Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
1of5
The cabin is a show case of environmentally responsible building. Although there a handful of straw bale houses in the UK, this is the first holiday home. We aim to provide high quality accommodation in natural surroundings whilst demonstrating to the wider public that straw can be used to create a beautiful yet practical and durable home.
An open day soon after completion attracted over 70 local visitors and we hope to make this an annual event. Many more have enjoyed individual guided tours or listened to presentations about sustainable building.
The walls of cabin were built during training workshops run by Amazon Nails in 2006. Nearly 30 people learned valuable sustainable building techniques. The super-insulated walls of locally grown wheat straw are rendered externally with lime and internally with clay. They will keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer, reducing the amount of energy needed for heating. The roof is made of sustainable Western Red Cedar shingles from Cornwall and insulated with sheep’s wool. Natural paints and finishes have been used throughout.
The south facing aspect is perfect for solar hot water. A micro wind turbine and solar photovoltaic panel provide sufficient energy for the lights, fridge and 12V kettle, slow cooker and DVD player but mains electricity is needed for the cooker and to ensure visitors are never left without power on a foggy day in February! A wind up radio and torch are provided.
We have a great little railway station nearby; quiet but well served by trains from anywhere in the UK. To encourage train travel we offer a collection service on arrival, free use of bicycles, a buy local shopping service and in-cabin honesty shop. We provide lots of ideas for walks, bike rides and train trips so that everyone can enjoy everything the area has to offer.
We provide a kitchen composter and wormery, and collect glass, plastic, paper and tin for recycling. We provide recycled kitchen roll and loo roll and most of the furniture and fittings are recycled (carefully chosen for their good quality).
Our “Green” library contains many books and magazines about building with straw and other eco friendly materials and a photographic record of our straw bale journey. There are other books too – nature, poetry, romance and thrillers and a good selection of games, jigsaws and DVDs.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
