Dog Friendly
Situated in the heart of the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and accredited as one of their Business Partners, following the goal of ‘living and working in harmony with nature’ is of great importance to us at Kerswell Farm. Forming one of 671 County Wildlife Sites within the Biosphere Reserve, we strive to develop a sustainable lifestyle for our guests as well as ourselves to maintain and enhance our environment.
Every aspect of the management of our land is chosen specifically to further improve the biodiversity of the many species that live here. Sometimes some of the land or the lakes may look somewhat overgrown and new piles of branches may appear in the woodland – this is all intentional habitat creation for different creatures to use as homes and for us to retain and encourage a good balance of species. We work closely with the Devon Wildlife Trust to optimise biodiversity, are constantly enchanted by the variety of wildlife we see daily and know that our guests enjoy it too.
We have given much thought to the way in which we manage our two cottages. Created from redundant farm buildings, they don’t take homes away from locals as many holiday cottages might. We want our guests to feel comfortable and cossetted, staying in a place that feels natural and special. Being considerate of our natural resources and environment helps protect them for future generations and the measures in place at Kerswell Farm to work with the environment rather than against it include:
 |
SolarUtilising natural resources such as solar power (we have 12Kw of PV) for electricity and the use of heat pumps where possible |
|
WaterOptimising water usage by using a highly efficient washing machine for all cottage laundry as well as collecting rainwater and grey water from the house for garden watering. We would ask guests to value the precious resources of water and power, and to thoughtfully turn off taps and lights |
|
CleaningRespecting the wider environment, all cleaning and laundry products are phosphate-free and as natural as they can be, we also use everyday products like vinegar, lemon juice and bicarb for some cleaning tasks. The hand-made soap is natural and from a local supplier |
|
DrainageAs we are on private drainage, only human waste and toilet paper goes down the toilet – bins are provided for everything else |
|
RecyclingRecycling is a passion – boxes and bags to separate out waste are provided for each cottage, as well as food waste caddies with compostable bags. Guests are also more than welcome to put aside fruit and veg waste in the caddy provided for our own compost heap! |
|
Supporting LocalSupporting local businesses is important to us and we buy local where we can. Furniture, furnishings and decorative items in the cottages are all locally-sourced, including wool duvets and pillows from Devon. Even the art on the walls is all by local artists |
|
Local ProduceDelicious whole milk in reusable glass bottles comes from a local farm, happy eggs from across the fields, bread, scones and dog biscuits from the farmhouse kitchen |
|
Electric Car ChargingWe run a plug-in hybrid car ourselves and have a dedicated electric charging point for guests, utilising solar power when available to charge their own electric vehicles |
|
Sustainable WoodAll wood for our stoves comes from the maintenance of the landscape and the hedgerows at Kerswell Farm |
|
Our LandOur 22 acres of land is all managed for wildlife. It includes more than 6 acres of woodland, offsetting much of the carbon footprint of the farmhouse and cottages |