Equipment

At Bruern we don't believe in roughing it.  Although there is nothing particularly romantic about dishwashers and tumble dryers and so on, we feel there is something decidedly unromantic about having to do without them.

In the kitchens, therefore, you'll find dishwashers, microwaves, fridges and freezers, mixers and blenders and waste disposal units; there are washing machines and tumble dryers; and irons, ironing boards and vacuum cleaners in various cupboards.  Where a cottage has the capacity to entertain up to thirty for meals, there's a range cooker, a side-by-side fridge freezer with an icemaker and two dishwashers.

To keep in touch, there are direct dial phones with automatic billing and broadband.  Wide screen television with Sky, stereo systems with CDs and video machines (plus access to our seriously good video library in the games room) while away long fire-lit evenings.

You will find a hairdryer in your bedroom, along with a towelling bathrobe, and if you want a shower, it's a proper power shower, not the miserable trickle more usual in England. (And incidentally our toiletries are made by Aromatherapy Associates).

We try to think of everything you might need beforehand so that you never have to ask for it.  So if, for instance, you feel in a party mood, there are champagne glasses, white wine and beer; there's a bucket to put the champagne in, and a cocktail shaker for more exotic mixtures.

People with bad backs can ask for backboards ahead of time; the allergy prone can have non-allergenic pillows and duvets instead of down filled ones, and there's always a choice of duvets or blankets and sheets.

On a wonderful summer's day you can take out the picnic basket and cool bag in your cottage, binoculars can be borrowed from Jenny in the Laundry room and there's a large umbrella in every cottage in case the weather turns nasty.

Gardeners needing a weeding/pruning fix will find a Sussex trug and trowel, gloves and secateurs in their cottage, and the sporting can hire tennis rackets and balls from Jenny.  Croquet mallets and balls live in the green wooden box in the archway passage from the courtyard.  (Bookers and Weir house have their own set).

And if by any chance you should come across a gap in our provisions, we beg you to let us know - so that we won't be caught out next time. We are always grateful for advice on how we can do better.