County Down self catering cottage in Northern Ireland
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
I grow my own organic vegetables and use no chemicals on my garden. I use local seaweed to fertilise my garden. All cleaning products used are biodegradable. Wild life is encouraged in the garden. A family of badgers live at the bottom of the garden (one acre). The birds are fed. Part of the garden is left wild to encourage butterflies and bees.
I have solar panels on my house (next to the guest cottage). The heating and hot water for both cottages is provided by a wood pellet boiler. Both cottages are double glazed to cut down on heating bills. The open fire burns logs which are obtained locally.
I eat a high raw food diet and cater for vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists. Breakfast and dinner can be provided at extra cost.
I live my life as low down the food chain as possible leaving a small impact on the environment. Caring for the environment is my number one priority.
I try to create as little waste as possible, recycling wherever possible. In the area we operate a non official recycling scheme and equipment, skills and property are shared without payment.
I take part in regular litter lifts on local beaches and in the mountains. I volunteer with the Mourne Heritage Trust which takes care of the mountains, doing work such as path building, painting stiles, litter lifts, dry stone walling, planting trees, planting wild flower beds.
Community
I support my local community and businesses. The local business people are all well known to me and we freely exchange information about each others businesses and facilities. It is a small community and we look out for each other.
Information on local places of interest is available - restaurants (The Cuan, The Portaferry Hotel, Currans), bars (The Hole in the Wall), Paddy's Barn), health food shops, gift shops in the nearby village of Strangford, dances, local therapists, walking festivals (held in the spring and summer), boat trips on the Lough in the summer, music festivals (July and August), National Trust properties (Castle Ward, Mount Stewart and Rowallene are all within easy reach by car), local taxis. I use local produce wherever possible.
Examples of local attractions I would recommend are:- swimming in the sea; walking in the Mourne Mountains; taking the ferry across the Lough to Portaferry; cycling; walking round Killard Point which is covered in beautiful wild flowers in the spring; visiting the local castles which are open in the summer; canoeing on the Lough; sailing.
Strangford Lough is a haven for birds and an excellent place for bird watchers. The mud flats outside the house are a feeding ground for the many birds who overwinter on Strangford Lough before flying south in the spring.
The Lough is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and I do whatever I can to sustain the local wildlife - birds, seals, fish, badgers, foxes, squirrels etc.
