Terms, Conditions and Privacy Policy

Our aim is to make your visit to the Shepherds Retreat as enjoyable as possible but to enable
this we ask that you read and accept our terms and conditions. The terms and conditions set out
below are our terms and conditions and the contract becomes effective on payment of the
deposit for the Shepherd's Hut holiday.
‍Booking and Cancellation for Direct Bookings.


‍All bookings are subject to availability. Once a booking has been requested it will only become a
contract once the booking has been confirmed by Shepherds Retreat and once the deposit has
been paid. For bookings made more than 28 days before arrival, a deposit (part payment) of 50%
of the total cost of the holiday, is required. The balance is due 28 days before the holiday commences. 

For bookings made less than 28 days before arrival, the total amount is payable in full on booking. 

 The guest agrees to pay the balance of the payment 28 days before the holiday is due to start. 

Email reminders will be sent if required, but delivery cannot be guaranteed. 

Where a guest fails to pay their balance by the due date, the booking may be cancelled and the deposit retained.

Once the holiday is booked the guest has entered into a legally binding contract. If the guest
cancels, for whatever reason (including medical and weather related) then no refund of the
deposit will be due, and within 28 days of the holiday no refund of the full balance is due. 

A holiday cancellation protection plan should be taken out to cover forced cancellations.

Cancellations must be notified in writing (including by email) to Shepherds Retreat immediately.
We will endeavour to re-let the Shepherds Hut and if successful may by discretion allow the
guest to transfer to alternative dates for a £20 administration fee plus any other expenses
incurred in re-letting. The expenses incurred in re-letting will be at the discretion of Shepherds Retreat.


Booking and Cancellation for Online Booking Platforms
‍Please refer to the terms and conditions for Bookalet.
‍
Arrival and Departure.
‍Bookings are from 4pm on the day of arrival. Please arrive at Shepherds Retreat Reception area
between 4pm and 6pm to collect your key. If your arrival is going to be outside this time, please
make us aware the day before or at the time of booking. Timings for winter bookings can be
flexible subject to prior agreement with Shepherds Retreat. On departure we expect the huts to
be vacated by 10am. Guests are asked to leave the huts clean and tidy and in the same
condition as they found the huts on arrival. Guests are asked to consider other residents during their stay.


‍Liabilities.
Shepherds Retreat is situated at Rookery Holt which neighbours a number of working farms with 

live animals and many other hazards. We ask guests not to enter fields with livestock and to

keep to all designated footpaths and public rights of way. Shepherds Retreat will not be
responsible to the guest at all, whether in contract, delict (including negligence), breach of
statutory duty, restitution or otherwise for any injury, death, damage or direct, indirect or
consequential loss (all three of which terms include without limitation pure monetary loss, loss of
profits, loss of business or revenue, depletion of goodwill, lost expectation, loss of savings, lost
data and similar loss) however caused arising from or in connection with the use of the facilities
at Shepherds Retreat or Rookery Holt including any computer virus.


‍Damage and Losses.
‍It is the guests responsibility to lock up the shepherd's hut when they are away from the site.
Shepherds Retreat cannot be held responsible for any of the guest’s personal belongings brought to the site.

 The guests are responsible for leaving the hut in good order. 

Please alert Shepherds Retreat about any damage or breakages as soon as possible. Shepherds Retreat reserve the right to charge for excess damage.


‍Disabilities.
‍We highly recommend that any guests with limited mobility contact Shepherds Retreat prior to
booking with us as access to our shepherd’s huts is pedestrian, requiring a walk of at least 200m uphill. 

Our huts are accessed by steps and the beds are also raised.


No Fire Policy.
‍Fires are restricted to the wood burning stove, and the BBQ area ONLY.
‍
No Smoking Policy.
Shepherds Retreat operate a strictly no smoking/vaping policy within or on the steps to the huts. Failure to comply
will result in a charge of £250 for a deep clean of soft furnishings. Any guests smoking outside of
the huts are asked to dispose of their butts in a bin and must not litter the surrounding area.


‍Cleaning.
‍The guest is responsible for leaving the accommodation as they found it, in good order and in a
clean condition; otherwise a cleaning charge will be levied.


Personal Items.
‍Guests should not leave any items at Shepherds Retreat, if left, we have the right to charge for the removal, 

return or disposal of those items.

‍
Damage, Loss, Theft.
‍Guests agree to inform Shepherds Retreat of any damage or loss however caused, excluding reasonable
wear and tear incurred during occupation. Guests should not remove any item from the property.
We will ask for reasonable replacement costs.
‍
Nuisance.
‍We ask that guests respect the peace and quiet of the location and not cause nuisance or annoyance to occupants of any nearby property. If, in our opinion, any person is not suitable to continue their occupation of the shepherd's hut because of unreasonable behaviour, damage or nuisance to other parties, the contract may be treated by us as discharged
and the we may repossess the shepherd's hut immediately. 

The guest will remain liable for the whole cost of rental and no refund shall be due.

‍
Access.
Guests must allow reasonable access to the shepherd's hut by the owner for maintenance given
reasonable notice.
‍
Pets.
‍No pets are allowed due to the site being located near a working farm with livestock in the surrounding fields.


Camping.
‍Camping on Shepherds Retreat is strictly prohibited.
‍
Complaints.
‍Any complaints must be made known to Shepherds Retreat immediately so that remedial action
can be taken if required. In no circumstances will compensation be made for complaints raised
after the holiday period has ended, or when the guest has denied Shepherds Retreat the opportunity to investigate the complaint and endeavour to put matters right during the holiday period.
‍
Cancellation by Owners.
We reserve the right to refuse any booking and to cancel any bookings already made if
the shepherd's hut is unavailable (eg through fire, flood, etc) for any reason whatsoever, subject to a full
refund of all monies paid (but no further liability).
‍
Force Majeure.
‍We cannot accept responsibility or liability for any alterations, delay or cancellation or any
other loss or damage caused by war, civil strife, terrorist action, industrial disputes, fire, sickness,
bad weather, epidemics, acts of any government or public authority, or any other event outside
our control.
‍
Declaration.
I have read the terms and conditions of this booking and agree on behalf of all
members of my party to abide by those conditions during my stay at Shepherds Retreat.

Please tick the box when Booking your stay.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy.
This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect the personal information you supply when you use our website – and when making a booking or general enquiry.

We always take your privacy and security matters seriously. Our website uses industry standard SSL encryption throughout. All areas of our business comply with UK Data Protection Act 1998 and EU GDPR 2018 legislation. We do not participate in the disclosure or resale of customer data. No invasive tracking or targeted advertising happens on this website. We only engage in the collection of data essential to facilitate in providing products or services to you in a safe and efficient manner

. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Any information you provide while using this website will only be used in accordance with this privacy policy. We may review and change this policy in the future and will update this page accordingly. This policy is effective from 07/07/2025

The information we collect when you make a booking or general enquiry.

We collect some or all of the following information:

Your name

Email address

Postal Address

Telephone number (optional)

Other relevant information in response to your requests and processing your booking or general enquiry.

How we use this information.
This information is used to understand your needs and requirements to provide you with the best possible service and holiday experience with specific reasons
Booking and administrative record keeping.
Marketing promotion – from time to time we may send promotional emails or other information we think you will find of interest. You always have the option to unsubscribe from further correspondence.

Market research.
We may use your information to contact you for feedback about your holiday experience. We will only contact you by email and you will always have the option to unsubscribe .

Security of your information

We are committed to ensuring that your personal information is secure. We have put in place management procedures and both physical and electronic security measures to safeguard your details and comply with General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

Keeping control of your personal information.

We will never pass on your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission, 

or are required by law to do so.

Third party booking websites.
We use Bookalet in connection with bookings. This means your personal information will be held on record with them. We have a written agreement with Bookalet about how it protects your personal information. They have their own Privacy Policy on their website that can be viewed here www.bookalet.co.uk


Website cookies.
Like most other websites, our website uses small tracking cookies and other services to enhance your browsing experience – and to help you use our website. Cookies do not give us access to your electronic device or any other information about you.


Links to external websites.
Our website has links to external websites that we think maybe of interest to you. However we can not be held responsible for the content of those websites or for any personal information you provide whilst visiting these websites.

Access to your personal information.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you may request details of personal information we hold about you. If you would like a copy of the information we have, please contact us through the website.