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Blog - Tag: green+holiday

Apr 09 2011

Cornish skies

We’ve just returned from an extended family holiday to the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall where we stayed on the award winning Trelowarren estate and got a chance to meet owner and eco holiday pioneer, Sir Ferrers Vyvyan.

He is truly an inspiration; passionate and well-informed about green issues, he has taken every aspect of the accommodation at Trelowarren into account and ensured that it is an sustainable and efficient as possible without compromising on luxury. We stayed in a new build house which has super thick, insulated walls, is furnished and decorated using natural materials and like all the properties is heated using the huge biomass boiler on site. The fuel for the boiler is produced from the coppiced woodland on the estate and the minimal resultant ash will be used on the veg beds later in the year, creating a perfect example of a closed loop system.

We were delighted to discover that the outdoor pool (heated by the same biomass boiler) used ozone technology for cleaning with no need for the usual chemicals found in swimming pools. Within the 1000 acre estate, which is criss crossed with beautiful woodland walks, there is also a restaurant, organic spa and a brilliant craft gallery, so our whole diverse family group was well-catered for. The restaurant, which is on the pricey side in the evening, had a special Cornish Spring Feast offer available at lunchtimes when we were visiting so we were able to sample the delights of the kitchen at a much reduced price. They aim to source all ingredients from West Cornwall and some produce, such as wild garlic used in soups and breads, is picked on site.

In choosing not to fly many years ago due to the environmental impact and a desire to explore our own landscape rather than seeking a quick escape to warmer climes we have had many wonderful family holidays in the UK. This has to be one of the best though. As it’s a good distance from Sussex to the Lizard we decided to leave the car at home and use public transport to get us there and though it took much longer, cost much more and was logistically more difficult to organise, it was an adventure and gave us all a sense of the journey that we were taking. Trelowarren is in a central location on the Lizard but is not an easy place to get to using public transport. Hopefully this is something that will be improved upon because there’s plenty to entice the holidaymaker staying elsewhere in the area, and more planned, such as Victorian walled gardens, a bakery and a deli. We are looking forward to going back next year to discover the new developments and revisit some of our favourite spots from this year’s holiday.

Posted by Melissa Corkhill at 17:25 | 0 comments
Tagged as: eco luxury, green holiday, pioneers
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