Sustainability vs history: Making an older building greener without losing its innate charm
Running B&Bs or self-catering spaces in older buildings doesn’t mean that making them more sustainable is impossible. We talked to Terri Stock from Kidlandlee, a Victorian farmhouse with barns in remote Northumberland, to get an idea of why and how she tackled her sustainability journey.
What inspired you to start your sustainability journey?
We’ve always kept protection of the environment, lowering our carbon footprint and sustaining wildlife habitats central to our business ethos, so it grew organically and seamlessly through our experience of being so remote and living off-grid.
What sustainable features or practices have you implemented at your site?
We upgraded and renewed the existing solar and wind storage capacities. The newly renovated barns and the main house are fitted with roof solar panels and we have three wind turbines, so we are now able to generate and store enough power for the whole estate. Our water comes in from two boreholes and goes out via a Klargester Bio Waste tank. The main house is heated using ground source heating, our soft furnishings are all made from recycled plastic bottles or natural fibres such as wool or hemp. All of our log burners are fuelled using wind-felled trees from our land and our firelighters are made naturally too. Everything is recycled at Kidlandlee!
What specific challenges did you face when incorporating these features/practices?
It has been an incredible journey, a complete change of lifestyle. There were some intense “what are we doing?!” moments and colossal learning curves as we tackled off-grid, bio waste and borehole water systems whilst juggling family life in one of the remotest parts of the National Park… but it was all worth it. The hardest challenge for us has been fitting EV Chargers for electric cars. At the moment, there are no EV charging systems that work independently from a grid, using its own wind and solar by day and storing energy in their own little batteries that can be used at night. The one thing we are most proud off is that our vision for Kidlandlee – to provide five-star accommodation that does not compromise on luxury whilst sitting in harmony with its environment, has taken shape. It has been a mammoth task in all respects.
What about the costs involved – did you apply for any grants or incentives? And have you made any savings since making the changes?
Over the last eight years we have made some quite large investments when it comes to off-grid systems but equally we have also made small changes that have greatly improved our sustainability at very little cost. For instance, just by changing our household products to marine-safe products, we have saved money on de-sledging, replacing parts and services for the BioWaste Systems. In refilling smaller bottles in the bathroom and kitchens we have lowered our consumption of plastics and saved on the weekly shopping bill as we buy less.
How do you let guests know about your eco-friendly features? And what, if any, have their responses been?
We have been members of Green Tourism for some years now and with their help we were able to write about our Green Story, create a Green Policy and a Visitors Charter which guests see on our website and in their cottages. We encourage them through the Visitors Charter to shop locally, recycle, and visit our two wonderful valley pubs. Many guests have told us that Kidlandlee and the work we are doing has inspired them to make changes at home – some as big as adding solar panels, others who have changed cleaning products or started buying more locally. Guests have said that their ‘one quiet moment’ happens at Kidlandlee. The slower pace of life, and vibrant energy of the hills, soothes the mind/ body and makes you stand still, and reconnect. It provokes thought and that’s a great gift for us to be able to give guests.
Do you have any plans for additional sustainability improvements?
We would like to replace our diesel generators with a more environmentally friendly equivalent. We would also like to solve our EV charging conundrum before 2030 as electric cars are on the increase. 2025 for us is about improving wildlife habitats too, so that we can also create five-star accommodation for all the wonderful birds, plants and tree life we live amongst.