Woodend
Self Catering Holiday Cottages

Caring for the Environment

We are committed to running our home and business in a way which has minimal impact on our environment and beautiful surroundings.

We are continually looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption and pollution generation.

We have invested in renewable energy technology to generate our own electricity. We have PV cells and by utilising batteries this saves surplus power during the day and we pay less per KW when we charge them overnight.

On (and overnight after), a sunny day this provides a plentiful supply of energy for the cottages appliances, hot water, washing and drying of laundry, battery charging and even sends a little back to the National Grid!

Our Energy Use

• Since November 2015 we have been generating electricity from our 6 KW system of Solar PV panels.
• Our electricity is supplied by Octopus who use a large percentage of renewable energy.
• For guest's use, we have plans to add an "Electric Vehicle Charging Station" during 2023.
• We are replacing our light bulbs and now most are low energy LED which use 85% less energy than standard old style bulbs.
• All our properties, three being conversions within old stone walls, have as much roof insulation as we can employ.
• All water cylinders are lagged and pipes and insulated to reduce heat loss.
• Guests are encouraged to boost water heaters during the day when it is sunny.
• Where possible, appliances are rated highly for energy efficiency.
• Wood used for the wood burning stoves comes from trees in the Duddon Valley and are brought here from no more than 5 miles away.
• Our oil boiler is serviced regularly to optimise efficiency.
• Each cottage is provided with a "clothes horse" for drying clothes in order to reduce the amount of energy used in machine drying.
• We launder our own bedding and towels and, as much as possible, this is done at sunnier periods to make use of excess electricity generation.

Electric Vehicle Charging Starion

It is hoped that during 2023 we will install a 7.2kW vehicle charging station.

If we can help further then please contact us.

Buildings and Structures

• All our conversions have been carried out to maximise energy efficiency.
• Where possible, materials used have been reclaimed and upcycled.
• All stone barns have, as much as possible, employ high levels of insulation.
• All labour used for building works is sourced locally.
• All maintainance, as much as possible, is carried out on-site by ourselves.

Our Recycling Plan

• We recycle as much as we can and guests are encouraged to recycle when they are staying with us. We take glass, plastic, cans, cardboard and paper to a local recycling centre. Each cottage is provided with clear information about how and where to recycle during their stay.
• We compost all vegetable waste from our kitchen and garden.
• All compost is used in our garden and fruit and vegetable plot.
• Our water comes from the fell and is perfectly acceptable to drink (and checked regularly by the local Environmental Health Department).
  In order to minimise the use of single use plastics bottles, we never buy bottled water, we encourage guests not to bring it to or purchase it whilst staying at Woodend which saves them money.
• To further reduce our own "single use packaging" much of what we consume is either grown or made by us at Woodend.
  Eg. We make our own yoghurt, sometimes keep our own pigs for pork products, grow our own vegetables and make our own bread, beer and wine, etc.
• We use a sodastream to provide carbonated drinks and offer sparkling water to guests at no charge.
• All of our accounts use paperless billing to reduce paper use.
• We recycle old electrical appliances through our local recycling centre.
• Wherever possible we use rechargable batteries in things such as remote controls, clocks, etc.

Natural Water Supply

• Our water comes from a stream or "beck" high on the fell behind Woodend and provides all of our water.
• All domestic water is filtered and passes through an ultra violet system to purify it. The Environmental Health department test it annually and it passes their strict procedures.
• We are trying to reduce ours (and our guests) use of single use plastics.
  One good way to do this is to reduce the amount of bottled water that people bring on holiday. The irony is that guests generally bring bottled spring water and that is exactly what our water supply is and it is then filtered and purified so is perfectly acceptable to drink and arguably it also tastes better than the treated town chlorinated variety anyway! If guests require sparkiling water then we are always happy to provide this from our soda stream.
• We have a septic tank and natural drainage. Our guests are asked not to put anything down the toilet (other than toilet paper), that they have not eaten first.

Wildlife and the Landscape

• We grow much of our own fruit and vegetables in our deep beds, polytunnel and fruit cage.
• We encourage birdlife and have put up several bird feeders around the property and all cottages have bird tables or feeding stations.
• Our guests are encouraged to put food out for the birds and we provide guides to the birds that you will find in and around Woodend. Our Bird Spotting Guide
• Wild areas edge the woods and garden borders where we have encouraged wild flowers to grow. This in turn has encouraged butterflies, bees and insects into the garden and grounds.
• We have a one acre field with a small stream and we sometimes keep hens and pigs there. We encourage our guests to use this area.
• Guests are encouraged to use and enjoy the grounds and woodland walks
• We have planted daffodils, native primroses, bluebells and snowdrops in the banking in and around Woodend and are encouraging them to naturalise.
• We use home made organic compost on the garden borders and fruit and vegetable patch.