Useful Information

Staying At Lower Mill Estate

Before arriving for your stay at LME please be aware that the entrance is manned by a Security Warden at peak periods (Friday and Saturdays) but there is Key Entry Pad at the Main Entrance Gate – the entry code will be given to you prior to your stay as the code is changed yearly.

On Arriving at the Estate, please have your Gate Entry Code ready to use and also the map of how to get to the property. This Gate Entry Code is also used around the estate at various gates around the lakes on the walking routes.

If there is a Security Warden then please let them know that you will be staying at "16 Howells Mere (Indian Summer)" and have your Parking Permit on display.

You will need to have the following documents and have them with you at your arrival.
- Parking Permit - should be filled in and placed on dashboard at all times.
- Lower Mill Estate Code of Conduct - guests must read and fully understand these prior to their arrival and adhere to the rules during their stay.
- Estate Map with Directions to 16 Howells Mere.

The estate roads are narrow and used by walkers, cyclists and children and therefore have a 10mph speed limit. Please be extremely careful when driving around the estate especially watching out for children and wildlife (rabbits, wild birds).

Parking: The Parking space for 16 HM is 3 spaces from the front of the house (infront of 17 HM) and has a pole with number 16 on it. If someone is parked there or there is not enough space please check if you can identify the house where the car is from (see if a Parking Permit displayed) and ask politely for them to make space or move their car as you are staying at HM16. Worst case contact the Estate Office and inform them on 01285 869184. If you have more than one car please find a space with a V (visitor) sign nearby or use one of the overflow car parks. Please do not park on the grass verges.

Entry Information: Keys, Keysafe, Alarm etc

The House Keys are found in a Key Safe mounted next to the front door and near the Indian Summers number 16 sign. The front door key and alarm swipe keyfob is found in this keysafe. The code to unlock/lock the keysafe will be supplied to you separately as it is changed quite often.

To open and close the key safe, remove the rubber weatherproof cover, enter the code via the number buttons and then press downwards the button at the top of the front of the safe. This opens the whole front (keypad) of the keysafe. To lock the Key Safe you must enter the code again and press the button at the top downwards and press the keypad fascia back into place.

The front door lock is opened via the key and also locked using the key, even from the inside – it does not lock shut when you close the door from the inside, you have to lock the door using the key from the inside.

The Hot Water and Central Heating controls are linked to Hive control system. The central heating and water can be controlled via the thermostat that can be found on the wall opposite the main downstairs bathroom.

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Leaving the House at the End of your stay

On a day to day basis we would not expect you to use the alarm when you exit the house. The Estate is very safe but we would expect you to lock windows and the front door on leaving the house.

ON LEAVING THE HOUSE AT THE END OF YOUR STAY

Please leave the house as you found it, please put all dirty dishes in the dishwasher and switch on, leave all used sheets and pillow cases etc, on the beds and towels in the bath.

Lock all doors, please ensure that all Decking doors are locked (that is handles are down) and all internal room doors are closed.

Turn off all appliances at the Electrical Mains points on the wall. Except for the Fridge/Freezer.

Take all rubbish bags to the Rubbish bins found in the Black Shed opposite number 13 Howells Mere.

Please check and ensure all taps are closed and not left running.

Please remember to leave the two Leisure and Wellness Club Guest Passes in the Black Guest Folder. There will be a charge if we have to replace passes.

Return the House Keys to the Keysafe outside the front door. Place the keys in the Key Safe mounted next to the front door and near the Indian Summers number 16 sign. The code to unlock/lock the keysafe will be supplied to you separately via email. Enter the code and press down the button at the top of the front of the safe, to open and close the safe.

Housekeeping Information

Indian Summer is our second home and we rent and maintain it using Orion Holidays Limited.

Bed linen and towels are provided for 4 people. You will need to bring your own swimming pool towels or hire them from the Club. A hairdryer and iron can be found at the house.

Staying as our guest includes all utilities and use of the Leisure and Wellness Club and all leisure facilities (treatments are extra).

Fishing Passes can be found in the Guest Folder in the Lounge and they allow you to fish the lakes around LME. Please see Fishing at LME on the Activities Page.

The cushions for the outside furniture on the upper decking can be found stored in the living room next to the dining room table.

Please treat this outdoor furniture with respect and do not sit on it without cushions. Although the cushions are designed to withstand some water they are not designed to be left outside for long periods of time. So please ensure you clean up spills quickly and remember to bring them in at night, when its raining and when you leave the house at the end of your stay.

The house has all cleaning equipment that you may need but we recommend buying some dishwasher tablets and washing tablets (just in-case). There are spare sheets, towels in each room.

The kitchen is well equipped with plenty of pans and enough cutlery and crockery as well as the usual appliances such a microwave, 5-burner hob, 2 ovens, washer/dryer and fridge/freezer. There is also a selection of cookery books and utensils for use with the BBQ. There is a selection of tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, salt and pepper and basic cleaning items, dishwasher tablets, toilet rolls, bin liners etc Please feel free to use these but please try and replace them if you finish them.

We also leave some logs for the log burner but if you plan to stay for a longer period then please pick some up from any petrol station for your stay.

On the upper decking there is a charcoal powered BBQ. Some ready to light charcoal should be available with the BBQ, If you use all of it please replace if you can. Please also clean the BBQ and utensil after use.

General rubbish can be disposed of in the binstore which is locate in the black Boathouse opposite house no 13 Howells Mere. Larger recycling is located behind willow fences next to the Main overflow carpark near the entrance.

WiFi and other Entertainment Equipment

Indian Summer is equipped with Gigaclear Ultra fast Broadband and Wifi.

The Wifi password will be supplied once you have confirmed your stay at the house.

If you have a modern smart phone it is advised that you use Wifi Calling which can be set on your phone to make telephone calls via Wifi. This is because the Telephone Network reception is limited on the estate.

The Wifi Router and manual are found on the brown bookshelf in the Lounge upstairs.

If you have any issues please reboot the router and connect again.

The Smart TV in the Lounge, and the Nintendo Wii games machine in the Den, are connected to the Wifi so may need to re-connect if the router is rebooted.

Please note that the TV connected to the Wii Games machine in the Den can not receive TV programmes and is purely a games monitor.

Please note the Samsung TV is a smart TV and has access to various Film Channals like Amazon Prime/GoogleTV, NetFlix etc So if you have a login from home please use this to download films, TV Series etc.. If the Film App (NetFlix etc) is not installed please install and login).

To use the Panasonic DVD Home Theater Sound System with TV press FM/Ext-IN until display shows D-IN (Digital Input) then use the Panasonic remote to control volume etc.

Water Safety on the Lakes

Buoyancy Aids/Life Jackets must be worn at all times when using the lakes. This applies to canoes, kayaks paddle boards and boats/dinghies.

As well as a basic safety precaution, it is also a condition of the Estate’s Insurance.

Estate staff will ask anyone not wearing a Buoyancy Aid/Life Jacket to leave the lake immediately. So please:

Make sure that you and your family and friends are all wearing Buoyancy Aids/Life Jackets when on the lakes.

Be aware that anyone not wearing a Buoyancy Aid will be asked to leave the lakes.

Regrettably there have been some instances of Estate staff being abused when they have asked people to leave the lakes, This is obviously not acceptable.

We can prevent this by ensuring that everyone wears a Buoyancy Aid/Life Jacket.

With respect to open water swimming, please remember to take appropriate precautions. The lakes are not supervised.

We are very fortunate to have access to the lakes, let’s make sure we use them safely.

Please do not use our Kayaks

We have two Kayaks that are for our own Personal Use and unfortunately due to insurance issues are not available for everyone to use. That is why they are locked and the paddles and life jackets that we use are locked in a deck box on the lower deck.
Please do not attempt to use these kayaks, but you can hire kayaks at the Activity Centre.

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Swans

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Do Not Feed The Birds!

PLEASE DO NOT FEED WILD WATERBIRDS

It could have serious consequences for their health

Swans and geese are designed to eat principally aquatic plants although they may also eat the odd fish, frog or insect. Swans fed large quantities of bread can develop a condition called Angel Wing which deforms their wings and prevents them from flying.

As well as this, feeding waterbirds human food increases nutrient levels in the water which in turn depletes wildlife diversity and can lead to water becoming stagnant and unpleasant.

Finally, in the case of swans, it reduces their natural fear of humans and makes them more aggressive during the breeding season.

The idea behind Lower Mill is that residents and wildlife live side by side in peaceful coexistence and this philosophy has been so successful that it is easy to forget that the beautiful birds and animals you see from the house are actually wild animals that are in no way reliant on people.

THERE IS PLENTY OF NATURAL FOOD FOR ALL THE ANIMALS.

Other Userful Information

Newsagent - The nearest newsagent is the Londis store in
South Cerney. Although papers and some provisions can be bought from the Ballihoo shop.

Taxis - Cirencester Radio Cars 01285 650850 and Keith’s Taxis 01285 860688.

Hospital - Cirencester Hospital and the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Useful Numbers for the Estate:
Duty Estate Manager 01285 869184 or dutymanager@lowermillestate.com
ArtSpa Team : 01285 862640 or spa@lowermillestate.net

Lower Mill Estate is constantly evolving and improving the habitat of its’ residents (human and otherwise!). You will therefore see works in some areas. Please note that there is some building work currently happening on Howells Mere. Disruption is kept to a minimum, and does not take place over a weekend.

Please watch your children as the house is overlooking a lake and the estate has several large lakes.

Please consider your neighbours while staying at the house and remember noise carries over opene water and try not to make too much noise after 10pm.

If there are any emergency breakdowns at the house then please contact: Orion Holidays Limited on 01285 861839.

Food Waste Policy

New food waste bins will be put in place at all bin stores across the Estate.

This initiative will have a positive effect of helping to reduce waste costs by 4% in the coming years, helping LME towards the pledge to deliver an environmentally responsible, carbon-neutral business by 2030.

The food waste bins in the bin stores are marked and are the same size as the glass bins.

We will be providing a food caddie for every property.

The following waste can be collected in a biodegradable food bag, to be put into the food waste bins:

Cooked / uncooked / leftover or out-of-date food.
Eggshells
Coffee grounds / tea bags
Vegetable peelings

It is important not to contaminate the bins with plastic bags/plastic food containers etc.

We will provide some biodegradable food bags, but the Ballihoo Market will have these in stock.

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Shopping

There are a selection of supermarkets nearby, also most petrol stations have little supermarkets attached. The big name supermarkets all deliver to LME.

Waitrose – 4.5 miles Address: Sheep Street, Cirencester, GL7 1SZ.

Tesco Extra (24 hours except for Sundays) – 4 miles, Cirencester Extra, Kings Meadow, Cirencester, GL7 1NP.

Lidl - Love Lane Industrial Estate, Cirencester GL7 1YG.

Marks and Spencer – 6 miles, 42 Dyer Street, Cirencester, GL7 2PF.

Jessie Smiths Butchers Farmshop and Cafe : 19 Love Ln, Love Lane Industrial Estate, Cirencester GL7 1YG: The best butchers farm shop and cafe. Great meat and farm products all made at the shop for you to take home. Sad to say that the Cafe is now only doing takeway at Lunch times.

Dobbies Garden Centres: Siddington, Cirencester, GL7 6EU: Great garden centre but also has great cafe, lakeland store, clothes, shoe, book, gift shops and kids play area.

Markets in Circencester: there are various markets in Cirencester. Every Saturday there is a Market in the centre of Cirencester at Market Place just by the Parish Church. There are also independent market stalls in the Corn Exchange and an amazing Antiques Centre spread over a huge house that is found on Market place.