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The holidaymakers next door

532 replies

mindutopia · 17/04/2022 19:55

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. Hmm

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. Hmm

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!

OP posts:
BlueOverYellow · 17/04/2022 21:04

They're drunk and don't notice their 5 year old keeps completely disappearing from their property and entering a stranger's HOME repeatedly and causing damage on the property?

I'd threaten to call social services or the police, frankly. And follow up if there are more issues.

SunflowerSmith · 17/04/2022 21:11

Did the parents come and check where they were?

romdowa · 17/04/2022 21:12

Had a strangers child appeared alone in my house at 8am. I'd have called the police.

twilightcafe · 17/04/2022 21:21

Random holidaymakers' children round to play?
You need to knock that on the head.
Who is responsible for the kids when they're at your house. If there is an an accident on your land/property, then who is liable?

mindutopia · 17/04/2022 21:26

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! Hmm 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.

OP posts:
BlueFkingTicks · 17/04/2022 21:29

Glad you've told the home owners - ultimately they're responsible for making sure their guests don't cause a problem for the neighbours. I'd also mention the damage the child did to the chickens/waste of feed and I'd suggest that some compensation would be in order.

As for the holidaymakers - I think maybe they've got the wrong impression and think that you've suggested it's fine for their kids to wander. So I think you need to make it clear to them (if it happens again) that your place is private, a working farm and there are dangers.

Then lock all your doors, and hope that you don't see them again

irishfarmer · 17/04/2022 21:34

Glad is has been sorted with the owners. I live on a farm too, plenty of dangers for little kids everywhere! The parents though how are they not concerned about where their 5 yr old goes off to

PolitePlantPot · 17/04/2022 21:43

Oh gosh, this sounds very stressful. Horrible visions of kids who have been found in ponds etc. The parents sound really irresponsible, I bet they're saying things like "it's great allowing the kids the freedom to roam" without any true understanding of the dangers. (Although your place sounds lovely- can we come and stay in the holiday let? I promise my kids are always fully supervised and know not to wander on to other people's property!)

UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 17/04/2022 21:48

@LemonViolet

Next time an unknown 5 year old appears in your home, I’d suggest considering phoning social services to be honest.

Yep.

SillySallySassySausage · 17/04/2022 21:52

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mindutopia · 17/04/2022 21:53

Yes, I am responsible for them when they are at my house. That’s no problem at all. Just like I am for dc’s friends who come over for a playdate. I mean I know MN is a bit weird, but surely inviting someone for a play date (like we do weekly for both dc), does not imply that their parents can drop them off at 8am unannounced while we are still in bed while they find their own way into our house or onto our farm where we keep livestock. Confused I mean I I have literally never had such a thing happen. It had never occurred to me that I needed to ward off random unexpected children by telling their parents not to just dump them onto our land. I just sort of assumed that was impliEd in any playdate.

Surely, one invitation for like an hour does not imply that it’s okay to send your child ovation all hours unsupervised. Or gosh, we’d have half the school here in the holidays! But realistically, I have a reception age child. I supervise him. He’s totally fine to roam around our garden and land and he’s used to livestock ;and would leave them be because they are super boring and ordinary).

But we live in a rural area, if we don’t invite people over, my dc don’t have friends to visit. We don’t live on an estate. But I don’t think that implies it’s all a free for all. I would expect a 5 year old staying on a neighbouring farm (holiday let actually has more than than us and have cattle and sheep in tenanted fields), to not wander about without supervision. Apart from us, the sheep farmer who has like 100 head of sheep in the field just next to the house (field owned by holiday let owners) could have just run them down coming down the drive at 8am.

OP posts:
Haudyourwheesht · 17/04/2022 21:57

@collieresponder88

Just lock your doors like normal folk do !

Your normal is not everyone's normal!

MsTSwift · 17/04/2022 21:58

They were obviously out of order but yes I think you gave mixed messages.

mindutopia · 17/04/2022 21:59

@SillySallySassySausage Really?! 😂 No one here locks their doors. Truly my in laws who live in a similarly rural part of the same county, took two weeks to find the keys to their house as they never lock the doors except on holiday, and they never go on holiday. We literally only lock the doors if we all go out! I was out walking the dog and dc and Dh were still asleep in bed. We don’t live in a WAG McMansion in Chester 😂. I don’t lock the doors when I take the dog out for a wee, because who the hell does that. I’m out on my own garden. I don’t expect the hungover random neighbours children to wander in. I mean that’s literally never happened in the 12 years we’ve lived here. Is that a normal risk in Surrey?! I can imagine it is. 😂

OP posts:
worriedaboutmoney2022 · 17/04/2022 21:59

@mindutopia

I don't mean to be funny but where on earth were the parents while the 5 year old did this? They should be supervising their children.

Maternitynamechange · 17/04/2022 22:02

There are THREE adults there and their kids are just AWOL?

BotterMon · 17/04/2022 22:04

Padlock the gate.

mindutopia · 17/04/2022 22:10

@Maternitynamechange yes, apparently, though I’m a bit doubtful of my 9 year old’s narrative. She did say they were on holiday with their mum, their stepmum, and their dad (the kids apparently explained how they spend weekends with their mum, Tuesdays with step mum and rest of the week with dad, but I don’t really trust that version of the story, could totally be two parents and like sister/SIL, but yes, there were 3 adults there when I returned their children and asked them to not come back over yesterday.

OP posts:
SillySallySassySausage · 17/04/2022 22:11

This reply has been deleted

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mindutopia · 17/04/2022 22:13

@BotterMon wish we could but they own the gate. It’s the only access to and from the house so we can’t touch it. The rest of our land is behind gates (just not our actual house and garden), but the gates were shut all day. They just climbed over them, as 5 year olds do without parental supervision.

OP posts:
ENoeuf · 17/04/2022 22:13

We had a chat with them yesterday afternoon, said happy for them to come over to play in the garden. I don’t think (I mean maybe I’m just not an asshole!) that implies we are providing childcare for them for the rest of their stay.

Not sure if you’re implying I’m an asshole as this was in your response to me Confused bit this the mixed message part

Ducksurprise · 17/04/2022 22:14

@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 Confused If this is actually for realz
We don't lock our doors, or our cars, windows open. Grew up like this and most of our neighbours are the same. We are also rural. Gun cabinet is locked.
Waitingforbabyno1toarrive · 17/04/2022 22:22

CFersConfused

cameocat · 17/04/2022 22:26

We don't lock our doors much either.

I think you've been totally reasonable and the adults highly irresponsible (never mind rude).

Mummapenguin20 · 17/04/2022 22:27

Cheeky sods