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Holiday Information
The Environmental Benefit of the Restoration of Burnfoot Traditional stone agricultural buildings such as those at Burnfoot do not accommodate modern farm machinery and are increasingly being left to degenerate into complete dereliction. Rescuing these buildings is in itself the ultimate form of recycling. It makes complete environmental sense to re-use previously developed land and buildings for new homes - especially when those homes are specifically for holidaymakers who may well have otherwise flown elsewhere. In the restoration of Burnfoot we re-used every piece of timber, slate and stone that could be salvaged. Even the concrete hard standing where machinery once stood was crushed on site and used instead of imported lorry loads of quarried gravel. During the conversion of the farm buildings into holiday cottages all metals were separated and recycled, and any timber that could not be re-used was cut for use as firewood. Any new timber required for floors or wall linings came from sustainable sources. All walls, floors, ceilings and windows were intentionally insulated to a standard that surpasses the high level of energy efficiency required by the very latest building regulations. It is not just environmentally friendly building methods that contribute to a more sustainable way of life. Rescuing these historic buildings, removing decrepit modern steel agricultural sheds, and restoring the natural landscape features has delivered an environmental benefit to be enjoyed by the wider community. Planting new native broadleaf woodlands and traditional mixed thorn hedges wherever possible has recreated wildlife habitats that have been lost in the past to intensive farming methods. Despite not always being the lowest quotes we received, we only employed local craftsmen and women to carry out the restoration - cutting down on transportation, but most importantly investing almost £1.5million in the local community. Not only has the restoration of Burnfoot improved a blot on a very sensitive landscape, it has facilitated healthy and diverse economic activity in a rural area of Northumberland - thus playing an important role in sustaining the social well-being of the local community. Future Plan for Complete Energy Self Sufficiency The cottages are all heated either electrically or by LPG - neither of which are very environmentally friendly. These heating systems are supposed to be a stop-gap until we can hopefully install a water turbine power plant in the same chamber constructed by Lord Armstrong for that exact purpose (see History section). The channels to feed the turbine and then run off into the burn are all still there. The plan appears to be feasible, however the millpond created by Armstrong to feed the turbine is Grade II Listed, is not on our land, and is in a protected site of special scientific interest. Negotiations with the relevant authorities and our neighbouring landowner, as well as the results of an in-depth feasibility study from an engineering consultancy, not to mention whether our bank will lend us the money, will decide whether this perfect solution will come to fruition. We continue to work on this proposal and can but dream to return the farm full circle to the way it was when it was first conceived. How You Can Help For every booking we receive, a proportion of that booking is saved towards the cost of the water turbine. Just by booking a holiday with us you are doing your bit! What would help a great deal is in the meantime is if you could try to be responsible with the heating of your cottage. Of course this will save us money - providing more for the self-sufficiency fund - but we don't mind paying for as much heating as you want as long as it is sustainable. All of our larger cottages have the very latest super-efficient wood burning stoves - please use them. We provide logs free of charge! There is nothing more relaxing than staring into a crackling wood fire - who said being environmentally responsible had to be boring? |
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Burnfoot Holiday Cottages The Old Police Station, Millfield Road, Riding Mill, Northumberland, NE44 6DL |
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