New Forest Cottage in Lyndhurst, England
How this vacation makes a difference
Environment
We are members of The Green Leaf scheme and recycle everything that we can to minimise other waste. This includes providing a separate box for recycling glass bottles, in addition to the recycling waste sacks provided by New Forest District Council.
The flower beds at Rhubarb Cottage are planted with traditional shrubs and wild flowers. These include Bluebells, Primroses, Michaelmas Daisies and Phlox. Bird nesting boxes and bird feeders are provided and the nest boxes have been used by Blue Tits every year. A wide variety of garden birds visit the garden and surrounding gardens as most of our neighbours also feed the birds. House Martins nest under the eaves of the cottage, as these traditional wooden eaves provide the right level of shelter for the birds - they don't favour the eaves of modern houses!
All garden waste is composted and we have a compost bin available. We encourage our visitors to use public transport and offer a discount to our visitors who leave their car at home.
Local Farmers' Markets are publicised in the cottage and we also provide leaflets showing where our visitors can hire bicycles, enabling them to enjoy everything that The New Forest has to offer - at a leisurely pace..
Community
We recommend local pubs and restaurants to our visitors. We highlight those that are within walking distance and we also feature those that sell locally produced products - New Forest Marque, in particular. As Rhubarb Cottage is situated within easy walking distance of Lyndhurst centre, our visitors can enjoy visiting the tea rooms, restaurants and shops on the spur of the moment. We also highlight those pubs which allow dogs, as many of our visitors like to bring their dog on vacation to enjoy the delights of The New Forest together. Leaflets highlight activities in the local community including Craft Fairs, Farmers' Markets and Amateur Dramatics. We also provide money off coupons for entry to local attractions such as Exbury Gardens.
We also ask our guests to drive carefully and observe the rules when in the open forest, to ensure that the free roaming ponies and other animals are given the respect and protection that they deserve. We are horse owners ourselves (and we have Commoners' Rights) so we know who to contact in the forest if any of guests were to report an accident. When walking in the forest, we ask our visitors to keep their dog on a lead if they are near ponies or other free roaming animals.
Landscape
We provide leaflets for our guests which give details on all of the sights and sites that are in abundance in The New Forest. We provide details of the history of the area, including maps pre and post the construction of Rhubarb Cottage and also explain the origin of the name of the cottage. The New Forest is, of course, closely associated with William the Conqueror but the history of the area is rich and diverse - the area played an important role in World War II, for example, and we share this history with our guests.
The New Forest has an abundance of activities, many of which are free and we encourage our visitors to make the most of these opportunities while they are on vacation. Rhubarb Cottage is very convenient for the open forest so our guests can enjoy walking in the forest without having to get in their car.
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