High Weald bed and breakfast cottage, England
How this vacation makes a difference
Environment
We minimize our carbon footprint by composting waste, reducing energy consumption and re-cycling as much as possible.
We use energy-efficient lighting and wood from our ancient woodland to provide renewable energy for our log fires.
We encourage guests to use local footpaths and cycling routes.
We have free-range chickens and rare-breed sheep to graze our field.
Our own fruit and vegetables are grown organically and watered from rainwater stored in an underground tank.
Wild animals, birds and insects are encouraged to forage and shelter through the preservation of natural habitats. Foxes, badgers, rabbits, owls, woodpeckers, rooks, blackbirds, thrushes, to name but a few, can all be seen and heard. There are bird boxes for nesting birds, a beehive in the orchard and a special refuge for bats. There is a great diversity of fauna and flora in our wood: the ponds are a haven for newts, frogs, mallards and moorhens. In springtime there are wood anemones, bluebells and primroses. Several oaks, which fell during the storm of 1987, were used in the renovation of Appletree Cottage.
Our local builders helped us to restore and renovate the cottage in a traditional style, but with modern insulation, that blends in with its surroundings.
Guests are able to walk to the nearest pub/restaurant, which uses local produce and maintains the customs and traditions of this part of England
Community
We are members of the local Garden Society, Historical Association and sports clubs, namely Rye Tennis and Squash Club and Rye Golf Club.
We regularly attend the nearest church in Ewhurst Green; we also feel that it is important to support the local village shops of Staplecross and Sedlescombe, which are an important hub of village life and provide a postal service; we buy from farmers markets at Brede, Battle and Rye and buy sausages and bacon from Busters farm shop in Salehurst; we use many other local businesses and services.
We employ a local lady to help with our B & B.
B & B Guests are encouraged to visit local pubs and restaurants run by local people, as well as local sights and attractions, the nearest being Bodiam Castle on the River Rother and steam train which runs from Bodiam to Tenterden.
We have good contact with our neighbours and other B & Bs in the area, passing on clients to each other if we unable to provide accommodation ourselves.
We deliver the Parish Magazine in our area, which is an important source of local news and advertisements.
We support the National Gardens Scheme and various gardens that owners open to raise funds for the Hospice in Hastings.
Landscape
Located in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we encourage guests to walk and cycle in the countryside, especially direct from Appletree Cottage, and are keen to share our love and knowledge of this beautiful part of Sussex.
Beacon Lane is an ancient sunken lane used for hundreds of years by drovers to herd their sheep, cattle and pigs to and from markets and new pastures.
The 1066 Country Walk, from Pevensey Castle via Battle Abbey to Rye, allows walkers to step back in time and retrace the actual footsteps of William the Conqueror. This historic walk meanders through stunning Sussex countryside and takes you through ancient towns and villages, over hillsides and through woodland, passing houses and windmills along the way.
The Saxon Shore Way is also close by. This 160 mile long distance walking route is named after the line of historic fortifications that defended the Kent and Sussex coast at the end of the Roman era.
It runs from the bustling port of Gravesend, in North Kent, to the popular seaside town of Hastings and offers some of the finest coastal walking in England. The route features a range of landscapes and scenery, as well as a wealth of cultural and historic interest: Iron Age hill forts, magnificent churches, Martello towers. historic ports and castles dating from periods throughout history.
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