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At CountrySOLE we offer you the opportunity to stay in the idyllic Herefordshire
countryside, and experience sustainable, organic living. Our self-catering
accommodation comprises the
Bunkhouse
(which sleeps 6) and the
Woodhouse
(which sleeps 4/6). Camping is also available if required by larger groups, and
dogs and horses can be accommodated if necessary.
Set on an organic farm in glorious Herefordshire countryside, the
Bunkhouse
and
Woodhouse
feature truly sustainable facilities that harness the earth’s resources
responsibly. We offer an innovative and enjoyable self-catering holiday. Both
houses are equipped with wood burning Rayburn stoves, composting toilets, and
power supplied by solar energy. They each have a garden kitchen for use on
warmer days consisting of a chimenea and BBQ. And at the heart of everything is
the circular garden grown on permaculture principles where you can harvest your
own lunch!
The farm footpaths lead through fields and woodland to
local villages
for a pub meal or a postage stamp, while our
farm shop
specialises in ‘home-grown’ and local organic produce, including our own award
winning
September Organic
ice cream.
The CountrySOLE houses are intended to be more than just holiday accommodation -
we are inviting you to come and share our vision and enter into the spirit of
sustainable living. It may be necessary to use water or electricity sparingly
depending on the prevailing weather, and cooking will require more forward
planning than most people will be accustomed to due to the idiosyncrasies of
wood burning stoves. But you will be able to enjoy the many delights of
Herefordshire and the Welsh Marches, safe in the knowledge that your holiday
won’t cost the earth.
Welcome to the CountrySOLE Project - living simply so that others may simply
live.
The
Sustainable
Organic
Living
Experience
was established to close the gap between environmental demands and a modern,
comfortable lifestyle. CountrySOLE aims to raise awareness of the unnecessary
use of the world's finite resources and to encourage the use of sustainable
materials in everyday life, recycling where possible and striving to close the
gap between environmental demands and modern living conditions. We offer
self-catering accommodation in our project houses. The project is organic both
in principle and growth. It continually evolves, and each stage is exciting and
challenging. We would like you to come and share our vision and experience
sustainable living. Book your self-catering holiday with us. The CountrySOLE
Project….it simply works!
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The challenge we set for ourselves was to build sustainable houses using, as
much as possible, renewable, reusable, reused and biodegradable materials, and
to build a living system which would have the least impact on the environment.
There are many ethical and practical considerations to grapple with and I’m not
sure that we have always attained the right balance, but we have tried hard to
work through the difficulties. We would have liked to be able to buy everything
from local sources but often the materials or the expertise has not been
available. We are very grateful to the volunteer groups from Hands Around the
World whose input has been much appreciated and for all the family help and
support throughout the project.
THE
HOUSES
We now have two houses built from Finnish Pine interlocking logs, protected by a
home made borax solution to control mildew and woodworm. The construction
involves only wooden pegs to “nail” the logs in place between the log
intersections. The wooden framed windows are double glazed and the wall and
floor insulation is provided by sheeps wool, some of which were grazing on our
farm. The roof tiles are recycled plastic, reformed to copy Welsh slates.
Electricity is obtained from the sun using photovoltaic cells and a small wind
turbine. The electricity is stored in deep cycle batteries. The Bunkhouse
operates at 12 volts and LED lights provide excellent lighting at very little
wattage. The main house has a dual power system relying on 12 volts for all
essential operations but includes the ability to invert to 240 volts for
operations when the power is plentiful. A back up generator will be available
for filling in the gaps in supply. We have been very glad of the technical
support for the renewable energy systems from our son-in-law Ben Whittle of
Southern Solar.
Heating and cooking comes from solid fuel (in this case wood) Rayburns,
recovered from the rush for oil and gas. Hot water in the summer comes from
solar heater panels on the south facing roof.
Both houses have grey water recycling and composting toilets to return,
eventually, all waste to the soil.
THE
GARDEN
We have planted 350 trees within the plot to replace the trees used in the
buildings and eventually to provide a source of firewood and timber. More trees
will be planted over the coming years to maintain the balance.
We have created an amazing circular garden. There is a central octagonal pool
(the water of life) to raise fish for eating, and raised beds radiating from the
centre to the 8 main points of the compass, growing fruit, vegetables and
flowers on a permaculture principle, with the small triangular beds between for
other crops.
We have a garden kitchen for use during warm days when lighting a fire indoors
would not appeal, based on a chimenea and barbecue using wood again as fuel.
THE FARM
Run to the Organic
standards of The Soil Association, the farm grows crops of carrots, potatoes and
cereals and has Hereford cattle, a small flock of chickens and the local Ryeland
sheep. The farm, hens and livestock provide eggs, meat and local organic veg for
the farm shop, which also features September Organic Dairy Ice-cream. This
award-winning ice-cream originated on the farm when we were dairying and always
available in the farm shop!
THE BUNKHOUSE provides
self-catering accommodation for 6-8 people. It has two bedrooms, each with a set
of 2 standard bunks and a loft bed accessed by a ladder. The living area
contains a double futon couch/settee. An additional mattress and/or cot are
available plus ample paddock space for additional camping if necessary (or
accompanying family pony!).
There is a large social space that provides sitting, eating and a kitchen area
with a wood-fired Rayburn; there is a small bathroom and shower and the amazing
composting toilet! All electricity is solar powered and the ‘grey’ water used
for the gardens.
The verandah is accessed by a ramp and the house is designed to be accessible to
wheel chair users.
WOODHOUSE provides self-catering family accommodation for 4 – 6 people. It has a
large open plan family/living room that provides sitting and dining space and a
kitchen area with a wood-fired Rayburn; downstairs are amazing composting
toilets and upstairs there is a bathroom with toilet. All electricity is solar
powered and the ‘grey’ water is used for the gardens.
THE FARM SHOP a short distance up the farm track, has a wide range of local and
organic produce including meat, milk, eggs, cheese, cider, beer, salads,
preserves and of course the award winning September Organic Ice Cream, now
produced by son Adam and his wife Lizzie in nearby Weobley.
LOCAL WALKS, VILLAGES and PUBS... a pleasant walk through the adjoining Holywell
Dingle nature reserve leads to Eardisley, offering 2 pubs, a shop and post
office. In the other direction, a network of footpaths and lanes takes you to
the quiet village of Almeley and another delightful pub.
OPPORTUNITIES to get away from it all in these glorious Welsh and English
Marches include walks, biking, canoeing, pony-trekking, beautiful houses and
gardens and wild hillsides. There are market towns and villages steeped in
history, books in Hay-on-Wye, music and theatrical events galore.
Tel 01544 327 849
www.countrysole.org.uk
Herefordshire self catering holiday cottages