Duvets..

[Cymraes]

I've just had some feedback from my very first guests that my duvets are too warm.

The cottage is in North Wales and I'm a cold soul so I put in 13.5 tog bedding. The cottage has a very efficient heating system but it is a stone cottage and even in high summer the ambient outdoor temperature isn't usually warm enough for me personally to want anything less.

Is this too warm? What do others in the north of the UK provide?

[Hells Bells]

At the moment I think 13.5 tog bedding would be much too warm. My 12 tog duvet didn't go down too well in my Alpine apartment, so we've replaced it with a cooler 7.5 one.We were there last week and didn't use a duvet at all.
I've got a 4 tog one on my bed in chilly NE England for the summer. I will replace with a warmer one for winter.

[Sammy]

I am in North Wales too....my duvets are 10.5 tog all year round. I have a top sheet under the duvets and also at the end of the beds a folded thin(ish) quilted bedspread. So guests have the option of being extra warm or cool.

You can't please everybody, for instance last weeks guests had the heating on and used all the logs for the woodburner....but the previous guests to them had ditched the duvets and were sleeping under the sheets with the bedspread on top..

Like you, our cottage is stone-built and even on hot days (when we get them!) it can feel quite cool inside. 13.5 may be too warm for most people though.

Hope this helps

[Joanna]

In Chester we've got 10.5 tog at the moment with some 3 or 4 tog ones available to swap over if guests are too hot. No fear of that this week though - just had guests in touch asking for help putting the heating on apparently it was around 12' outside. It is still July isn't it? Sounds like they might need both duvets.

We have 13.5 tog ones that we get out in the Autumn and leave the 10.5 as spares in case they're too hot. We've also got lightweight bed spreads that are mainly to add a bit of colour but can also be used if they need a little bit extra warmth.

[greenbarn]

We're inland at nearly 1000ft in the NW and I'd rate 13.5 tog as catering for extreme tastes even in the winter and uncomfortably hot for most people at any time of year, assuming a reasonable heating system and insulation levels. It's much easier to add an extra layer for additional warmth (or provide an additional/different duvet) when needed than to cool off without throwing the duvet on the floor and then waking up cold in the night.

If I had to spend a night under a 13.5 tog duvet at this time of year I'd be down the shops buying something cooler the next day.

Having said that, OH lit our logburner tonight........ but then our Victorian farmhouse isn't up to the same standards of heating and insulation as our barn conversion - and I'll still be using a 4.5 tog duvet!

[jenboyle1959]

We're on a Scottish Island, and provide 10.5 plus a sort of patchwork bedspread for people if they're chilly . Plus some fleece blankets....
some people are too chilly, some too warm- I think it's easier to provide a mid warmth duvet and "layers" .
There is of course, no such thing as "summer" in Scotland. The rain is slightly warmer, is all.

[Wonkeye]

..my duvets are 10.5 tog all year round. I have a top sheet under the duvets and also at the end of the beds a folded thin(ish) quilted bedspread. So guests have the option of being extra warm or cool.

We're exactly the same. Plus a 4.5 tog one for use in exceptionally hot weather. And we're in Yorkshire.

[Casscat]

I think I'd have palpitations under a 13.5tog duvet I have a 4.5 now and the fan running all night (in North London, not Andalucia!) In extreme cold I will put the 10.5tog on, but I hate to be overheated so I would prefer to just pop a blanket over the 4.5 and kick it off if I get too hot.

[Bunny]

I'm afraid I'm down south so a bit warmer, but I don't have any 13.5 tog duvets. They range from 4.5 for summer to 10.5 for winter. I think most people would find 13.5 tog too warm anywhere in the UK in summer and I'm a 'cold' person too.

[la vache!]

No idea but if you have heating in the house why do you need extra warm duvets? I think they are only necessary if you are camping outside in minus 3°c conditions. It is rare that a house (even in Wales) descends to that temperature.

[Nightowl]

I hate hot duvets. My husband, in his wisdom, spent £100s on a goose down duvet without running it past me first - I can't sleep under it at all and it's now relegated to the back of a cupboard. I'm happy with 4.5 tog all year round and am chucking it off at the moment. Hubby would be happier with 9 or something like that.. (no idea what possessed him to buy the 12 tog+ goose one!).

[Cymraes]

OK - looks like I'm in a minority so I'll invest in a 10.5 tog for the cottage!

Thanks everyone