Yurt holiday on the Isle of Wight
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
All our marketing is web based, we use no paper unless absolutely necessary. As may be seen from our website we promote and offer links to a wide range of local businesses including food producers, retailers, service providers and pubs and restaurants. We also offer links to the IOW Tourist Board site which promotes many local businesses and activities. We deal with many local companies offering sporting and cultural activities and training for those who are seeking active holidays. Our website lists many opportunities to have an active holiday but many people just come to relax in this beautiful area.
We strive to be as environmentally friendly as is practicable in operating our business. We use no mains electricity or gas in our accommodation offering solar power options where possible. We promote the use of woodburning stoves, braziers and barbeques for cooking although we do provide Calor stoves for early morning convenience. We use only wood and charcoal produced from sustainable woodland on the Isle of Wight and all wood ash collected and not used in our compost toilets will be cleared from the site at the end of the season.
Our guests are encouraged to recycle their waste in the separate bins and buckets provided with newspaper, not used in firelighting, aluminium and glass being removed from site for recycling and all organic and vegetable waste being composted on site for use the following year on the orchard or vegetable plots. We supply and use only environmentally friendly washing and cleaning products on site.
We suggest that our guests should leave their cars at home whenever possible. We offer transport from and to all the Island’s ferry terminals, all of which have good rail and bus links on the mainland, and offer our guests cycle hire and bus rover tickets during their stay. We aim to reduce water wastage on site by virtue of the construction of our solar shower. This operates on the basis of two 50 gallon drums to collect grey water which is then used to irrigate the orchard, vegetable plots and gardens on site. Our site is well served by local buses and there are many footpaths and bridleways in the area.
We encourage our guests during their stay not to purchase or utilise products that are not organic, eco-friendly, from sustainable resources or do not support local businesses or producers. We offer only Fairtrade or local produce in our Breakfast service and the on-site café specialises in organic and local produce with a range of vegetarian and wheat/gluten free options.
We are members of Gift to Nature and Friends of The Earth.
Community
We employ one full time member of staff who lives locally and, apart from Workaway volunteers, we offer part time and casual work to local people as and when required.
All our wood and charcoal is supplied by Island producers from sustainable resources. In our breakfast service we use local produce whenever possible.
We offer our guests recommendations to the best local restaurants and pubs, particularly those who use local or responsibly sourced produce where possible. We can advise on the best places to shop for a wide range of products. We recommend our local traditional grocer/greengrocer, Orchard Bros, which was established in 1865 and the range of local produce offered by the nearby Co-op store.
We work closely with Wight Cycle Hire, a locally based business, to offer discounted cycle hire and cycling experiences including guided rides etc. We also recommend the excellent bus services offered by both Southern Vectis and FYT Bus, a local volunteer run bus company serving the immediate West Wight area. We carry out volunteer duties on the FYT Bus.
We arrange fishing trips with locally based fishermen and offer access to a wide range of activities, sports etc. all provided by Island based businesses. We are also happy to recommend other local campsites, B&Bs and hotels if we cannot provide accommodation when guests require it.
Landscape
We are long term residents of the Isle of Wight and have a detailed and intimate knowledge of the local area and are able to recommend many great walks, cycle rides and other tours and beaches taking in the best of the rich and varied landscape this Island has to offer. Our site is a wonderful base for birdwatchers and other wildlife enthusiasts. We are regularly visited by pheasants, ducks, and the odd barn owl as well as more common species and you may well catch a glimpse of a red squirrel or a woodpecker in and around the orchard. We are situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and there is much to catch the eye and pique your interest. We can point our guests towards the best places to find Dinosaur fossils or the best spots for children to enjoy rock-pooling, crabbing and loads of other seaside activities.
We encourage our guests to make the most of the spectacular and varied landscape in the area during their stay whether they just want to chill on the beach in the sunshine or do some serious exploring.
We aim to minimise our impact on the landscape allowing our orchard site to remain in full production and by returning it to nature during the winter.
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