French Alps family adventure holiday

Environment:
Our accommodation has been described as a 'posh commune' – you will experience an alternative family lifestyle with a communal, community and environmental ethos. The McCallum family moved from Scotland to France to realise an evolving dream – to reconnect with each other and our environment, to live in the mountains, create a sustainable venue and run 'life-enhancing' courses. It took 3 years and is now up and running and is becoming a 'phenomena'. Journalists have described it as the 'best-eco lodge in the Alps'. Guests often talk about the 'positive energy' here.

Our accommodation is a 19 Century farm. It has been eco - renovated to be a low energy building. The renovation lasted 14 months and is a fine Grand Designs tale that went from the terrible to the divine! We have our own mountain source in the garden. The house is heated by a highly efficient wood pellet burner. Wood pellets are readily available from sustainable sources locally.

You will be staying in a low energy, eco-renovated farm. The crew and our instructors have a strong environmental policy. We educate all our clients in no-impact camping techniques. We carry shovels for toilet sumps and bags to carry out all paper and rubbish. We recycle picnic waste and insist on refilling water bottles.

Our accommodation is set up for recycling all waste and we compost. We are starting to grow our own veg. We get milk from the subsistence farm next door. We buy bulk supplies from local organic wholesalers and can supply these to our clients on request.

The food we serve or encourage is largely natural or ‘yogic –i.e. vegetarian and close to the Sun and its Source’. It largely comes from local organic suppliers and farms. We get milk from the subsistence farm next door. We are starting to grow our own vegetables and fruit. We are 95% vegetarian but can serve meat on request. We are set up for recycling all waste and we compost.

We are happy to make the TV disappear (especially on kids courses) and switch off wifi (there are Ethernet connections in every room. We give client the option to have ironed sheets or a bottle of fresh local organic apple juice.

In France there are stringent exams and qualifications for guides. Our instructors have a strong environmental policy. We educate all our clients in no-impact camping/hiking. We carry shovels for toilet sumps and bags to carry out all paper and rubbish. We recycle picnic waste and insist on refilling water bottles. Our courses are designed to help put us in touch with nature.

Community:
We are sensitive about the influx and financial impact of foreigners (especially Brits) in the area. We work with local people as often as possible and use only French qualified local guides. Our kids are completely bilingual, I speak fluent French, volunteer in the community and we have been graciously accepted. Our clients greatly help support the local community.

We offer guests the opportunity to eat in the mountain yurt and local farm restaurant and to buy all produce through local organic suppliers at the Wednesday Market.