Access Statement for The Inn At Fossebridge

Introduction

• The Inn at Fossebridge is situated on the A429 between Cirencester and Northleach in Gloucestershire. There is ample car parking; the area to the front of the hotel has a covering of gravel to ensure any rainwater does not form pools of water. It is hugely effective, but can slow down the pushing of a wheel chair either into the main hotel entrance or to the bar and dining area, which is a separate access to the right of the hotel. There are no lifts in the hotel; it is 300 years old and rooms tend to be at various levels reached by stairs. The external grounds of four acres are grass with a river, lake and an abundance of wildlife. There is also a cottage in the grounds; it sleeps 10. All facilities are available on the ground floor; the access is formed by a concrete slope to the entrance door.

Pre-Arrival

• The Inn at Fossebridge, Fossebridge, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 3JS
• Tel: +44 (0) 1285 720721; email: info@fossebridgeinn.co.uk; website www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk
• Key front of house people are Robert and Elizabeth Jenkins (father and daughter)
• Eight fully refurbished luxury bedrooms - each described on the website
• English/French cuisine; wide range of beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks
• Four star inn rating by AA and Quality in Tourism
• Parties, civil weddings, business meetings, events catered for.

Arrival & Car Parking Facilities

• There is a large parking area to the front and right hand side of the hotel; guests can be dropped at the main entrance. There is no porterage.
• As stated earlier the car park is heavily gravelled; to the front are large signs with the inn's name and four star accreditation.
• Dogs are permitted; it is suggested guests bring their own dog bowls; please ensure any fouling in the grounds is removed.
• The grounds have some lighting at night, but guests need to ensure they know the locations of the lake and river within the grounds.

Main Entrance, Reception & Ticketing Area

• The main entrance to the inn is flat, with external gravelled area. Reception, when not manned, has a bell to seek attention. There is a lounge close to the reception point to enable guests to gather before being shown to their rooms, which are via a series of stairs. The inn is old and we do not have special access facilities for those with little or no mobility to reach the rooms. Anyone with any degree of immobility should visit our website - www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk - to see detailed pictures of each bedroom. Landings and corridors are not conducive to wheel chairs, also the breakfast room and bar/dining facilities each have short flights of access stairs for staying guests. Entrance to the bar and dining areas can be reached via a flat, but gravelled area to the outside right of the building.
• All rooms have information packs; although information font sizes are good; none is in braille.
• Bedrooms do not at present have telephones. The bar has a pay phone. There is no mobile telephone network locally at present.
• All rooms have tea and coffee making facilities, flat screen television, hairdryer. All are finished to a very high decorative standard.

Public Areas - Hall, Stairs, Landing, Corridors etc

• The main public areas within the building are:
• 1:The ground floor lounge, accessed through the main front door, level surfaces, though the front of the building approach is gravelled. There is a wide access door.
• 2: The bar and main dining areas are also on the ground floor, reached also from an access to the right hand side of the building when looking at the inn.The external approach is heavily gravelled. The main entrance door is wide; dining in the public bar area is via a level access; other parts of the dining area are via three ascending stairs.
• Access to the toilets is via five stairs; there is no disabled ramp to the toilets.
• The breakfast room is reached from the ground floor, via short flights of stairs from both the bar area and the public lounge/reception area.
• The private dining/meeting room is accessed from the breakfast room ; reached as mentioned earlier via short staircases from both the lounge and bar.
• There are NO lifts in the hotel.
• Corridors are wide enough for wheel chairs, but as would be expected from a 300 year old building, they have not been designed for wheelchair access.

Public Areas - Sitting room, lounges, lobbies etc

• The main lounge has television and internet access via a laptop for guests. The lounge has a log fire, as does the main bar area and what is known as the boardroom. There are no loop systems or documents in braille. Emergency exits are formally signed throughout.
• There are four main access doors to the hotel; guests should acquaint themselves of all of them.

Public WCs

• Men's and women's toilets, both fully modernised are located between the bar/dining areas and the main breakfast room. All bedrooms have full ensuite facilities.

Restaurant / Dining Room, Bar & Bar area, Take Away & Cafe

• The inn is furnished and decorated throughout to reflect its style as a Georgian building. All areas are fully lit, with fixtures and fittings in similar historical style. There is no low level lighting in any area; however access points to all parts of the building are fully signed. All signage is in English.

Laundry

• All linen is changed every three days for guests staying longer than this period. All linen is fresh for all guests on arrival. We do not have an inhouse laundry service for guests; there is an iron and ironing board available for guest use.

Shop

• There is no shop at The Inn at Fossebridge. Nearest shopping facilities are at Cirencester (five miles) and Northleach (four miles).

Treatment room/s

• We do not currently have any spa facilities.

Leisure Facilities

• We do not have indoor leisure activities; the area has extensive walks via public footpaths.

Conference & Meeting Rooms, Banqueting

• We have a special meeting/conference/private party room called the Boardroom; it is ideal for small gatherings; adjoining is a larger breakfast room which can provide facilities for up to 60 people. We will tailor packages to suit any group up to this size. We can also provide an area for marquee based activities for about 120 people, in our extensive grounds.

Clubs & Entertainment

• There are no regular entertainment activities; however during the winter we have curry nights, with a quiz; these are highly popular.

Bedrooms & Sleeping Areas

• There are eight luxury bedrooms; none has wide entrance doors; all are reached via stairs. Internally, some would be suitable for semi disabled guests.
• A full photographic description of the bedrooms is given on our website - www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk
• We also have a leaflet and brochure with bedroom details. For a one to one discussion call Elizabeth or Robert Jenkins on +44 (0)1285 720721
• All rooms have as a minimum, shower, toilet, handbasin; the majority have baths; all are newly refurbished.

Grounds and Gardens

• The grounds cover some four acres, and contain a large lake, a section of the River Coln, which meanders to Bibury; outside tables, chairs, parasols (in the summer); special octagon for smokers; views of the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. Meals/drinks can be enjoyed in the grounds during summer months. All meals/drinks, however, must be ordered from the bar by those wishing to do so. There is no children's play area.

Additional Information

• The Inn at Fossebridge is an ideal centre for touring the Cotswolds; it is close to Cirencester, Cheltenham, Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stratford upon Avon; Bath and Oxford are little more than an hour away, depending upon traffic. The inn specialises in shortbreaks, with special rates based upon three nights for the price of two; four for three, five for four - all taken between Sunday evening and Friday. These offers do not apply to Public and Bank holidays, or to such events as Cheltenham horse race festival.
• There are events locally throughout the year, as will be seen from our diary on the website. (2009 dates will be available from mid December).

• Hours of operation: Monday to Saturday 12 noon to 3pm; 5-30pm to 10-30pm; Sundays 12noon to 3pm; 6pm to 10pm

Future Plans

• Plans are being prepared for the development of luxury rooms within former farm buildings in the grounds. An extension, with an additional parking area, may also be added later.
• The inn's mission is to retain its focus as a beautiful location for the visitor to the Cotswolds, while at the same time offering excellent dining facilities in the locality.

Contact Telephone and Email Address

• We welcome your feedback to help us continually improve if you have any comments please phone 01285720721 or email info@fossebridgeinn.co.uk