The holidaymakers next door

[mindutopia]

Just a rant really, I know I’m not being at all unreasonable. We live in a very rural area that is somewhere people like to visit. It’s pretty and remote and lovely. The only house within about a mile or more is a holiday let. Owners are lovely and actually bought the property back that their grandparents used to own 60 years ago. We have no issues with them. We also have no issues with 95% of their guests. They are usually very quiet and respectful and all that.

We had a family arrive yesterday for the week, with a 5 & 10 year old (we have a 4 & 9 year old, so great we thought!). They came over to play yesterday afternoon, fine.

I woke up this morning to their 5 year old in our lounge (we have like 5 doors, it’s a big old farmhouse, we don’t lock them usually at night as literally no one bothers us down here). I returned him to his family.

They attempted to come over several times today but I sent them back as we were having an Easter egg hunt in the garden and also having lunch. They finally came over again in the afternoon (I was in the house tidying up after lunch). We live on a farm so I can’t really see much from the kitchen, or else if I’d seen them, I would have intervened.

The 5 year old got into our chicken pen, let all the chickens out, threw about £5 worth of food and grit everywhere, and then appeared in my lounge (I was tidying up toys) and chucked 4 eggs on the floor (thankfully didn’t break!). I’m over it.

I only discovered the chickens let out (for foxes to eat) and food thrown everywhere just now as I went to tidy up outside for the evening. I went to knock on holiday let’s door but was dark inside downstairs and I could hear kids in bathroom upstairs so they are obviously doing bath and bedtime now.

I’ll speak with them tomorrow, but I just needed to rant. We’ve had so many people traveling to our lovely part of the country the past couple years and it does provide income for many local people (not Dh and I, we work in careers totally unrelated to tourism). But these are the first CF we’ve had in a long time and it just irritates me. Every time I’ve returned their children to them, they’ve just been in the kitchen, drinking, and oblivious. We had a bonfire burning today. We have a river with deep fast flowing water. We also had our puppy out this afternoon, who is lovely but very big and jumpy, which is why we are careful to only have her off lead on our own farm. She definitely could have injured one on these kids in excitement if we hadn’t known they were wondering around our land. And also just the damage and expense to our livestock. I’ve had to clean out the duck and chicken houses because they filled them with pellets and they can choke without access to water. They’re here 5 more days! I will go have a word in the morning, but in the meantime, just arghhhh!

Everyone having a go at OP is clearly one of these feckless freeloading arseholes that are sadly all too prevalent these days.

If you don't understand a lifestyle (not locking doors) don't comment.

@mindutopia

The parents have never come over, no. I spoke to them as they literally came down the drive yesterday (we share a drive, houses maybe 1/4 apart), and said lovely to meet you.

The dc appeared in our garden about an hour later and played for like 30 and I took them back over to their parents (drinking in the kitchen) , and said they had to go home as we were having dinner but would be happy to invite them back at some point this week. I haven’t seen the parents since, though I’ve returned their children 4 times today.

I don’t think having a playdate for an hour implies they can just send them over at 9am when they can’t be arsed to get out of bed! My dc have loads of play dates with dc who come to visit. The parents normally just talk to us or with a small child, accompany them.

Anyway, it appears that the dad (who has come down with his ex and current partner, and children) is an employee of the holiday let owners, who are furious, so hopefully CF will get read the riot act. Just a shame as my dc would love to play with them, but they clearly need to be supervised and someone who isn’t us, needs to do it.

I’m confused You’ve only spoken once to them when they drove down the driveway But then you say that “every time” you’ve dropped the kids back they’ve been drinking.
So did you drop them back to the parents and how would you know know drinking if not? And you didn’t say a word to them when you dropped back??

I’m just baffled you know that “every time” you’ve dropped back they’ve been drinking
But haven’t spoken to them since you first dropped back?

* We have CCTV and security lights as we have a business on site*

But in previous post you make it sound like the darling buds of may!

They let a 5 year old let alone one with additional needs wonder alone where there's deep fast flowing water;that alone is terrifying.A toddler got out of a caravan on a holiday park not that long ago and drowned in a lake.

I recall you from another thread about moving to the seaside

You have only very very recently moved to this property?

@collieresponder88

Just lock your doors like normal folk do !

That's not going to stop the kiddo accessing the rest of the farm! Honestly the idea of a five year old wandering around a farm unsupervised is giving me chills.

@SillySallySassySausage

Got as far as We don't lock our doors … nope, what do you expect. Be thankful that it was just a small, harmless child you found in your house If this is actually for realz

On what planet does having an unlocked door mean you should expect strangers to come in and just plonk themselves in your house??

Planet London and perhaps other cities too. You'd be amazed what can happen if you don't lock your doors. I know 2, separate, people who have found a drunk sleeping it off in their sitting rooms. 2!

This thread is insane. We lived on a farm until.recently and my kids (4 and 5) knew well enought for kids their ages not to go into fields with live stock or near the farm yard on their own but they were never allowed out the safely fenced area if our garden unsupervised because they are young and I didn't want them causing issues with the farmer or putting themselves in danger.

Its not hard to understand why the OP is upset.

I hope the issue is fixed now OP

@Oatsandstuff

I recall you from another thread about moving to the seaside

You have only very very recently moved to this property?

Yes, appears so. Changes the story somewhat

@ageismintheuk

Everyone having a go at OP is clearly one of these feckless freeloading arseholes that are sadly all too prevalent these days.

If you don't understand a lifestyle (not locking doors) don't comment.

I’m confused how you equate “never having lived in the countryside” with “you’re w freeloading arsehole” but carry on with your mental gymnastics.

I’m also confused how op has apparently loved in areas where she needed an escort to get home, but has said it’s “crazy” that people lock their doors. Doesn’t correlate at all.

People might not understand country living. If it seems a lot don’t understand city living (or their house insurance policies most likely either, as if you did happen to be a VERY RARE AND IMPROBABLE rural burglary then you would be up shit creek if trying to claim on your insurance).

Apart from the other obvious safeguarding issues here with their free range kids, how do these parents know OP and her husband are even safe to be around kids?

Who goes on holiday and let’s their kids go to some neighbours house alone?
A 5 year old non verbal child.
I don’t get you commenters that are blaming OP cos do you roll like this with your kids and that’s why you’re blaming OP? Cos you can see yourself being in parents position here.

Not saying OP is Rebecca rapist but fuckin hell how would anyone know? Who trusts complete strangers to watch their kids?
Or don’t even notice their child leave their house early in the morning?

Also why is it strange for the OP to have cameras up etc? Cos she don’t lock her doors? 😂😂

She runs a business and has explained the type of crime they get in these areas, why are people finding all of this so difficult to understand 😝😅🤣

"12:22Oatsandstuff

I recall you from another thread about moving to the seaside

You have only very very recently moved to this property?"

Surprisingly you do get farms near the seaside. Maybe not the seaside you are familiar with but near beaches. The Gower Peninsula is a prime example.

No the thread was another poster talking about whether she should move to the seaside

And op said that she’d only very recently moved to the countryside

@youvegottenminuteslynn

The way this thread has gone is so batshit it makes me feel like I'm drunk

This

And as someone else said “you lot are wild.” 🤣

Jeez, I hope the OP is laughing. If you don’t laugh, you’re gonna cry.

No point getting contents insurance OP
As claim would be thrown out in and instant if discovered door unlocked whilst out

@caecilius1

I sympathise with you OP re the lack of boundaries with the holidaymakers' DC, however, I can't imagine ever leaving property unlocked either when I'm in or out of my house. I would never even leave the patio doors open/ unlocked even when just nipping to the loo. Its not a city thing, it's a security conscious thing; your insurance would be invalid for starters if the worst happened.

No, it wouldn't.

I personally can't imagine locking myself in my house and being so afraid of the outside world. Granted, I also live in a quiet rural area but the only time my doors are locked are overnight (though I have forgotten in the past and nothing happened!) or if I'm out. I can see exactly one person outside at the moment and he's mowing his grass. I genuinely don't get the hysteria around not being locked in like you're in jail at all times.

I'm thinking I know gates can be climbed over, but if all areas were locked e.g. Keypads, or padlock ect, would that help keeping containment of the areas ? Plus if an accident happened from insurance ect, could the op be liable do to minimal locks ect ?

@SoupDragon

in my experience if the door is shut it’s locked from the outside

Only if it has a Yale type lock. Not all doors do.

Thanks for the terminology @SoupDragon, helped me Google better. Turns out a ‘Yale type lock’ is what I’d consider a normal lock, that’s the style on every place I’ve lived in in Australia (and I’ve lived in a ridiculous number of places). I appreciate that style is probably less common in the UK if it is described that way and so whole locking/not locking discussion makes a lot more sense now! Thank you 😊

I'm in the U.K. and I've never lived somewhere without a Yale lock - it's only through Mumsnet I realised not everyone had one 😂

@SoupDragon

I'm in the U.K. and I've never lived somewhere without a Yale lock - it's only through Mumsnet I realised not everyone had one 😂

New (not wood) doors don't tend to come with them

@SoupDragon

I'm in the U.K. and I've never lived somewhere without a Yale lock - it's only through Mumsnet I realised not everyone had one 😂

I'm uk too, I always presumed its natural to always lock locks, ect regardless of type, as you never know, plus it's odd the times when you don't lock that x happens,

@Nanny0gg
Are these front doors or internal doors ?

[quote Hawkins001]@Nanny0gg
Are these front doors or internal doors ?[/quote]
Our last (new build) house had a 5 point euro lock on the composite front door. That’s normal now. All our older houses have had some Yale/Chubb/whatever combo on wooden doors.