put disposable nappies only in the outside bin, which is by the back door.

All the above things have happened. We do actually like children, but have had some problems.

Child Protection

Families with children aged under 16 must book a private room.
We don't accept bookings for unaccompanied children under the age of 16.

When You Leave

Feedback forms are left in the lounge.
We welcome feedback and have always done our best to implement any practical suggestions.
You should leave by 11am. We need prepare the hostel for our next customers and it is impossible to do this until everyone have left.
If you want to do something locally before moving on and then return to shower or cuppa then this is usually possible but we need to know.
If you do want to return then your bedroom must be completely cleared and your belongings packed and stored in the lounge or in your car.
Returning on your last day when we have a large group arriving later that day is not possible,
Complete, dry and put away all you re washing up and wipe down the tables, your mother does not live here.
Deal with bedding as requested (notices in bedrooms).
Take all your belongings away.
If you have a key, leave it in the door or return it if you have paid a deposit (early departure?..., do this the night before).
If you can t find us, put the key through the house letterbox and we will return your deposit, less p&p.
If, after leaving, you find a Hostel key in your pocket please post it to us.
We will be most grateful and even forgive you for taking it away (and your deposit will be returned to you less p&p).
Leaving a mess? If extra cleaning is needed, we will send you a bill. Only with your help can costs be kept low.
Left anything? We keep left gear for two weeks. It then goes to the charity shop or we use it ourselves.
If you want anything returned we require a small administration fee including P&P in advance.

Data Protection

Occasionally we may write or email with news of the Hostel.
We will treat any information we have about you as private and confidential.

Nothing about you will be disclosed to anyone accept where:

1. Where we are legally required.

2. Where it is in the public interest.

AND FINALLY

Is everything in working order, we can only fix it if we know about it.
Is anything broken, tell us and we will repair or replace it.
Tell US if you have any suggestions for improvements.

We welcome feedback. Some possibilities are:

1. Speak to us.

2. Fill in our own feedback for and leave it in the small wooden box on the shelf next to the music and magasines.

3. Leave a comment in the visitor s book.

4. Email us on your return.

5. HostelWorld & Hostelbookers will be automatically emailed a feedback form.

We reserve the right to respond to any comments where we feel they are unfair or where we need clarification.

Tell OTHERS if you like the Hostel and the way we run it.
This website is updated regularly with events in and around Newtonmore, skiing conditions, river levels, climbing and walking conditions and interesting weather events (storms, floods, even sunshine!).

Enjoy Your Stay

Peter and Kathryn

Craigellachie House, Main St, Newtonmore, Inverness-shire, Scotland. PH20 1DA

email Phone 01540 673360