Sustainable Tourism at Wray Valley
We aim to make our business as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible, while providing an enjoyable visitor experience.
We strive to
- minimise our impact on the environment
- promote nature conservation and biodiversity
- support local businesses.
We have developed an environmental, social and governance policy that explains our approach to sustainability. In turn our Responsible Visitor Charter gives you information on how you can make sure your trip is as sustainable as possible. Our sustainability practices have been recognised with the Gold grade of the Green Tourism Award.
Read on to find out what we have done so far…..
Michelle is a former environmental consultant with a MSc in Environmental Sustainability and is a retired member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.
Energy
Apart from our electricity and phone line we are “off grid”. That means that there is no mains gas, water or sewerage here.
Water
When we arrived at Riverside, our water came from a small stream which runs from a spring near Pepperdon Mine down to the Wray Brook. There was a filtration system, but the whole system needed constant maintenance, and we had no control over the water source. So it could dry up at any time. Aquasource, a local water specialist company, dowsed for water and then drilled a borehole 40m deep in the Hay Meadow.
They installed a complete water treatment system including aerator, filtration, metals exchange and UV treatment tube which now provides us with a safe and reliable water supply. Just as well as the stream we originally used almost dried up in 2022. The water system is serviced annually.
Sewerage
The house has a very effective septic tank system which handles all the sewage and grey water from the B&B and the campsite showers and toilets. We may need to upgrade it to a treatment plant at some point, but it currently works well.
In addition, for those ‘greener’ campers we have a very efficient ‘tree bog’. A compost toilet where the manure produced is absorbed by a planting of alder and willow trees around the toilet. It has worked really well for 2 years now, uses no water and provides a lot of healthy tree growth. The sawdust used in our treebog mainly comes from Miranda Salmon, a local bespoke furniture maker and designer.
Waste & Recycling
Find out more about how we manage waste here at Wray Valley. We’ve so much to tell you that, it needed a whole page to itself. See what we are doing in the B&B and on the campsite to mimise and recycle here
Home Produced Food & Drink
- If you book one of our evening meals it is home-cooked for you from scratch.
- Our eggs normally come from our very friendly hens (when their supply keeps up with your demand). Otherwise we will supplement from other local producers.
- Our bread, cinammon rolls and yoghurt are homemade from ingredients sourced within the southwest.
- Our pizza bases on pizza night are made from flour sourced from a mill within the southwest and hand stretched in front of you!
- Our bramble, plum and strawberry jams are homemade as is our marmalade. The blackberries are our own, the strawberries come from Cheddar and the plums are Devon grown all sourced from a local greengrocer.
- Our water comes from the borehole in the camping field and is treated on site. It has been certified fit for public supply.
- We make our own apple juice to serve at breakfast and for you to buy. See us pressing the apples here.
- We also have meadowsweet and elderflower cordials to keep you cool in the summer, grown, picked and made here.
You can buy our jams, preserves, apple juice and eggs while stocks last.
Locally Produced Food
We actively promote local food and drink producers and recommend you try the following while you are here:
- Locally sourced meat from Michael Howard Butchers, Moretonhampstead; Lloyd Maunders, Bovey Tracey and Higher West Combe Farm, North Bovey
- The Van du Pain – Bread by Liz – mobile van but based in Moretonhampstead also available at Lustleigh Dairy
- Wild Hart Venison – delivers to us for free
- Little Dartmoor – Artisan Chocolates – Moretonhampstead. Free Collection
- Baskervilles Ice Cream – we stock a limited range here but try the cafe in Moretonhampstead for the complete selection.
- Midfields Granola produced near Moretonhampstead and available to buy locally, e.g. in Michael Howard.
If you are a local food and would like to be listed here please contact us.
Devon Only Bar Menu
We are delighted to spotlight some of the wonderful producers we have in Devon, and have decided to ONLY stock drinks produced here in the county in our bar. Read about our current range here.
Biodiversity & Conservation
We have a long list of projects that we are gradually working our way through. Willing volunteers are always welcome. Read ou newsletters to find out all about these. Please contact us if you would like to help.
- The Hay Meadow is being managed into a wild flower meadow and is scythed in late summer and will be grazed over winter.
- Biodiversity corridors are preserved between the camping pitches to provide a haven for wildlife and privacy for campers.
- Bramble scrub and nettle patches are preserved for birds, bees and butterflies
- Invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam and Hemlock Water Dropwort are removed when spotted. We are working with the National Park ecologist on this.
- Creation of wildlife ponds to supplement the river.
- Management of the riparian (riverside) habitat.
- Laying hedgerows that have not been managed correctly by previous owners.
- Working with Moor Trees to re-planting missing hedgerows and establish new hedges
- Rejuvenated the existing 4 apple trees from the original orchard and two others in the garden
- Expanded the orchard with 12 new apple trees and all from Devon or the wider south west
- Bankside coppicing to reduce risk of bankside erosion
Future projects include
- Hedge management
- Scrub control to ensure mosaic of habitat in Water Meadow
- Clearance of the drainage ditches in the alder wood. These ditches drain the Wray Valley Trail
Supporting Local Businesses
In addition to our local food and drink suppliers, we also try to use local suppliers and trades for all our grounds and infrastructure work. Examples include:
- Plumbing – MP Plumbing
- Electrics – Devon Electrical Contractors
- Groundworks (and the pizza oven) – Chris Hill
- Branded clothing – MoorSo
- Borehole Water – Aquasource
- Cleaning Products and Toiletries – Zero Waste Moretonhampstead
- Pond Liners – Rubber Flat Roof (Exeter)
- Underfloor Heating – OMNIE, Exeter
- Scrub clearance – Devon Habitat Services, Buckfastleigh
- Path Construction – Vallance, Liverton
Sustainable Transport
A big part of tourism’s environmental impact is car miles. Both getting here and then sightseeing once you’ve arrived. It is possible to get here and get about without a car. Click here to find out more about public transport and arriving by bike or on foot and what we are doing regarding electric vehicle (EV) charging. Currently we are offering an incentive to encourage you to leave the car at home. To find out more Go to our Sustainable Transport Page 🡆
