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Archive for category eco-tourism

Going Ape in Buxton

Sep 26

Posted by admin in eco-tourism, Peak District | 1 Comment

Yesterday’s trip to Go Ape in Buxton turned out to be really fun. We had good weather, which tends to make these kind of things much more pleasant.

It takes two to three hours to go round the course – which comprises five “stages”. You’re given pretty comprehensive training on how to use all the safety equipment — the idea is that whenever you are up in the trees, you are attached to a safety wire at least once, and usually two or three times. On your harness, you have a pulley, which is used for most of the fun stuff like going down zipwires.

The highlight of the course is the “Tarzan Swing”, which involves jumping out of a tree into a net. You’re attached to a swing, but the first part of the jump is a mini free-fall. For most of the course, it’s quite obvious that you’re very tightly connected to the safety wires, but the Tarzan jump is a little different, because the safety wires aren’t so visible, and it really does feel like you’re just launching yourself out of a tree into thin air.

Go Ape isn’t particularly cheap – £30 for an adult ticket, but it’s a novel experience – and exhilarating. It also seems to be really catching on across the country. There are 26 courses across the country – many in forestry commission woodland – and all offer a similar experience up in the trees.

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Go Ape

Sep 25

Posted by admin in eco-tourism, Peak District, Walking | 1 Comment

We’re off to try out the Go Ape course in Buxton today. Go Ape is a forest-based adventure trail… it basically involves swinging from trees, traversing rope bridges, sliding down poles and that kind of thing.

I’ve previously tried out the Go Ape course in Whinlatter, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll update this once we’ve survived the Buxton course!

Tom K

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Sustrans publish national book of cycle paths

Feb 10

Posted by admin in Coast, Cycling, Devon, eco-tourism | No Comments

Tarka Trail
Image by Joe Dunckley via Flickr

The Sustrans National Cycle Network stretches right across the UK, and is a a great way to get out and see the surrounding countryside when on a cottage holiday. Many of the 12,000 miles of cycle routes are traffic free.

Back in 2004 I tested out North Devon’s Tarka Trail cycle route. Now, it’s pretty tricky to mess the navigation up on that one – because it winds its way mainly along the coast, and is very well signposted. But some of the other parts of the national cycle route can be a bit trickier.

To this end, Sustrans have compiled info about all the routes into an illustrated guide – complete with descriptions and maps. You can get your hands on a copy here.

Tom K

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Wildlife Trusts voice concerns over new planning proposals

Nov 16

Posted by admin in eco-tourism, wildlife | No Comments

Wildlife Trust

Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts have expressed concern about government proposals that allow the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) to fast-track major developments such as ports and power stations.

The British conservation charity fears wildlife may not be adequately considered when approving new developments.

Six National Policy Statements released this week state that the IPC will give the final go-ahead on major infrastructure projects. Stephanie Hilbourne, chief executive for The Wildlife Trust, claims this overrides the current democratic process where local people, through bodies such as Wildlife Trusts, can raise objections to developments on environmental grounds. She said:

“Local Wildlife Trusts all around the country scrutinise and monitor planning applications – around 90,000 each year. Our local expertise and knowledge is second to none. It often adds value to the planning system on major infrastructure and other projects.

“The new process must allow this careful consideration and involvement to continue with major infrastructure projects, whether it is the siting of ports, wind farms or nuclear power stations. For the future of our natural environment and our wildlife, it is vital we continue to have that say.”

The Wildlife Trusts are worried that, since the IPC does not have explicit ecological expertise, wildilfe and ecology issues may get overlooked when future large-scale developments are planned.

Increased demand for eco-accommodation

Nov 5

Posted by elisa in eco-tourism, Uncategorized | No Comments

It’s been reported that guests are becoming more concerned with accommodation’s eco-credentials, according to a pan-European survey. Almost a third of respondents would choose a known ‘eco-friendly’ hotel if it was offered by a popular online booking system.

The poll of 5,000 people found that more than half (54%) say sustainable energy sources, such as wind, solar or hydro-electric power, should be used. Nearly two thirds (65%) say all hotels should install toilets designed to save water.

This demand for green credentials is reflected in guests’ own behaviour when on holiday, according to the study by Samsung Electronics:

  • 76% are as conscious or more conscious of the impact they have on the environment when staying in hotels compared with their behaviour at home
  • 88% switch off the lights when they leave their hotel room
  • 63% reuse towels more than once
  • 59% still switch electrical equipment off at the base

Samsung Electronics Europe B2B sales and marketing director Pammi Mudhar said: “Environmental awareness is on the rise and playing an increasingly significant role in the hotel booking process.

“Hoteliers can appeal to the ‘green’ consumer by responding to their expectations; putting in water-saving toilets, using sustainable energy or installing eco-friendly appliances like energy efficient flat screen TVs.”

 We assume that these positive figures will also be reflected in those who rent holiday cottages and might encourage people to not just be more ‘green’ when on holiday but also at home.

We’re also seeing more companies tailoring solutions towards holidaymakers who want to continue being green when they’re away at a holiday cottage — for example, we reported earlier this month that T-Mobile have released a new mobile phone app aimed at finding a recycling point nearby — useful if you end up with a few wine bottles to dispose of at the end of a cottage holiday.

New Android and Blackberry application aimed at finding a recycling point near your holiday cottage

Oct 6

Posted by tomkerswill in eco-tourism, Holiday advice, Recycling | 1 Comment

T-Mobile recycle App, shown on G2

T-Mobile recycle App, shown on G2

T-mobile have just released a new app for smartphones, including the Android and Blackberry. Give it your postcode and, optionally, the type of thing you need to recycle, and it will show a map of your nearest recycle points.

I tested the app on my T-mobile G1, and it was very impressive indeed. It seems to pinpoint not only larger recycling centres, but also just those bottle banks you get on the side of the road and in supermarkets. And if you input the postcode of your holiday cottage, it will give you info on the local council’s kerbside recycling policy too.

Allison Murray, Head of Corporate Responsibility at T-Mobile, says:

“Although national recycling rates are on the rise, thousands of potentially recyclable materials still get thrown away every day purely because people don’t know where the nearest recycling point is.  We don’t often hear about the link between throwing waste in landfill and the contribution it makes to global warming, when in fact methane gas produced from landfill sites is a powerful greenhouse gas.  Methane accounted for about eight percent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2007.  We’ve harnessed the latest mobile technology in partnership with Valpak to make it easier for people find out what they can recycle and where, saving them time and money – on top of doing their bit for the environment.”

It’s a free application, although your mobile phone provider may charge you for Internet data usage associated with the app. The application can be downloaded from www.thespark.t-mobile.co.uk or by texting RECYCLE to 80988. I was also able to download the app direct to my phone on the Android Market, which seemed to work flawlessly. It’s called the “Recycle Guide”.

Looks ideal for recycling all those wine bottles after a weekend break in a cottage!