@James105 What a beautiful cottage and so well presented! James it's a credit to you and you are obviously doing very well with it.
There is always going to be a perceived downside because, you are right, guests do not read the 'fine print'. It's a bit like the warranty conditions on the back of a user guide....they have to be there, but who reads them!
Guests forget too James, you can drill something into them when the reservation request comes in but, they get so wrapped up in other aspects of their holiday that time dims the memory and the focus. With me, the only thing they remember with absolute clarity is, when I send a message on acceptance I finish by telling them, "We are in the habit of having a cheese plate and a wine or two about 5 in the afternoon and you would be welcome to join us"! Many of them totally rearrange their days schedule to take that into account! Even 5 months down the track, they remember that sentence letter for letter!!
I have found James that something outrageous on the morning they arrive galvinises certain points you wish to express and gets around a lot of these issues.
Depending on the guest I quite often use this one....
One woman said they were in a cafe when that message came through and they laughed so much all around them thought they were mad! But they quickly fired back arrival details and, the strategy worked.
Perhaps James you can work on some outrageous element you can build into your welcome message....."The hill is that steep that even the resident Moose tries to avoid it around midday....... so try to plan your arrival with that in mind. The distance is short but on foot it's great cardio"
You know your patch and you have been so creative with the listing I am sure you could come up with something really appropriate.
To the point though, once they have got there, its too late, you must give them a 'heads up' they will notice and it's amazing how it gets the friendship thing rolling....humour is universal, everyone loves it!
Cheers.....Rob