Winners of this year’s Sustainable Tourism Award, Clough Bottom Farm, are a four star self-catering business with Gold credentials in being green.
Set on a working organic farm, there are the three self catering cottages at Clough Bottom Farm, which have been converted from stone-built farm buildings. The cottages are surrounded by really beautiful countryside (the Forest of Bowland no less) and a working farm – so there are lots of wildlife and farm animals around including free range chickens, geese and cattle. (When I visited in April I met Kevin the calf)
Clough Bottom Farm show that running a sustainable tourism business doesn’t have to mean a compromise in comfort or service, in fact from reading the visitor feedback it seems it enhances the experience. Everything is made really easy for guests whether its waste disposal (virtually everything is recycled) buying local food, spotting the local wildlife or saving energy. And there’s also plenty going on behind the scenes including using ecological detergents, recyclable stationary, planting hedgerows and woodlands (to create wildlife corridors) and investing in alternative energy sources including a bio-fuel processing plant.
The welcome hampers sound like a real delight - packed with Lancashire cheese, Bowland milk, homemade jams and chutneys, and seasonal fruit and vegetables grown on the farm. Guests are also invited to pick up some complimentary tasty treats from the organic vegetable patch with seasonal produce promoted on a daily basis to remind guests of what’s ready to be picked. And if guests want something a little extra then they can order hampers and ‘food from the farm’ ready meals – all put together using the very best of local produce.
Clough Bottom Farm holds a Gold award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme and was a Northwest regional finalist for the Sustainable Tourism Award 2007/8, Winner of the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board Self Catering Award 2009/10 and Self Catering Holiday of the Year 2007/8.
Highly Commended in this category was Caldertop Cottage (3 star self catering) in the Forest of Bowland which also holds the Gold Green Tourist Business Scheme business award and is one to watch for the future!
Sally
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