News updates during Covid 19
March 2021 updateWe have a date! Monday 26th April is the planned start day for self catering in Scotland however this is only for residents of Scotland until we get clarification from the First Minister. What we know? On 16th March Scotland's First Minister announced: "We expect that from 26 April, restrictions on journeys within mainland Scotland will be lifted entirely." “We hope that restrictions on journeys between Scotland and other parts of the UK and the wider common travel area can also be lifted, if not on 26 April, then as soon as possible thereafter. I am so sorry that we can not define what "as soon as possible" means for UK travellers who live outside of Scotland who have booked throughout May. I hope that we will receive clarification for you in the next three week update. In the mean time, please get in touch if you have any concerns or questions. Kim - 07917 416 497. February 2021Feb 27th The roadmap out of lockdown gives us a rough but not definite date of 26th April 2021. This means no legal basis to refund and no reassurance that holidays will be honoured either side of the date.
If we open on 26th April it is hinted that we will be in Tier 3. This means that we can only welcome guests from Stirling I am doing my best to contact those of you who may be affected. Forget legal obligations. I am working from a moral standpoint so you are welcome to request an immediate refund on all dates up to the end of April. By all means keep the dates and secure alternative plan B dates here later in the year or next year until we know what is happening. Your health and safety is paramount and we will continue to practice Covid 19 stringent cleaning protocols when we start again. We are not chasing any payments due within 8 weeks of booked holidays until we know what we can offer. Please get in touch with any queries or concerns about booked holidays in the mean time World Travel & Tourism Council Safe Travels stamp
We are not encouraging bookings from outside of the UK at present as per UK safety guidelines and legal requirements. We are approved to use the World Travel and Tourism Council's safe travels stamp to reassure future World Travellers. We look forward to the day that we can welcome international holidaymakers back to Scotland.
This stamp shows that Briar Cottages has adopted The World Travel & Tourism Council global safety and hygiene protocols. Look out for these UK "Good to Go" and international "Safe Travels" logos when planning your future trips __________________________________________________________ February 2021. We are accepting bookings for 7 nights only, for people who live in the UK. We would love to welcome the world however there has been no indication of international travel any time soon. If you live in the UK and would like to secure any dates that are left from June 2021 onwards, we will accept a deposit of 20% of the tariff and email a booking confirmation letter to you. We will hold the deposit, however, you are guaranteed a choice of a refund or alternative dates if either the UK government or Scotland's First Minister prevents you from travelling or staying in one of our cottages due to national safety and travel reasons relating to the Covid 19 pandemic. Otherwise, our usual fair terms apply to cancellations. November 2020: In Spite of our rural position bordering Perthshire and Stirling, Briar Cottages comes under the current Tier 3 in Scotland until further notice, This means local bookings only. Briar Steading is not available anyway and we decided to use the time to refurbish Little Briar decking. NB We are still accepting bookings for next Spring and Summer 2021. Fingers crossed that the new vaccines announced in the news will have a positive impact on British holiday makers and international tourists next year and moving forward. Holiday guests may consider holiday insurance moving forward though we do not recommend any particular companies. You can see our very fair booking terms on this website, however, please note that if the British Government or Scottish First Minister deems that it is not safe for you to travel to our cottages due to Covid 19 related laws in 2021 then we will have no hesitation in offering alternative dates or a refund. That is the way that we have behaved throughout this pandemic. 
October update: We have managed to offer our guests 100% safety by following protocols and shutting the cottages from 4 to 7 nights between guests. The government is about to announce a new 5 tier system in Scotland so we will have to wait and see where we fit in and for how long.
Need some reassurance from us? Our cottages are cleaned to UK standards. Pillows, duvets and cushions are rotated. All bedding items including mattress and pillow protectors are washed at 60%. Once soap and bleaching is complete, all high touch points are then disinfected and polished. If that is not reassuring enough, we are leaving 4 to 7 days between properties to ensure your safety. Even the keys go into a sonic bath between guests. Sorry we can not share the summerhouse, though do enjoy the loch garden for sailing, swimming, fishing, petanque and putting. Sorry we can not show you around as we promise not to enter your chosen property unless masked in an emergency. We have left a self help guide for you though and are on site so you can phone or text or talk to us from a socially acceptable distance. Ask us any questions about cleaning or about the facilities at Briar Cottages. Remember to bring a face mask or nose and mouth covering for all public transport and shops.
3rd July: Briar Cottages are now open for 7 night bookings only in 2020. Please check our availability pages. June 25th - Briar Cottages are now open for 7 night bookings only in 2020. Please check our availability pages. The Scottish Government is now gearing up to allow us to open our doors from 3rd Jul 2020. We will be accepting bookings and leaving 3 to 7 nights between guests to ensure the opportunity for a thorough cleaning process and to minimise risk for all guests. We have been given a green light to go safely as endorsed by the British Good to Go logo earned. You have a duty of care to report any symptoms of Covid 19 to us before and during your stay at Briar Cottages as we do to you. We will do everything that we can to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable holiday break and ask everyone to respect 2m social distancing outwith the holiday cottages. Subject to government approval, tourism businesses are gearing up to open as follows.
June 15: (now 3 July) We have been given a provisional start date of 15th July 2020 by the Scottish Government which needs to be confirmed. Please bear with us. We are not taking any new guest bookings for 2020 at the moment until we can find suitable rescheduled dates for existing guest bookings. In the mean time, we are also working on maintenance, a risk assessment in relation to COVID 19 and cleaning protocols. Kim has completed the following cleaning certificate course for self catering accommodation. 
Covid 19 Holiday Let Cleaning Certificate - Awarded to Kim Proven 15th June 2020
June 5th 2020: We are closed until further notice. All we know is that we may be permitted to open in Scotland's phase 3, however that does not give us a clear or firm date. We will inform you as soon as we know. Scotland's tourism steering group is leading the national recovery plan and will share cleaning protocols once signed off by the Scottish government. We have been using our time to maintain the gardens and cottages and have posted pictures on Facebook. We will post an update as soon as we hear anything. Let me assure every guest who had their holiday cancelled due to Covid 19 restrictions that they will be offered an alternative date choice for this year or next year. We see no point in taking further bookings for this summer until we know that we can honour them. Thank you for your interest and patience. March 2020 NEWS UPDATE RE COVID-19 IN SCOTLAND: A lot has happened in the world of Tourism since early March. Local events have been cancelled, public attractions have closed, local pubs and restaurants were shut down by the government on Friday 20th March and now ALL accommodation providers in Scotland have been directed to close as of Sunday 22nd March until further notice. Ensuring that the NHS has everything in place to be able to save lives is paramount while this virus is spreading. We all have our part to play. Bear with us if you have booked to stay at Briar Cottages. We will contact everyone starting with those who were due to arrive in the next 8 weeks. Keep your families and neighbours safe and well and we look forward to seeing you when we see you... ❤️ |