Access Statement for Pilgrims Cottage, Brixham Introduction Pilgrims Cottage is a former fishermans cottage and is two-hundred years old. It is located up half-way up steps from Brixham Harbour and has no road or level access. The cottage has three stories and steep winding stairs inside. Pre-Arrival Pilgrims Cottage is featured on the Blue Chip Holidays website, which includes pictures of all rooms. Bookings / inquiries can be made directly from the website or by telephone. All guests are provided with written directions to the cottage. The nearest bus-stop is in Brixham Town Square, 0.25 miles away. The nearest railway station is in Paignton, 5 miles away. Paignton bus station is opposite the railway station and there is a direct bus to Brixham Town Square, 5 minutes walk from Pilgrims Cottage. The nearest RADAR toilet is at Berry Head. Taxis can be obtained from A1 Taxi Co, 6a Fore St, Brixham, TQ5 8AA, telephone 01803 883883 This access statement is available on the website and in the Welcome File in the Cottage. A code is provided pre-arrival to access the key to the cottage from the key-safe located outside the front door. Arrival & Car Parking Facilities As there is no road access to the cottage, cars cannot be driven or parked outside the cottage. The nearest drop-off / loading only places are 36 steps up from the cottage or 37 steps down from the cottage. Long-term parking is likely to be at least 5 minutes walk away, either on-street parking (generally only available out of peak season) or Freshwater & Oxen Cove, 0.16 miles away, operated by Torbay Council, which is open 24 hours. Weekly passes for the carpark are available from the Tourist Information, and can be used at other council carparks in the area and
Pay and Display is also available. Brixham is a very hilly town and the walk to the cottage from the nearest parking will involve climbing up or down stone steps, depending whether the car is parked at the bottom or top of the hill. Main Entrance, Reception & Ticketing Area The main entrance to the cottage is the front door on Customs Court. Customs Court is a small left turn off Overgang when climbing up from the harbour (right turn when descending), beside a blue cottage called Compass Cottage. Overgang is a flight of uneven stone steps from the harbour, with a metal handrail on one side. There are 37steps up to Pilgrims Cottage. Customs Court has an uneven surface like an un-made up road. There is no sign reading Customs Court The key to the cottage is accessed from a key-save located at a height of approx 0.5m beside the front door. There is a raised lip to enter the cottage. The front door is 1.9m by 76cm and there are no handrails. The entrance narrows to a width of 60cm in the small porch, which opens into the dining room. The keyhole is 1.1m high. The welcome pack is on the dining room window sill. Public Areas - Hall, Stairs, Landing, Corridors etc As this is an old fisherman's cottage it has steep, narrow, winding stairs connecting the 3 stories. The landing is a narrow corridor with several steps, and turns tight corners. There are several places with low doorways or ceilings, where it is easy to bang your head, even for people who aren't tall. Public Areas - Sitting room, lounges, lobbies etc The sitting room is on the top floor of the house. The stairs open directly out of the living room with no door. The sitting room is in the attic and has sloping and beamed ceilings, which are low in places.
The sitting room is carpeted in navy blue with a slight pattern. The living room contains a futon sofabed and two wooden chairs with arms and cushion seats. There are two small coffee tables in the living room. Outdoor Facilities Immediately behind the cottage is a very small patio area belonging to Pilgrims Cottage. There is gated access to the patio. The property next door has access across this patio, as their backdoor opens onto it, and this access must not be blocked. The backdoor to Pilgrims Cottage leads out of the kitchen into a small alleyway running alongside the cottage. Pilgrims Cottage extends outwards above this alleyway on its first and second floors. The alleyway extends from the front of Pilgrims Cottage, past its back door to the cottage behind, and eventually up the hill to road access. The alleyway is not lit and has an uneven surface and has many steps. Bedrooms & Sleeping Areas There are two bedrooms, both are located on the middle floor of the cottage. The main bedroom has a king-sized bed, 5'6 wide and 6'6 long There is narrow access of 31cm at both sides The door is 1.8m by 76cm The floor is carpeted in beige (Premier Harvester Twist 100% Polypropylene, colour Hemp 465 ), new in early 2010, and the walls are cream and white. There is a wall light over the bed, with the switch on the wall behind the bed. There are tall but narrow bedside tables, each with a reading light. The small bedroom has a single bed, 3' wide and 6' long The door is 1.88m by 68cm There is a bedside table with reading light beside the bed, and an
overhead light. The distance between bed and wall is 45cm. The room is carpeted in grey-blue ( Saville Supercolour Twist 100% Polypropylene, Moonstone Grey), new in early 2010, and the walls are turquoise and white. The room has a sloping and beamed ceiling. Bathroom, Shower-room & WC [Ensuite or Shared] The toilet is located in the bathroom at the far end of the corridor on the middle floor. There is a step down to the bathroom, and the doorway is low, so it is easy to bang your head, particularly when exiting the bathroom. There is a full-sized basin and a shower over the bath. A non-slip mat is provided The bath has 55cm high sides. The floor is blue / grey linoleum with a small square pattern (Narirn Cushionfloor Classic), new in November 2010. Self-Catering Kitchen The kitchen opens out of the dining room through a long archway with low ceiling. The dining room and kitchen have a tiled floor in a terracotta shade. The dining room walls are dark beige / light brown. The kitchen walls are white. The dining room has a large table with wooden chairs with no arms. The kitchen work-surfaces are 93cm high and 61cm deep. The fire-extinguisher and blanket are to the right of the fridge at a height of 1.6m. The fridgefreezer has the fridge at the bottom and small freezer above. The washing machine and dishwasher are front-loading. The oven is low, with the gas-hob on top of the oven at 93cm high. The microwave sits on top of the fridge-freezer at 1.22m high. The sink is at a height of 93cm and there are separate hot and cold taps. A cordless kettle is provided. Catering standard crockery and glasses are in the wall-cupboards. Saucepans, casserole dishes etc. are located in cupboards and
drawers beneath the worksurfaces. General information There is a smoke detector on each of the 3 floors and a fireextinguisher and fire-blanket are provided in the kitchen. There is a carbon-monoxide detector in the living room where the boiler is located. The boiler controls are at a height of 30cm from the floor. The television is located in the living room along with DVD, video and freeview box. All have remote controls. Also provided are two CD / radio / cassettes with remotes, and Ipod docking station (no remote). Teletext is available. As this is an old fisherman's cottage it has small windows and is not bright, however plenty of lighting is provided. Most of the rooms have wall lights, as the ceilings are low, and the bedrooms and living room have additional lamps. The kitchen, and bathroom have ceiling lights; the kitchen has additional lighting over one of the worktops, and the bathroom has a shaving light above the mirror, and the dining room has a ceiling light in addition to wall lights. There are lights outside both the front and back doors. Information provided in the cottage is written only. The stairs and corridors are narrow and winding, the stairs are steep. There are doormats by the front door. Additional Information A welcome pack is provided in a dyslexia friendly font. Manufacturers instructions are located in the kitchen drawer to the right of the cooker. A folder of local places of interest leaflets is also provided on the dining room window sill. Address: Pilgrims Cottage 2 Customs Court Overgang Brixham Devon
TQ5 8AP Telephone: A telephone for incoming, freephone and emergency 999 calls is provided in the cupboard under the dining room window The telephone number is: 01803 854 354 Wireless broadband is also provided, with the hub located beside the telephone. Bookings are through Blue Chip Holidays: Tel. 0844 561 2001 Fax: Blue Chip Holidays: 01803 881029 Email: via the Blue Chip website Website: http://www.bluechipholidays.com/holidaycottages/brixham/pilgrims-cottage.html Hours of operation: Opening hours Monday to Friday - 9.00am to 8.00pm Saturday - 10.00am to 6.00pm Sunday - 10.00am to 4.00pm Emergency number: Call 01803 853 405 Future Plans The turquoise walls in the small bedroom are to be repainted in blue to better match the new carpet. Contact Telephone and Email Address We welcome your feedback to help us continually improve if you have any comments please phone 07800833797 or email clare.wadd@virgin.net Revised: 16 November 2010