Blackton Grange - caring for the environment

In 2007 Blackton Grange joined the Green Tourism Scheme as part of its commitment to a sustainable future. We are very keen to minimise the environmental impact of our farmhouse and like to encourage our guests to follow these principles.

Environment
Blackton Grange is in the heart of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by unspoiled countryside and sheep farms. Guests are asked to respect this & to follow the country code at all times.

The moorland is home to many unique and rare species. The birdlife is often ground nesting, so we ask our visitors to stick to marked paths in the nesting season. The hay meadows are the main reason much of Upper Teesdale is protected as a National Nature Reserve, so as the saying goes we ‘take only photographs, and leave only footprints’.

At Blackton we try to protect our landscape and encourage wildlife. We are in the midst of planning a tree planting scheme to ensure a range of habitat and to lock in carbon. Carbon banking is an important initiative in the control of climate change. We’re keen to do what we can to protect our Pennine peat bogs for the future.

Energy
As we are remote and at relatively high altitude we do experience some serious ‘weather’ which is reflected in our energy bills. Our inherited oil based central heating system is effective but increasingly more expensive. We hope to invest in a more sustainable system in the future. As we have no piped gas our oven runs on bottled gas. The open fire burns logs, all locally sourced. We receive electricity from the grid but are looking to alternative sources in the future, as these technologies become more cost effective to install. All of our radiators have thermostatic valves attached.

We use energy saving light bulbs, sensors and timers to reduce energy consumption and we ask our guests not to leave lights switched on unnecessarily, or electrical appliances on standby.

Resources
At Blackton Grange we try to use environmentally friendly products whenever possible. We are not connected to mains sewers so have a septic tank, which relies on bacteria to break down the waste. These bacteria are very sensitive to toxins and chemicals, so we are very careful what substances we allow to enter the system, choosing eco friendly options rather than harsh bleaches etc. There are weighted bottles in our older toilet cisterns to limit the amount of water used to flush. We have our own borehole water supply so do not use bottled water on programmes, choosing to operate a 'water monitor' system. Guests are politely asked not to waste water or leave taps running unnecessarily.

We recycle whatever we can. This is especially important as we have no rubbish collection at the centre, and have to remove it all manually – a real incentive for selective purchasing with minimal packaging! We compost any organic waste. Any toxic materials are disposed of carefully by the centre manager. To reduce paper print requirement we conduct much of our business through e-mail and website content, asking email recipients only to print if absolutely necessary.

We try to use local producers or ‘Fairtrade’ whenever possible. Our caterers are farm based, and can even supply local lamb for guests to take home. Our handyman is a local smallholder who can supply home reared turkeys and geese for Christmas.

Blackton Grange is very special because of its location and facilities, which in turn raises issues over access. As public transport isn’t an option, there are bikes for hire, walking route ideas provided and maps of the locality to borrow. We are registered on both the ‘Cyclists Welcome’ and ‘Walkers Welcome’ Schemes. As there is no public transport, guests usually arrive by car. We do, however, encourage car sharing whenever practical and the use of coaches.