Eco Friendly Holidays

Dolphin watching

Go Wild & Green

If you're looking for eco friendly holiday accommodation, from a rural retreat in a farmhouse B&B to green-award-winning self catering cottages in spectacular settings, then visit the Wild & Green Escapes website for lots of ideas and information.

What's on the website?

• eco friendly holiday accommodation, much of it enjoying spectacular wildlife pretty much on the doorstep!
• wildlife operators, experts who know the best places to spot the best wildlife - from dolphins to eagles and much, much more
• our seasonal nature watch - what's happening in nature and the countryside now, what to look out for, from birds and animals to flowers and trees
• wildlife events information - check out our Wildlife Calender for year round info on top wildlife events in the UK, plus you'll find details on upcoming wildlife events via this blog!



Holiday cottages in amazing locations!

• ideas and inspiration for wildlife watching and eco friendly holidays - from How To Be Green On Holiday to our top spots to wildlife watch

Want to plan a wild and green holiday for you and your family?

Visit Wild & Green Escapes!

Another Great Last Minute Christmas Cottage Getaway

Coillabus Cottage, Mull of Oa, near Port Ellen, Isle of Islay www.islay-cottage.co.uk
holiday@islay-cottage.co.uk

Christmas £500 per week ; New Year £525. Both weeks taken together £850. Further discounts for two people parties.

Open fire, vintage vinyl collection, wintering geese and wonderful night skies!!

This very special cottage is situated in a beautiful secluded spot at the heart of a working hill farm four miles from the village of Port Ellen. Coillabus has three bedrooms and sleeps 6 but is also perfect for couples and is growing in popularity as a 'get away from it all' honeymoon destination.

With ever-changing views over grass, heather and sea to Kintyre and Ireland, no wonder many of our guests just stay put and enjoy the peaceful surroundings, enjoying a game of Coillabus croquet or trying to spot the Oa's resident Golden Eagles from the garden.

From Coillabus you can walk undisturbed for miles in any direction, discovering hidden bays, lochs and cliff-top paths. And we are only a short drive away from Islay's famous whisky distillleries, golf course, award-winning restaurants and miles of sandy beaches.

Coillabus cottage is the ideal base to experience the wildlife of the Oa as seen on BBC 2's recent springwatch series.

We are commited to providing environmentaly friendly holidays.

 

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Late Availability For Christmas

Wild & Green Escapes has just come across this special offer, great savings for a last minute Christmas getaway in stunning Scotland -

Amazingly Christmas is still available with these savings:
* Whole House sleeping 12 for £1750 saving £700
* Rose £600 saving £100 sleeping 2-4

*Honeysuckle House £1250 saving £400 sleeping 8+

Bluebell Croft, Strontian, Ardnamurchan, Highlands, PH36 4JA www.bluebellcroft.co.uk
sukie@bluebellcroft.co.uk
Bluebell Croft offers luxury 5 star self catering in Scotland with Honeysuckle House sleeping up to 8, Rose Cottage sleeping 2-4, or as the whole house sleeping 12 in great comfort. It is separated by a huge conservatory, normally used by Honeysuckle, which leads out to the giant hot tub, described by the Sunday Times as 'the best sited hot tub in Europe', a marvellous place to relax with a wonderful mountain view or under the stars. They also said 'the cottage and food are heavenly', and 'stunningly lovely fare'.



Both houses share a spectacular, elevated West Coast location on Ardnamurchan, with stunning views of mountains across the Strontian glen in the West Highlands of Scotland. Well behaved dogs are welcome with care. Perfect for wildlife enthusiasts and outdoor experiences being on the doorstep of the Ariundle Oakwoods a National Nature reserve. A wind turbine provides electricity and a wood burning boiler and solar array for hot water and heat.
Sukie and Bill have recently been runners up in the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards in the Green Category, come and find out why! If you feel like a night off Sukie can leave a casserole in the Aga or supper/dinner of up to 4 courses using all the wonderful ingredients from the croft and smokehouse. She is a former Rural Chef of the Year. Bill and Sukie are keen to share their life on a working croft with you and are almost self sufficient including milking a Jersey cow, keeping two pigs and lots of chooks, ducks and geese for meat and eggs. The veggie garden and poly-tunnel provide masses of fruit and vegetables in season which you can buy to produce fabulous meals with no food miles.

A Good Newts Story

Volunteers and foresters have pooled their resources to breathe fresh life into three woodland ponds.

Forestry Commission Wales and members of BTCV got together to rescue the ponds, which are important breeding sites for great crested newts and provide valuable habitat for other water-loving creatures such as frogs.

Two of the ponds – Parc y Van and Wern Ddu – are in the Welsh Government woodlands known locally as Caerphilly woodlands and the third, Tyn y Coed, is a large, long pond located in an old blocked quarry in a secluded woodland.

Parc y Van had silted up completely on one side, joining a small island in the middle of the pond to the surrounding path, while the path on the other side of the pond was falling away with erosion.
Volunteers spent three days digging out the silt, repairing the path and thinning out the vegetation – clearing out five black bags of rubbish along the way.

Wern Ddu pond, known locally as amphibian pond due to the high numbers of amphibian species there, including great crested newts, had also started to silt up and fill up with logs thrown in by passers-by.

Volunteers cleared away the silt and removed overhanging trees surrounding the pond, letting in more light.

The toughest challenge was with Tyn y Coed, which was so silted up in places it was only a few inches deep.
Some 15 volunteers, working with advice from Forestry Commission Wales conservation manager Rosalind Codd, spent over a week digging out silt and clearing trees and undergrowth, which were left around the pond edges as habitat piles.

Forestry Commission Wales forest ranger Emma Louise Felkin said, “All the ponds had naturally silted up over many years and had become dark and overgrown. Our woodlands provide essential wildlife habitats and this work will help the ponds to support more life, increasing biodiversity.”

The great crested newt is the largest of the British newts and Britain probably has Europe's largest population and is, therefore, very important to its continuing survival.
These newts, which are protected by law, need water-bodies such as ponds for breeding but, for most of the year, they live on dry land.

Save Juniper In Scotland

Landowners and managers across Scotland are urged to take action to save juniper from going extinct.
The call comes as Forestry Commission Scotland and Plantlife Scotland promote action to reverse the decline of this UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.

Although Scotland is home to around 80% of the UK’s surviving juniper stock, only a third of the sites in Scotland have strong and secure populations. Restoring juniper in woodlands and at woodland edges could make all the difference to juniper’s chances of survival in Scotland, and ultimately in the UK as a whole.

New grants are now available from the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) to help landowners conserve and regenerate small populations of juniper and improve its long-term survival in sites across the country. 

Plantlife’s Conservation Manager Deborah Long said: “Juniper is badly affected by browsing and grazing animals, land clearance, land use change and uncontrolled muirburn – and old bushes aren’t producing much viable seed. It’s clear that juniper is not going to stage a comeback without our help – and thankfully landowners can help solve these problems. 

“Scotland’s juniper population is vital to the survival of juniper in the UK – and with concerted action we can help to revive the species and make it a common and widespread feature in our landscapes.”

The grant support under SRDP’s Rural Development Contracts is available for projects that:
• enhance juniper populations in and around new and existing native woods
• add juniper to non-native and mixed planted woods
• regenerate and expand small remnant populations
• stimulate supply of planting material by registering and managing self-seeded juniper stands.

Plantlife and the Forestry Commission in Scotland have surveyed the current status of juniper and are already working to conserve and regenerate existing juniper scrub areas. This includes assisting natural regeneration by controlling grazing and browsing, planting juniper in a bid to boost flagging or recently eliminated populations and planting juniper within existing woodlands to help broaden biodiversity. 

Plantlife’s Conservation Officers are visiting sites across Scotland where existing juniper populations are in need of help. If you own or manage a site with woodland juniper and where you would like advice on managing for juniper, contact Davie Black at Plantlife Scotland on 01786 469778  or email davie.black@plantlife.org.uk You can also download a management leaflet from www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland

Eco Friendly Holidays & Wildlife Watching

If you're looking for eco friendly holiday accommodation, from a rural retreat farmhouse B&B to green-award-winning cottages in spectacular settings, then visit the Wild & Green Escapes website for lots of ideas and information.

What's on the website?

• Eco friendly holiday accommodation, much of it enjoying spectacular wildlife pretty much on the doorstep!
• Wildlife operators, experts who know the best places to spot the best wildlife - from dolphins to eagles, from Scotland to Norfolk & Cornwall and much, much more



Wildlife Tours & Education in Norfolk

• Our seasonal nature watch - what's happening in nature and the countryside now, what to look out for, from birds and animals to flowers and trees
• Wildlife events information - check out our Wildlife Calender for year round info on top wildlife events in the UK, plus you'll find details on upcoming wildlife events via this blog!



Holiday cottages in amazing locations!

• Ideas and inspiration for wildlife watching and eco friendly holidays - from How To Be Green On Holiday to our top spots to wildlife watch

Want to plan a wild and green holiday for you and your family?

Try Wild & Green Escapes!

Wildlife Watching In Norfolk

Wildlife Tours and Education, Norfolk

Wildlife Tours and Education aim to give you value for money and a great time discovering and watching the wildlife of Norfolk.  They run Wildlife Days Out in Norfolk (Norfolk Safari), Birdwatching Day Tours in Norfolk and a Photographing Wildlife For Beginners Day.

They also do wildlife weekends and longer holidays throughout the UK and beyond.

Find out more via the Wild & Green Escapes website

Nature Watch With The Forest Diary

If, like Wild & Green, you enjoy learning about what is going on in nature and when, then you might like the Forest Diary currently being 'written' on the Forestry Commission website by the New Forest Keeper Maarten Ledeboer.

The diary has been running since the end of October 2011 and previous entries have included:

• Welcome to the diary
• Bats
• Fungi
• Timber
• Real Christmas trees
• Deer

You can catch up and read all of the diary entries on the Forest Diary webpage

Top Ten Winter Gardens To Explore

With the 'shortest day' fast approaching (Dec 21st) this time of year can seem dark and gloomy outdoors despite all of the festive illuminations.

When the weather isn't howling a gale, raining or snowing you might like to take the opportunity to get outdoors, get some fresh air and appreciate the beauty of nature - we're assured it's still there, even in the depths of winter!

With this in mind you might be interested in the National Trust's Top Ten Winter Gardens To Visit - the selected gardens are dotted all over the country and have been chosen because they look so good at this time of year.

Well worth a look, we think...

Find out more on the National Trust website

Eco Friendly Scottish Cottages

Burnbrae Holidays, Burnbrae Mill, Nenthorn, Kelso, Scottish Borders

Eco friendly four star cottages converted from a stone barn situated in a peaceful spot in the heart of the Scottish Borders.

The south facing conservatory in each cottage has views across the secluded garden, Eden Water and across the border between Scotland and England to the Cheviot Hills.

 It is perfect for wildlife enthusiasts to relax and view a wide variety of native wildlife. The fields and banks of Eden Water can be explored directly from your cottage.

Each light and airy one bedroomed cottage is generously equipped for 2-4 people for self-catering. PV solar panels on site provide electricity. Burnbrae grows its own wood for use in the wood burning stove in each living room.

Burnbrae aims to ensure that the overall effect of its business activities enhances the local environment, and has minimal detrimental impact on the wider environment, including impact on the availability of resources in the future. As evidence of success in this Burnbrae holds the gold award under the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Find out more on the Wild & Green Escapes website

Wildlife Watching In The Scottish Highlands

Wild West Safari, Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire

Wild West offer a selection of safaris and wildlife experiences based in the Great Glen in the Scottish Highlands.

Red deer, osprey, sea eagle and golden eagle are amongst species regularly sighted. You can even join a searchlight safari to look for elusive nocturnal species such as pine marten which inhabit the forests.

Half day and full day trips are available. Daily trips to see the red deer rut run throughout October. Bespoke trips can be arranged. Bookings are recommended but not always essential.

Find out more on the Wild & Green Escapes website

Eco Friendly Welsh B&B Guidfa House

Guidfa House, Crossgates, Nr Llandrindod Wells, Powys

Guidfa House is a member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, minimises its effect on the environment and is committed to a working in a sustainable way.
This elegant Georgian House has bright and spacious bedrooms with comfy beds, huge fluffy bath towels, soft bath robes and quality toiletries. The recently refurbished Coach House Suite has a super-king double bed, large sitting room & spa bathroom.

The elegant sitting room with its open log fire and beautiful original chandelier is an ideal place to relax at the end of the day. Drinks and wine are available from the bar if required and there are plenty of books together with local leaflets and maps to help you plan your stay.

Find out more on the Wild & Green Escapes website

Celebrate Christmas In Nature

Take a break from all that pre-Christmas rushing around and take time out to enjoy some candlelit carol singing in the magical surroundings of a forest.

The Forestry Commision are running a Candlelit Carols in the Forest event at
Haldon Forest, near Exeter, Devon on Tuesday evening, December 13th 2011.

The Forestry Commission also has lots of other festive-themed events taking place around the country, plus many of their forests also operate christmas tree sales too - visit their 'What's On' page for more information.

Luxury, Eco-Friendly B&B

Horseshoe Cottage Farm, Cropston, Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire Horseshoe Cottage Farm is a luxury, sustainable Bed and Breakfast located in the Charnwood Forest area of the National Forest.

Gold accredited by the Green Tourism Business Scheme Horseshoe Cottage has three en-suite bedrooms, are all beautifully decorated with natural features and exposed beams. All have showers and two have baths as well. The highest quality bed linen is used and large fluffy towels and bath robes along with locally produced, organic toiletries.

Local and homegrown produce is served at breakfast and dinner along with homemade bread, jams and cakes.

Welcomes walkers and cyclists; rurally located for a peaceful stay.

Find out more on the Wild & Green Escapes website

Eco Friendly Holidays In Wales

Cwm Broadwell Farm, Mutton Dingle, New Radnor, Powys
The perfect setting for a family reunion or a large party of friends, Brookside Farmhouse and Cwm Broadwell Barn are large holiday cottages that are self catering and both are situated in New Radnor, in the beautiful Welsh Marches.

Half way down the border between England and Wales, the properties are close to the Offa's Dyke footpath and the popular towns of Ludlow, Hay-on-Wye and Presteigne.

Stylish, modern and full of light Cwm Broadwell Barn is set in a beautiful private valley of 35 acres divided by streams and boarded by woodland rising up to the Radnor Forest.

Green Tourism Award Silver

Find out more on Wild & Green Escapes

National Trust Outdoor Events This Winter

The National Trust run a great range of events all year round, and over the winter you can still find some great reasons to get outdoors and enjoy the countryside and nature including:

• Celebrate Christmas - the National Trust are currently running events to celebrate the festive season
• Winter Walks - seasonal walks throughout December and January
• Guided Estate Walks with park/estate wardens on many National Trust properties are held once a month - check details for your local houses/estates on the events page on the National Trust website
• Walking for Health events are also held once or twice a month on some  National Trust estates, walks usually last approx 1 hour - check the details for your local houses/estates on the events page on the National Trust website

Enjoy!

Tree Clearance Boost For Wildlife

Roadside trees are being removed from two Carmarthenshire woodlands to make them more homely places for the rare plants and wildlife that live there.

Clearing some of the trees that run along the tracks within Pembrey and Penybedd woodlands will also pave the way for Forestry Commission Wales to carry out thinning operations – and help towards tackling climate change.
For the waste material from the roadside clearance will be gathered up by a machine called a brash baler and turned into compact bales for use at the nearby Western Wood Energy Plant.

Pembrey and Penybedd, which together cover 1,200 hectares, make up some of Britain's sand dune forests and are home to many rare botanical species, 31 species of butterfly, migrant songbirds as well as birds of prey such as sparrowhawk and goshawk.

Pembrey forest also forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Forestry Commission Wales Community Ranger Jonathan Price said, “We are carrying out this important work in order to improve the site for conservation reasons and to allow better access for future work programmes.
“It’s all part of the management of Welsh Government woodlands to enable them to provide environmental benefits both now and in the future."

Green Shopping On Your Holidays

Holiday Shopping @ Farmers Markets

When on your holidays in the UK you might want to do your bit for the enviroment and for supporting the local economy and local food producers by shopping at a farmers markets.

Wild & Green Escapes has done some research and these websites look useful for finding out when and where farmers markets are running throughout the UK:

* UK http://www.farmersmarkets.net/
* Scotland  http://www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk/
* Wales http://www.fmiw.co.uk/

Happy shopping!

Wildlife Watching From A Glass Bottom Boat

Seaprobe Atlantis - Glass Bottom Boat Trips,  Isle of Skye, Scotland

Seaprobe Atlantis is Scotland's Only Semi-Submersible Glass Bottom Boat, operating from the Marine Conservation area at Kyle of Lochalsh and recently voted 'Best UK Wildlife Experience' by the Daily Telegraph June 2010.

Operating 4 trips per day from March to 31st October, a unique feature of the boat is the large underwater viewing gallery with 26 underwater windows.  All trips are guided, binoculars, refreshments and toilets are available.
Find out more on the Wild & Green Escapes website