The Old Schoolhouse,  Altandhu
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The Old Schoolhouse, Altandhu, Achiltibuie, Ullapool, IV26 2YR

House telephone  01854 622 410




Arrival and departure


Please do not arrive before 4pm, and please leave by 10am.

If the ground is at all wet, don’t take the car down to o close to the house – you won’t get it back up again without a lot of damage to the turf.

Please keep the gate shut at all times so as not to let the sheep in.

Pets

I am afraid that we do not allow any pets






Around the house


Use anything not labelled private.  There is a folder of information, including e.g. washing machine instructions, on the shelf in the living room
There is a radio, CD player and iPod speakers.
The house is supplied with eco-friendly washing-up liquid and washing-machine powder (currently Ecover),
Dishwasher tablets can be found under the sink and washing machine tablets at the washing machine
Towels are supplied
There is a hairdryer in the master bedroom upstairs.

Heating

Central heating
The  combi boiler is in the shower/laundry room. The electric switch on the wall above the boiler is the master switch to turn the boiler  on and off. You need to pull off the front panel of the boiler to use the control panel to switch between on,off and timed for the heating.  It’s worth checking that the clock shows the right time.
The hot water is set to be on continuously.
Please feel free to turn up/down the radiators to control the heat in each room
The hall radiator is always on when the central heating is on. Please keep warm, but try to avoid heating rooms you are not using.

Stove in the library
It will take coal or wood (but the wood must be dry).  The instructions should be on the mantelpiece.  There is wood, and a saw, in the woodshed beyond the walled garden.
Feel free to collect driftwood from the shore and put it to dry there.

There is a coal bunker situated at the end of the schoolroom.

Food

Use any food in the kitchen.
Fresh organic vegetables and eggs are for sale in Altandhu (at least in the summer).  There is a pub, The Fuaran Bar, in Altandhu past the telephone box which serves excellent local seafood and offers a takeaway service.
It is advisable to book a table for an evening meal at the Fuaran.
There is a shop in Achiltibuie, and several in Ullapool, including a Tesco.

Clothes washing

Washing machine instructions are in the information folder.  The water is very soft, and you will probably need much less detergent than you are used to (ditto for dishwashing).
Pegs are in the bag in the schoolroom porch.
A double washing line hangs between the schoolroom porch and the front wall of the schoolroom.

Rubbish

There is a place for compost just inside the walled garden.
Other rubbish goes into either the blue recycling bin or the green rubbish bin at the gate. The recycling and rubbish collections are on alternate Mondays – see the notice in the kitchen
Please DO NOT put glass  bottles, plastic bags, empty juice cartons or bottle tops in the recycling as it won’t be emptied (again see the notice in the kitchen).
There are glass, cans and paper recycling bins at the junction above Badentarbat Bay on the way to Achiltibuie.

Apparently interesting things turn up on the shore.  Please leave them there (or take them away with you).

Sewage

Everything goes into the septic tank, so please don’t put anything down the loo that is not biodegradable, i.e. nappies (none are more than partly biobegradable), all other sanitary items, wipes (all synthetic), and so on.

Telephone/Internet/Post

Mobile phone reception is poor.
The main telephone/broadband socket, and the WiFi router (password on the back), are in the library.
There is a postbox 200yds or so along the road towards Polbain, beside the telephone box.  Collection 9.15 am.  There is a post office in Achiltibuie, open half days,which has a public access computer.

Contact

If you need local assistance call Margaret MacLennan on (01854) 622280 or 07786 914 397
In extremis call Donald Mason on 020 7701 4276 or, failing that, 07812 240 247.

On leaving

We would be grateful if you could put your sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers and towels into the plastic washing basket and leave it on the table in the porch.

Please use the checklist.

Have a nice stay  and  thank you for not smoking in the house.

  Checklist on Leaving

  • House clean and tidy.
  • Library stove cleaned out.
  • All used bedding stripped from beds.
  • All radiators turned to 1.
  • Books all back in library in correct places.
  • Telephone directories on table beside phone in Library
  • Central heating clock (under the cover) has correct time.
  • Bin is empty and rubbish put in the wheelie bin.
  • Wheelie bins outside the front gate.
  • Washing in basket and on table in front porch.