Alastair Sawday's

The environment and our properties

The environmental impact of many of our B&Bs and guest houses is far lower than that of a typical large hotel. Here are a few reasons why:

Private houses: many our B&B and guest house owners won’t be heating or lighting the place especially for you. They’d be doing it anyway, as it is where they live. Compare that to large hotels, which are often kept warm and well-lit no matter how busy they are.

Many of the owners use the money they earn to help maintain their beautiful old houses, part of any country’s built heritage. This means fewer new houses.

Shopping locally: many of our owners make an effort to shop locally. They have often lived in the community for a long time – unlike the average hotel manager – and have a sense of commitment to supporting the local economy.

Rural support: the income from running a B&B can often allow farming families to stay on their land. It brings tourists’ money into the local economy, provides precious jobs for local people and makes small rural communities just that little bit more viable.

Further reading

Ghost Town Britain: the New Economics Foundation’s report into the decline of local shops and services.

Tourism Concern: a fantastic UK charity campaigning for responsible tourism.

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