Green Living at Coastal Cabins
At Coastal Cabins we believe in reconnecting with nature in an ecologically friendly but comfortable environment. We want our guests to enjoy the beautiful area around them and fully relax so that they return home feeling refreshed and perhaps with a greater appreciation for the beautiful part of the world that we call home.
We are committed to nurturing our land and passing it onto the next generation in a better condition than how we found it. We are doing this by embracing modern technologies and living a greener life.
Zero Carbon
We are introducing renewable energies with the aim of becoming zero carbon on our site. We have recently completed a new storage facility that is run completely by renewable energy. We have a combination of solar PV and an air source heat pump. Our Wild Spa Hot Tub area is also powered by an additional air source heat pump.
We have also recently switched energy provider to a company which provides us with 100% renewably sourced electricity.
All of our wood provided for use in the BBQ Cabin is locally sourced and any firelighters used are eco-friendly.
During our closed period (7 months of the year), all power is turned off and no energy is consumed on site.
Going forward we intend to install solar PV to each cabin on site. We also hope to install electric vehicle charging points to our car park area.
Zero Waste
We are actively operating in a way to reduce waste, reuse wherever possible and eventually send zero waste to landfill.
To do this we are bulk buying materials such as cleaning materials and building supplies. This reduces packaging wastage. We are also purchasing environmentally friendly cleaning products.
We recycle all cardboard, plastic, tin, glass and paper through a local waste management company. We also reuse all garden waste on site.
Sustainable Transport
Coastal Cabins are located in a very rural location. Although travel by car is almost essential to reach us, we actively encourage other ways of travel once guests have arrived. A large number of guests bring road bikes and explore the area that way. We also widely promote exploring the hundreds of miles of coastal paths via the South West Coast Path easily accessed from Coastal Cabins.
Our site is car free to minimise pollution and noise levels near the cabins.
We try to source everything we use locally, thereby support our local economy and reducing the transport footprint of goods and services.
Sustainable Materials
We are committed to using local and sustainable materials at Coastal Cabins. Each cabin is provided with diffusers which are produced by a local artisan business called “Essence of Hartland”. All of our cleaning products used both for changeovers and left for guests to use during their stay are “Method” and also “Seventh Generation” – which are completely natural and plant based.
Homewares and linen inside the cabins are all sourced from ethical and green companies
The cabins themselves are made from ethically sourced timber and the gravel for all our paths are from a local quarry called Pipers.
Sustainable Water
We promote the efficient use of water in our cabins. All toilets have a half flush system and showers are offered throughout instead of baths. We do supply baby baths for those with tiny babies.
All sewerage is dealt with by our own septic tank and several soak away systems. We also try to harvest rainwater as much as possible for use on the gardens in the summer.
Protecting Wildlife
The protection and promotion of wildlife is something we are very passionate about at Coastal Cabins. We are very lucky to be located in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and also and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We have a number of rare species of plants on site which we protect and nourish. The area by our lake in particular is a haven for wildlife. This is something that we have developed having created the lake area ourselves back in 1992.
The diverse range of species found on site was something that was highlighted in the ecological assessment that we undertook as part of our planning application. We have ensured that any development of the site has been done very carefully to mitigate any impact on our beautiful surroundings.
We have plans to develop our path around the lake into a nature trail for guests to enjoy further. We would like to put together information about the wildlife surrounding the cabins so that children (and adults!) can learn more about the local environment that they are staying in.
Culture and Community
We strongly encourage our guests to visit local attractions that educate them about the local culture and community of North Devon. For example travelling on the Tarka Trail Cycle Route that used to be a train line, or visiting the fishing village of Clovelly with its interesting history and unique way of life.
Visits to local natural beauty spots such as the South West Coast Path, National Trust beaches, Lundy Island, Braunton Burrows etc are actively encouraged through constant posting on social media of similar trips made myself and my family.
We are very passionate about sharing our local area and its natural beauty with our guests.
A Happy Healthy Holiday!
At the core of our business is to help our guests have a healthy happy holiday. We want our guests to fully relax whilst at the same time exploring the beautiful outdoors.
Inside the cabins we offer little luxuries such as Duck Island bath products (recently changed from small travel sized products to larger re-fillable products), cotton bed linen, essential oil diffusers, welcome biscuits and tea. Outside we promote active living through games on the field, wild swimming, walks on the coastal path and more. We are full of great suggestions for adventures in the local area from surfing lessons to the perfect spot for a sunset picnic.
Summary
We actively encourage green living and sustainability at Coastal Cabins, however each year we strive to improve. There is always more we can do to ensure we leave our world in a better place than we found it.
