Green Holidays for us are not just the visible but doing the invisible that helps our guests to enjoy luxury whilst not costing the earth.
“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
JRR Tolkein
What we've done to create Green Holidays:
When you stay with us your electricity is carbon free!
For several years all the electricity used on the farm has come from renewable sources. This is either from our own solar PV cells or from our green electricity supplier.
Since 2022 our PV solar array has grown by 200% and has battery storage to increase our capacity to cover night times. This means that we are now net exporters of electricity and (with our rural location) we are able to cover short disruptions to our power.
EV Charging Available during your Glamping Stay
EV charging is available to our guests with electric vehicles. There is a small charge per unit.
Local Artisans
We not only use local skilled crafts people, we also restore vintage furniture for our accomodation to give each shepherd’s hut a unique feel. The staddle stones under the Novelist were made by a local stone mason just 10 miles away, and our Blackdown shepherd’s huts were made within 30 miles.
Food Hampers contain all local produce celebrating the wonderful local producers we are so blessed to have around us.
We produce our own handmade soaps using all natural ingredients and essential oils (which smell divine) .
Plus Much Much More...
We have been using Who Gives a Crap toilet paper for several years for both our home and the glamping accommodation.
Environmentally friendly cleaning products like Ecover are provided for your use and are used during change over.
We reinvest both in charities we support and in adding trees to the Forest Garden every year. Your visit helps this to happen.
Laundry is done by us in a modern A+++ rated machine.
Some things you can do to Make Your Holiday More Green:
Please help us by sorting your waste into the containers provided as you go. This ensures that the maximum amount of your waste gets recycled. Please avoid use of single use plastics. All our hampers we supply will be using recycled packaging.
A Fun Challenge…
if you are buying shopping in packaging see if you can buy 100% recyclable.
Think about the wood you are burning. Wood is a carbon store; we supply you with local kiln-dried wood grown in the west country and responsibly managed, but please think of the environment when using this resource. It does have a carbon footprint.
Buy from local independent businesses whilst you are with us – you are making a big difference to the local economy. We are surrounded by a wonderful range of local businesses that truly care about Dorset. Within 5 miles there are at least 5 award winning places to eat and drink and Beaminster has some wonderful independent shops. We will send you a link to our virtual Visitor’s Guide – make use of it and you will find some real local gems that are worth visiting!
We have a network of bridleways and footpaths starting from our gate. Take the opportunity to explore on foot. With our rolling hills you can have some amazing vistas that cannot be seen except on foot. This will also keep your carbon footprint low. We highly recommend the Hardy’s Way which starts at the bottom of our track and within a short walk you can see all the way to the Jurassic Coast. You can also reach Beaminster via this walk and some good pubs.
Enjoy yourselves doing carbon neutral activities such as star gazing, wildlife watching and playing board games.
Finally…
Leave your accommodation tidy! We have wonderful staff working to make your stay comfortable – please help them!
Our Green History
The planning of the glamping business started back in 2013 as a design for Tracy’s final project for her Permaculture course. It was an integral design involving the forest garden and glamping – designing everything around giving our guests green holidays that felt luxurious.
With considerable development work our doors opened in 2016 with the Artisan and the Forager shepherd’s huts as our first guests enjoyed their off-grid holidays with us in beautiful West Dorset.
It has proven very popular and has year on year expanded and adapted based on the requirements of our guests.
All our shepherd’s huts have now got electricity and additional kitchen facilities but with a much expanded solar pv system we are proud to be net contributors to the national grid.
By summer 2022 there are 4 shepherd’s huts in total.
Looking back at photos of either of us as children there was often an animal with us outside in a country setting.
We have a deep love of nature and this has shaped the way we steward our little corner of West Dorset.
We have since taken over our land as a single 20 acre field in 1998 turned it into our tiny farm. Every building, track, hedgerow, tree (we’ve planted over 2,000 of them) have been added by us.
In our post Why a Forest Garden we share something of our devotion for planting trees and how they are critical to the planet.
We built our Eco home in 2008. It was pioneering in its use of passive solar in the UK at the time. Something we are pleased to say is becoming better understood today.
