01228 576661
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For Your Stay

Pre Arrival
Your Stay
Tranquility
Departure
Pre Arrival

Self Catering Lodges

Your self-catering lodge at the Tranquil Otter is fully furnished, a home from home, your own retreat. Each Lodge has facilities to prepare and cook your own meals, giving you the freedom to set your own schedule and enjoy your holiday in a way that suits you.

Tranquil Otter lodges are inspected by Visit England each year and have consitently been awarded 5 stars.

Self-catering does not include ‘room service’, daily maid service, concierge or staffed reception.

Pre-arrival e-mails

Once your balance is paid, we send you a “booking confirmation” e-mail. Please do take a few moments to read this. This e-mail sets out the people on your booking, arrival day, departure day etc.

We also send you an e-mail a week before your arrival. This email contains numbers to contact us in case there are disruptions to your travel plans etc. The e-mail also gives you details of how to let us know when you reach the Tranquil Otter. We are a rural location and mobile reception can be patchy.

What’s included in my lodge?

Your lodge will be ready to use. Beds made up, a bath sheet, hand towel and towelling bathrobe for each guest for the duration of your stay.

We provide natural organic toiletries from Pure Lakes, www.purelakes.co.uk. You may have seen their products in Vogue.

The kitchen is fully equipped with fridge/freezer, oven, hob, microwave oven, kettle, toaster, pots, pans etc.
Hair dryer is supplied in each bedroom. There is an iron and ironing board and clothes airer in each lodge.

Checklist before you leave home

Shower Gel from Pure Lakes

Arrival at the Tranquil Otter

Please plan to arrive between 4pm to 6pm. If you are delayed unexpectedly and are likely to arrive after 6pm please ring us as soon as you know so that we have time to make arrangements for someone to be on site to welcome you.

Property Address: The Tranquil Otter, The Lough, Thurstonfield, Carlisle, CA5 6HB – It’s worth checking the last section of the directions.

Tel. 01228 576661

Supermarkets

Planning to do some supermarket shopping before your arrival, here are the details of some of the local supermarkets with postcode and contact details.

  • Sainsbury’s: Just past the McVities factory roundabout in Carlisle. Caldewgate, CA2 5TF 01228 621710 Open 7am-11pm Mon-Sat, Sunday 10.30-4.30pm.
  • Morrisons: Follow signs for M6 North, at the fourth round about turn right onto Kingmoor Road, and then left onto Hartley Avenue. At the lights go straight. Kingstown Road, Carlisle CA3 0QZ. 01228 511 771, open from 8am to 10pm every day except Sunday 10am to 4pm.
  • Asda Superstore: Close to junction 44 on Follow signs for M6 north, Chandler Way, Carlisle, CA3 0JQ. 01228 526550, open 24hrs from Monday 8am to Saturday 10pm and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
  • Tesco: Junction 43 on M6. Tesco, Warwick Road, Carlisle, CA1 2SB. 0845 677 9125, open from Monday 6am to Saturday midnight. Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Supermarket Delivery

Why not pre-order from your favourite supermarket. Select Carlisle branch and use the address for the Tranquil Otter. Please ensure that your lodge name is included in the delivery notes for the driver and that you’ll be at the lodge to receive the delivery.

Optional Extras

We offer a range of extras that we order from local suppliers.

  • R&J Mulholland’s Butchers- Great Orton – supply our welcome packs on the day of your arrival. The shop is closed on Sunday and Bank Holidays. If you are arriving on a Bank Holiday, your welcome packs will be delivered on the next day.
  • Vandella’s are closed on Bank Holiday too.
  • Foundry Wines deliver to Carlisle; we need to have a week’s notice to ensure that we can have the Champagne of Prosecco chilling in your lodge for your arrival.

Do call us if you have specific requirements that you’d like to discuss.

More information is available here.

Manage Your Booking

If you have a stay at The Tranquil Otter booked, you can access your booking in our special secure booking area and add extras, etc.

If you’ve already setup your account, just click the Login button.

If you need to set up your account just click on set up and enter your details (you’ll need your booking number).

Login
Set Up Account
Your Stay

Safety

The Tranquil Otter is an unspoilt rural site with a lake and woods in their natural state. These, inevitably, present potential hazards and need care on the part of our guests. There are, for example, small bridges over streams, boardwalks across swampy ground and fallen trees left lying to provide rich habitats for birds, mammals and invertebrates. There is unfenced water around the site that can be dangerous, even for good swimmers. Guests need to take reasonable care. Children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times. Buoyancy aids are available from us and strongly recommended.

Boat

Each lodge comes with its own flat-bottom. We can supply buoyancy jacket for you to use during your stay. Please let us know in advance so that we can have these ready for you.

Resident dog at the Tranquil Otter

Hot-tub by the Lake

We check the chemical balance in the hottub regularly, including during your stay. Water changes are scheduled to avoid changeover. However, very occasionally we need to make an unplanned water change. In such a case, the hottub will be out of use for the first night of your stay. We will contact you ahead of your arrival if this is ever the case.

Every lodge has a hot tub for you to use during your stay. The way our lodges are positioned around the lake means that you can relax and enjoy your experience without worrying about being overlooked.

Hot tubs are fun but remember that they are serious pieces of equipment.

Everyone enjoys relaxing in the hot tub while looking out over the lough. However, hot tubs combine water and electricity with an outdoor setting, which means there are some Health & Safety issues that you need to be familiar with before you start using it.

You can read more about Do’s and Don’ts of Hot Tub Safety on our Frequently Asked Questions section.

We have some information on Health & Safety in the guest handbook in your lodge. The Health and Safety Executive also recommends you read an extract from their report on the “Managment of Spa Pools” which you can download here.

In the meantime, here are a few pointers that you should be aware of.

Hot tub management at The Tranquil Otter

We are very thorough about maintaining the hygiene and safety of the hot tub. The water is changed regularly, and we keep a date and time record of each water change. In addition, we do the following:

  • We change the hot tub filters at each changeover.
  • We check the chemical balance several times before you arrive, and during your stay.
  • We use bromine to maintain the water quality, which is less harsh on the skin than chlorine. You will see that some of our hot tubs have a floating device that contains the bromine (which is not to be removed).

Things you can do to make sure you are safe when using the hot tub.

  • Take a shower and remove all body lotions and oils before using the hot tub. Lotions and oils can damage the filters which could make the hot tub unusable.
  • Remove all jewellery, and tie back long hair to ensure nothing gets tangled. Also, it’s worth noting that silver jewellery can discolour due to the bromine used to maintain water quality.
  • Keep your hot tub sessions to no more than 30 minutes of continuous usage. This is a health & safety recommendation.
  • Avoid using any detergents, foaming agents or essential oils such as bubble bath, shower gel or shampoo. This can damage the filters and can make the hot tub unusable.
  • Don’t submerge your head in the hot tub.
  • Don’t use the hot tub if you have had a large meal within the last hour of after the consumption of alcohol.
  • Don’t use the hot tub if you have had a tummy bug with diarrhea or vomiting within the past 14 days.
  • Don’t use the hot tub if you are feeling drowsy.
  • Don’t swallow the hot tub water.

Children and babies in the hot tub

It’s really important not to take babies into the hot tub. The heat of the water can be dangerous for babies and possibly fatal. Children under the age of eight should be supervised by an adult at all times, and don’t let them submerge their head under the water. Jumping and diving into the water is also dangerous.

Eating and drinking

We understand that people like to drink a something cold and bubbly in the hot tub, but please don’t use glasses, there are plastic containers in the lodge for you to use. Also, take care not to swallow any hot tub water.

We ask that food is not consumed in the hot tub. Food particles can clog the filters and could make the hot tub unusable.

Pregnancy and people on medication

We strongly advise all pregnant women to consult their GP before using a hot tub. We also advise the same for anyone taking medication for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or other chronic conditions.

Using the hot tub at night

We ask that the hot tub is not used after 11 pm at night. Our approach at the Tranquil Otter is that guests should be virtually unaware of each other’s presence and ask you bear in mind that sound travels much further over water than you might realise.

Relax and enjoy

We know it seems like a long list, but we want all our guests to be safe during their stay. Before your arrival you will receive an email with final details, and a disclaimer for you to read and sign before using the hot tub. So look out for that, download it and bring it with you when you come.

Log Burner

Your lodge comes complete with a basket of logs, kindling, fire-lighter and matches. Additional logs may be bought on site.

 Additional Wheelbarrow of logs available at the Tranquil Otter

Wifi

Our lodges have fibre connection and telephone reception is variable. You’ll find that you can use FaceTime or Skype and watch Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Woodlands

The lake is surrounded by woodlands, enjoy an early morning walk and if you are lucky you may see a deer.

Manage Your Booking

If you have a stay at The Tranquil Otter booked, you can access your booking in our special secure booking area and add extras, etc.

If you’ve already setup your account, just click the Login button.

If you need to set up your account just click on set up and enter your details (you’ll need your booking number).

Login
Set Up Account
Tranquility

What tranquillity means for your stay

Many of our guests come to the Tranquil Otter to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. For your stay, we offer a rural retreat where you can get close to nature while still enjoying many modern conveniences you enjoy at home. Sitting on your lodge deck, overlooking our private lake, is, without a doubt, a deliciously tranquil experience and the complete antithesis of traffic jams, urban noise and jostling cheek by jowl on overcrowded trains during your morning commute.

For your stay at the Tranquil Otter,

Nature cannot be silenced

But nature cannot be silenced. There are noises. Birdsong may wake you up in the morning, and you may hear owls ‘hoot-hooting’ late at night. Frogs and crickets and bumblebees all add their two penneth worth to the throng together with woodpeckers, wood pigeons and many other creatures.

A front row seat to observe and enjoy local wildlife

We offer our guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with nature, and have a front row seat to a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the variety of wildlife that can be found in and around our lake.

Most of our guests like to keep themselves to themselves and spend their time reading, enjoying the hot tub and really immersing themselves in the peaceful surroundings. However, because all our lodges overlook the lake, voices and other noises can carry and can sometimes be heard by other guests.

A far cry from being awakened by juggernaut lorries thundering past

The overall experience of a visit to The Tranquil Otter is peaceful and idyllic, but it’s not always silent. But even if you’ve been woken up by a symphony of birds at the crack of dawn, you can’t deny that it’s a far cry from being awakened by police sirens, aeroplanes or juggernaut lorries thundering past.

The only traffic jam you’re likely to see in our part of the world will be sheep that have strayed onto the road, or maybe a duck trying to get her chicks safely to the other side of the road.

If you’d like a front row seat to nature in all its glory, then come and visit the Tranquil Otter. You won’t be disappointed.

Book early to be sure of getting the dates you want.

Manage Your Booking

If you have a stay at The Tranquil Otter booked, you can access your booking in our special secure booking area and add extras, etc.

If you’ve already setup your account, just click the Login button.

If you need to set up your account just click on set up and enter your details (you’ll need your booking number).

Login
Set Up Account
Departure

Checking out

Departure on Monday or Friday is by 10am, if you are planning to leave before 9am please let us know. Departure on Sunday is by 11am.

Lodge Club at The Tranquil Otter

Once you have stayed at The Tranquil Otter, whether it is for one week a year or three, you are automatically enrolled as a Silver Member in our Lodge Club. Members can enjoy lots of great benefits and special offers each time they come to stay. Membership is available to each guest.

To find out more or to activate your membership click below.

Lodge Club
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