Reducing the risk from COVID-19 is the collective responsibility of us all. We must all make every effort to limit the spread and transmittance of the virus to each other and the community. We outline here the efforts we are making to protect our guests and us, and what actions we ask guests to take to reduce the risk of transmission. These steps are necessary to keep everyone safe, to allow us to continue to provide self catering accommodation, and for this to continue to be of the high standard our guests enjoy.

What we are doing to protect you and us

We have always upheld a high level of cleanliness here at Newfield and pride ourselves on the quality and presentation of the property. While our normal cleaning measures are robust, we are taking extra steps to ensure the risk of transmitting COVID-19 is particularly low. We are operating in accordance with the guidelines for self catering establishments compiled by the Scottish Association of Self Caterers and approved by the Scottish Government. This includes having conducted a full risk assessment and implementing changes to our cleaning regime and to the facilities we provide. You can be confident that we take the safety of our guests and team extremely seriously.

Our cleaning team wears disposable single-use aprons or gowns, face masks, gloves and overshoes when servicing the cottage. These are changed between different activities and hands are washed frequently. Any team member showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not take part in the servicing of the property.

Surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected using anti-viral cleaning products (tested against BS EN 14476 Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics) that offer log-reduction rates of at least 3, ideally 4 (i.e. 99.99% kill).

All kitchen ware is washed in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water between lets. To help us achieve this in a practicable and timely manner we have slightly reduced the amount of kitchen ware we provide.

Mattresses, pillows and soft furnishings are steam cleaned or sprayed with an anti-viral spray.

The property is cleaned and prepared in such a fashion as to allow rooms to be isolated once complete to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Bedding is washed at the highest possible temperature and stock is rotated to allow for quarantining between lets.

In addition to the starter pack of hand soaps, washing up liquid, cleaning products, toilet roll and kitchen roll that we would normally provide, we are now also providing a starter pack of hand sanitiser, some disposable gloves, tissues and additional cleaning products to help you maintain a high level of hygiene.

Welcome pack items are sourced and quarantined for at least 3 days ahead of your stay.

We have always strived to make the house as homely as possible and we know our guests have enjoyed the many “extra touches” we provide. The provision of so many non-essential items presents a challenge with regards to disinfection. Rather than remove many or all non-essential items and lose the ambiance of the house, we have decided to leave most items “as is”. It is not practicably possible to disinfect every book, CD, DVD, board game and map and we will not attempt to do this. Instead, we have decided to quarantine the house for at least 3 days between lets. Current information suggests that the virus does not survive on paper and fabric for more than 3 hours; therefore we believe that by quarantining the house for a while we can maintain a high level of amenity while minimizing the risk of transmission via these (and other) mechanisms. We have, however, removed a small number of soft furnishings to help us achieve the required cleaning in a practical and timely fashion.

What we ask you to do

You should, of course, adhere to all Scottish Government guidelines on social distancing, travel restrictions, the wearing of face coverings, maximum group numbers, gatherings, requirements to quarantine if travelling from abroad, what to do if you should fall ill during your stay etc.

On booking, we will send you information regarding what to do if someone in your group falls ill with COVID-19-like symptoms. Please note that if this happens the whole party should travel home to self isolate in accordance with government guidelines, if it is safe to do so and without using public transport. If it is deemed unsafe to travel and the safest place to isolate is regarded as being at Newfield, you will be liable for paying the cost of any extension to your stay.

You may wish to consider travel insurance to help cover any extensions to your let in the event of someone in your party becoming ill.

Provision of Towels

At this time, we kindly ask our guests to bring their own towels as we consider these to present a significant risk of transmitting covid-19. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and we thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

During your stay

Please exercise excellent personal hygiene, especially frequent hand washing. Please also keep the house clean – especially areas of high transmission risk such as bathroom facilities, kitchen surfaces, kitchen ware, door handles, light switches. We will provide a starter pack of cleaning and hand hygiene products to help; you may also wish to bring/purchase additional items as necessary (but please do not use bleach as this is not good for our septic tank!).

Please catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue, which should be disposed of, or in your elbow. We will provide a starter pack of tissues to help.

Out and about

Please remain vigilant when touring around the area and visiting attractions. Maintain good hand hygiene and social distancing. Always wash your hands thoroughly when returning to the cottage.

On departure we kindly ask you to strip your beds and bag-up the linen, place all rubbish in the wheelie bins and ventilate the house. We will provide more information on how to do this after booking.

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more information.

Please also visit the Cairngorm National Park website for information and updates regarding the easing of restrictions within the Park.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in these unprecedented times. By following the guidelines and working together we can ensure everyone stays safe and that we can all enjoy, and keep enjoying, this wonderful location.