We’re glad to announce the reopening of Whitemead Forest Park! We’ve missed you all and look forward to welcoming you back.
As you’d expect, we’ve had to adapt a few things and we’re operating in a slightly different way for the time being.
We are updating this page regularly so please check back for the most up-to-date information.
Please call us on 03301 230374 if you have any questions
Covid-19 latest updates
19 October
Following today’s announcement by the Welsh government, new lockdown rules for Wales have been introduced from 23 October – 9 November. Bookings affected by this new rule will be covered by our book with confidence guarantee
15 October
Before travelling we need you to make sure you have checked and understood the relevant government regulations that apply to you and your location, as well as the make-up of your party. It is your responsibility to comply with such regulations.
Whitemead is currently in a Medium Alert area and is under the following restrictions…
Meeting friends and family: You can meet in a group of up to six people from multiple households. This includes children and applies indoors and outdoors, including private homes. There are exceptions, for example if your household or support bubble is larger than six. Meeting in larger groups (with certain exceptions) is against the law, with fines of up to £6400.
Leisure time: Pubs, bars and restaurants are restricted to table service only and must close at 10pm. People are only allowed to visit in groups of six or less (unless they are from a larger household or support bubble). At least one member of any group should give their contact details or check in using the NHS COVID app. Face coverings must be worn, except when seated to eat or drink.
Shopping: Shops can open with social-distancing measures in place. Face coverings must be worn by customers and staff.
The situation is constantly changing and therefore we need you to ensure you check the most recent government advice for your local area before leaving home. For more information on local restrictions, click here
Medium Alert areas
If you live in a Medium Alert area, you can continue with your break, providing you comply with the latest local restrictions.
High Alert areas
If you live in a High Alert area, you can continue with your break but you cannot mix indoors with other households while at the park.
Very High Alert areas
If you live in a Very High Alert area, you will not be able to visit the park. If you need to cancel your booking, you will be able to move your break as you will be covered under our book with confidence guarantee >
Groups of six and more
As announced by the government, from 14 September, any gathering of more than six people in England will be illegal, unless it meets one of a limited list of exemptions – for example, a single household, or a single household with an additional person who is part of their support bubble. (So not all bookings of more than six will necessarily be affected – a large single family living within one household would not be, for instance). For existing bookings impacted by this – where the total number within the accommodation unit is more than six, and you do not fall into the same household or support bubble category – we’re able to offer you the following options with regard to your booking.
We have now contacted all customers with existing bookings of more than six people booked into their accommodation, to ask them to adhere to the latest government legislation and have provided a contact email address to organise an alternative option if their booking is impacted by the new rule.
For guests who have booked multiple accommodation units with six or less within each unit, and your total party is not from the same household/support bubble, your booking will not be affected but you will need to adhere to the latest government legislation.
Please click here for government guidance on what constitutes as a ‘household’ or ‘support bubble’.
We’ll be emailing guests with more than six people booked into their accommodation, in order of upcoming bookings, to ask you to adhere to the latest government legislation. We’ll provide a contact email address which you’ll be able to use to organise one of the options above if your booking is impacted by the new rule.
BOOKING FUTURE BREAKS FOR MORE THAN SIX PEOPLE
For breaks up until 31 December 2020
We will not be taking a bookings for groups of more than six people who are not from the same household or within a support bubble. If guidance changes before this date, this policy will be reviewed.
For breaks from 1 January 2021:
We’ll be taking bookings as normal, and our book with confidence guarantee will be in place. This means that, if guidance on groups of six is still in place and this impacts your booking, you’ll be able to move the date of your break for free up to 14 days prior to your arrival.
Facilities
We’re currently able to offer our guests the following:
- Self-contained, self-catering accommodation
- Takeaway food and drinks service
- Outdoor children’s play areas
- Pre-bookable hamper service
- Fully stocked on-site shop
- Direct access to forest walks and cycle routes
- Virtual and socially distanced guest query service to answer all your questions
- Shower-block facilities with very strict social-distancing measures in place
- On-site beauty salon, The Fern Beauty & Spa.
- Limited socially distanced bar and restaurant (table service only)
However, our indoor children’s play areas are remaining closed and there are no on-site activities or evening entertainment (apart from a limited activity programme during October half term). These facilities will stay closed until we are 100 per cent satisfied that it’s safe to open these to our guests.
As government guidance and restrictions in this area remain unchanged, and with regional lockdowns and virus cases on the rise, we have made the decision to extend the closure of our swimming pool and other leisure facilities for the remainder of 2020. With the safety of our guests in mind, we’re taking a cautious approach over the reopening of our swimming pool and we will only reopen our facilities when we’re completely satisfied we can operate safely and to a level of service that fully satisfies our guests’ expectations. This includes making sure we’re able to provide access to our leisure facilities to all our on-site guests for a reasonable amount of time during their stay, which is something we’re currently unable to do.
Due to the reduced facilities we will unfortunately be unable to accommodate day guests for the time being.
Cleaning and safety
We’re focusing on two key aspects of safety to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – improved hygiene and social distancing. We want to reassure our guests and our team that we’ve taken every measure possible to help keep everyone safe, while not losing sight of what we love to do every day.
- Hand sanitiser is available around the park in high-risk areas, and at points where hand washing is not practical.
- We’ve increased cleaning around ‘touch points’ such as doors, handles, switches etc and our housekeeping team are working hard to ensure all areas are kept clean and regularly sanitised.
- Increased regular hand washing has become the norm and our team are all adhering to this before, during and after their shifts.
- Social-distancing restrictions will need be complied with and signs to this effect have been installed in all our public buildings. We ask that all guests are respectful to others during their stay and make sure they keep to recommended social guidelines.
- We ask guests to wear a mask or face covering when entering any of our public buildings in line with government advice.
- All areas of the park underwent a thorough deep-clean before reopening, cleaning schedules have been rewritten and sanitiser stations have been installed.
Eating and drinking
- Our shop is open every day with extended opening hours.
- We’ve increased the range of products we stock in our shop and expanded our range of fresh offerings.
- We’ve improved our welcome hampers – these are available to book and will be sanitised, ready and waiting in your accommodation for your arrival.
- Our takeaway food service has been extended and is available every day from 8.30am, from breakfast through lunchtime and into the evening.
- We’re still offering takeaway tea and coffee, plus sandwiches, cakes and salads – these are all available to grab and go from the counter.
- We are able to offer a limited socially distanced bar & restaurant(table service only).
As announced by the government, from Thursday 24 September hospitality venues including bars and restaurants will need to close by 10pm. As a result, the opening times of our Foresters Bar and Restaurant will be from 8.30am – 10pm, with last orders being called at 9.30pm. We will also only be offering table service until further notice. Please keep an eye on this page for the most up-to-date information.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.
Please call us on 03301 230374 if you have any questions
Are you looking to book a break with us in the future?
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE GUARANTEE
Book your next holiday with us safe in the knowledge that, if the date needs to change, you
can move it for free.
These extraordinary circumstances make it difficult to commit to future holiday plans, but that doesn’t have to stop us looking forward to when we can go on holiday again. Our book with confidence guarantee means that if you’d like to plan your next holiday, we’ll hold the date for you. If things change in the meantime, such as needing to self isolate or a localised lock down and you need to change it, we’ll hold your deposit or move your break free of charge.
However, if the park needs to close due to a local or national lockdown we’ll provide you with the additional options of holding the price of your booking as credit on your account or a full refund.
Terms and conditions: Bookings are free to change up to 14 days before arrival at Whitemead Forest Park. Offer valid on bookings made up until 31 March 2021 for stays up until the end of 2021, and bookings can be moved to a new date up until 31 December 2021. If the price of your new booking is higher, you will need to pay the difference. If the new price is lower we will refund the difference. If something unforeseen occurs – such as a requirement to self-isolate or a localised lockdown – we will extend the 14-day period of our book with confidence guarantee right up until the day of your arrival.
