GREEN PLACES TO STAY

When we started this site IN 2007 it held details of very few green places to stay. It’s partly as a result of much thought and longer lead-in times but also a sign of changing attitudes that when we did the research for this year there were many more, and hopefully next year even more again. Even so I’m sure our research is by no means comprehensive so if you know of somewhere we’ve missed, please let us know.

LOW IMPACT TOURISM

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF)
This organisation aims to link up people who are willing to do some (usually) manual labour with farms who need labour and can provide some accommodation in return. For more detail you need to register with the organisation through their website www.wwoof.org.uk . However from the publicly available information we found the following farms, which have sufficient detail to identify them as in our area.

9 miles N of Broughton OS.REF: SD 237 987.
One quarter acre property. Partly terraced garden. Mostly (mainly soft) fruit; weeding, grass cutting, mulching, fruit picking and processing pruning; bread, beer, yoghourt making; some domestic and house decorating if willing, especially in wet weather. Excellent fell walking and river bathing in the beautiful Duddon Valley.

3 miles NW of Grange-over-Sands.
Licensed with Soil Association and member of Soil Association Organic Farms Network. Mixed holding in the Southern Lake District. Sheep (Jacob) cattle (Blue Grey) poultry on 13 acres of permanent pasture. Horticulture with 6 polytunnels. Box Scheme, (highly commended in Organic Food Awards 2002), Farm Shop, (Organic Farm Shop of the Year 2002), Farmers' Market. Also grow and process Medicinal Herbs into Tinctures. The farm is in an Environmentally Sensitive Area and we have a wide range of ongoing conservation and renovation projects. Lots of variety of work and opportunities to develop organic farming skills. Good quality accommodation and food.

2 miles south of Cockermouth
50 acre mixed farm in the Lorton Valley. We have just moved here from our market garden at Tarn Close where we were for 10 years. We are developing a market garden and a large apple orchard and also working towards organic certification. Work is in the market garden and orchard; also hedging, tree planting, clearing land, fencing etc.