Our Very Own Green Evolution
At Stanegate Hideaways we cherish our Northumbrian home with its dramatic scenery and the wildflowers, birds and animals which make this countryside so special, and we hope that you will love it too!
Please enjoy the free-range eggs from our hens, the home-baking and local produce whilst you watch the birds coming to the feeders, and try to spot bats and bugs (in their own bespoke accommodation) and bees pollenating the wild flower meadow to make their honey; it is their home which you will be sharing during your stay.
The wildflowers in the paddock are native breeds; the “Christmas trees” are pot-grown and started their lives as just that - delighting our Christmas guests who are instructed to “water the Christmas tree please – it is growing!”, but once the decorations are taken down in January, the trees are replanted meaning they go on to grow into fine adult fir trees. They will grow alongside the native willow saplings which we planted 5 years ago (2017), on what had been derelict land, at the beginning of The Paddock Adventure and which are now maturing nicely, and we have just this spring added another dozen native broad-leaf saplings to our little grove: oak, hornbeam, rowan, birch and wild cherry.
…..And in November 2021 we added our wildlife pond! The increase in wildlife and diversification of species in this little plot is already amazing and every day is a new wonder!
On more mundane but also important matters:
The waste water, which goes back into the system, is respected as all detergents and cleaning products are eco-friendly. We use “muck-munchers” natural “yeast-type” bacteria to help the septic tank function.
We use renewables where possible eg solar water panels and source “green” electricity to keep you warm and provide light which is predominantly, although not totally, through low energy LED lighting. Of course, there’s nothing cosier than the British lamb’s wool duvets or up-cycled woollen blankets made across the valley. The Huts are also insulated with wool.
We are working on reducing single-use plastic, and changing from individual toiletries etc to refillable as we use up current stock…Our complimentary toiletries are supplied by Out of Eden, just over the border in Cumbria, where their soaps and many other products are actually made. We also now supply local milk in returnable glass bottles rather than plastic.
The produce which we use is either very local or, if from further afield, supporting our country’s rural economy; from our Grande Roulotte bespoke huts built by a tiny firm in Damian’s home county of Worcestershire to Mousehouse cheeses produced on a farm in my home-county of Lincolnshire. Even the paintings and photography on the walls of the Huts and the cottage are all the work of local artists!
Our aim is always to support our local and rural economy, and we do our utmost to care for our environment whilst we care for you!
