Looking for high-quality accommodation that truly reflects sustainable travel habits? From lavish spas with clifftop hot tubs to sumptuous country house hotels, when it comes to being eco-friendly there’s no need to scrimp on comfort. Check out, then check-in, for some of Britain’s green and pleasant places to stay.
An elegant Georgian townhouse, medieval forge and row of cottages, Number One Bruton has been carefully converted into a 12-bedroom hotel with a devotion to Somerset’s craft heritage and sustainability.
Heckfield Place stands on 400-acres of secluded Hampshire countryside. Its bio-dynamic farm, kitchen gardens and orchards provide estate-grown ingredients for two luxury restaurants. Its spa offers all-natural treatments.
Saorsa 1875 is a 19th-century baronial house surrounded by two acres of natural woodlands overlooking Pitlochry, a town in rugged Perthshire. This hotel offers plant-based gourmet menus, craft beers and individually-designed rooms.
The 19th-century Zetter Hotel in Clerkenwell, central London, features energy-saving technology and a borehole private water supply, making the Victorian building almost entirely self-sufficient. Hire a bicycle to see the sights.
For a unique, off-grid stay in the treetops, head to Snowdonia. The beautifully designed cabins of the Living Room Treehouse Experience blend in with nature, and offer excellent wildlife spotting opportunities. There’s no mains electricity - just solar panels and handmade lanterns. The natural spring water shower is heated by a wood burning stove, and each treehouse has an en-suite compost toilet.
There are plenty of ways you can make your stay in Britain greener – start by choosing sustainable accommodation. Look for hotels that use renewable energy sources, or opt for an eco-friendly glamping site. A growing number of hotels are committing to banning single use plastics, and choosing ethical toiletries and materials. You’ll find plant-based restaurants with zero waste policies, too.
For a sustainable stay in the Lake District, check out the many glamping and camping options at The Quiet Site – from pitches to cabins and picturesque ‘hobbit holes’. Their zero-waste shop stocks local, plastic-free products, and their woodfired pizza kitchen is zero-waste too, with 80% of the park’s energy coming from renewable sources. In the Cotswolds, The Wild Rabbit is a classic British inn with a twist, housed on an organic farm. They focus on local ingredients, using only farm-to-fork traceable meat and fish caught from Cornish day boats. Or, stay off-grid in Northumberland National Park at Kidlandlee Holiday Cottages. Located in one of the most wild, remote corners of the park, the entire estate is powered by wind and solar energy. They recently planted a new forest, with the aim of creating more safe habitats for the park’s native wildlife.
Escape to the West Country, where Callestock Courtyard and its wonderful herd of Jersey cows await. Choose from seven well-equipped cottages as your base to explore this corner of Cornwall, overflowing with awesome beaches, historic houses and gardens. An electric vehicle charging point is available, powered by the farm’s own wind turbine and solar panels. Join farmers Nick and Liz on a tour of the dairy farm – and don’t miss the chance to try Liz’s traditional Cornish cream tea, with clotted cream made with the farm’s own milk. Farm-to-fork eating at its tastiest!
Get close to nature in a canvas lodge or head for the stars in a luxurious treehouse at Mill Farm Glamping. There are activities galore for the whole family to get involved in, from donkey rides to alpaca walks, and archery to clay pigeon shooting. Experience organic farm life on fun and friendly tours, where you’ll be whizzed around the fields in a Gator utility vehicle. Wildlife enthusiasts – keep an eye out for the badger setts along the way.
Enjoy a slower pace of life with the Nicoll family on peaceful Newton Farm in rural Scotland. Get cosy in their traditional guesthouse or cottage accommodation, where you can start each day with a slap-up Scottish breakfast, complete with eggs from the farm hens. Get stuck into their award-winning farm experiences, where you might meet alpacas or lambs or even Scotland’s famous furry residents, the Highland cows.
Whatever the season, there’s always something to see and do at family-friendly Budle Bay Croft farm stay, on the pretty Northumberland coast. There are lambs to feed in spring, sheep to shear in summer, marshmallows to toast in autumn and a sledging slope to tackle in winter! Hikers, the glorious Northumberland Coastal Path is on your doorstep. Refuel at the lip-smacking on-site takeaway, the Northumbrian Artisan Pizza Company.
Farming runs in the Currie family’s blood – meet Donald and Ailsa, the sixth generation to farm on the Isle of Arran. Bellevue Farm immerses you in their rural lifestyle, and their farm tours will have you feeding the animals and collecting eggs. Whisky lovers, try the ‘Barley to Bottle’ tour in conjunction with the Lagg Distillery to discover the whisky making process. Make a break of it with a stay in one of two converted barns.
Make Aberhyddnant Farm Cottages your base for an eco-friendly stay in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park. From biomass heating to electric vehicle charging points, sustainability is at the heart of their ethos. A must-do here is sheep trekking, part of the family business, where you can explore the National Park in the company of friendly Jacob sheep.
