8 tips for a more eco friendly holiday

If you’re looking for an unbeatable summer holiday in 2023, our North Devon holiday cottages by the sea offer the perfect getaway. But whilst you’re here we’d encourage you to think about reducing the environmental impact of your holiday. By following our tips for a more eco-friendly holiday it means that you can be sure that you’ll be able to come back time and time again to enjoy our beautiful coastline.

Protecting North Devon

The first blog we wrote explained why we think North Devon is so beautiful, so we weren’t surprised to hear that Devon topped the list of the top ten counties in England; recently released by The Daily Telegraph. The list was created by ‘scientifically’ comparing the counties against 33 criteria across 4 different categories. These included ‘Natural Wonders’, ‘History and Culture’, ‘Luxuries’ and ‘Peace & Quiet’. Devon came out top for ‘Natural Wonders’ and third for ‘History & Culture’. So with this in mind, you can see why we’re encouraging you to think more carefully about how you can protect our county when you are on holiday.

With 2 National Parks, 5 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 13 Blue Flag Beaches, 495km of coastline, 9 RSPB reserves, an RHS garden and 9.9% coverage of woodland; there is a wealth of biodiversity to protect and maintain.

How can you make your North Devon holiday more eco-friendly?

Here are just some suggestions for ways in which you can make a difference (in no particular order!):

1. Say no to single-use

When travelling there’s a temptation to opt for the ‘easy life’ and lean towards more disposable living. We encourage you not to do this and to consciously reduce your use of single-use plastics such as bottles, takeaway coffee cups and plastic bags. Many of these end up polluting the seas that you are coming to swim in.

Plastic Free North Devon and Plastic Free Torridge have worked hard with the local community to reduce single-use plastics; with many cafes and organisations gaining ‘plastic free’ status. Being a coastal area this campaign is of importance to the community, another reason to support it.

Most of the local cafes are on board with this and won’t bat an eyelid if you ask to use your own reusable cup – some even reward you with a discount for doing so. Our blog on ‘The best coffee in North Devon‘ details some of our favourite places to grab a cup and their eco credentials, including those that are making an effort to go plastic-free.

2. Recycle

If you can’t reduce what you use then please recycle what you can. This is possibly one of the easiest ways to help, but also one that slips when we’re away from home.

We know that sometimes it can be confusing as different councils have different rules and coloured boxes etc. But at all of our properties, you will find instructions on what goes where and what day you need to put it outside for collection (if applicable).

As a brief outline, you can find instructions here on the North Devon Council website.

3. Hire or borrow

Avoid adding to the issue created by cheap beach equipment such as polystyrene body boards and flimsy wetsuits. Hire quality sustainable alternatives from local providers instead.

Whilst it may be tempting to pay £10 for a brightly coloured kids’ polystyrene bodyboard, knowing that you can just bin it at the end of your stay – please be aware of the environmental impact. According to a Keep Britain Tidy report, over 16,000 of these cheap polystyrene bodyboards are discarded on UK beaches annually. The issue with them is that they often stop and become unusable within a few minutes. When they are tossed to one side, the polystyrene crumbles into small balls, threatening the natural environment. The balls can be mistaken for food by fish and marine life, endangering them and can also subsequently make their way into our food chain. In addition, they are sourced from abroad and transported thousands of miles so create an unnecessary carbon footprint.

So whilst you’re on holiday in North Devon make the most of the projects aimed at encouraging you to rent or borrow. For example, there are several beach borrowing libraries around the area from which you can borrow beach toys such as balls or a bucket or spade for the day. These are located at beaches including Croyde, Woolacombe & Northam Burrows.

You can also hire out or borrow traditional wooden body boards, which last much longer & have a much-reduced impact on the environment and we think ride better on the waves! These are available from a number of local businesses. There are more details for both of these schemes via Plastic Free North Devon.

4. Ditch the car

Walk, cycle or use public transport where you can.

We recognise that North Devon is a rural area so avoiding using a car altogether can be a challenge, but opting to plan in a few days without it can make a difference. Perhaps plan in to spend a day or 2 exploring on foot around your holiday accommodation? Take an adventure on the bus? Or utilise the Tarka Trail and go for a family cycle ride. Minimising the amount of driving you are doing will reduce your carbon emissions and directly have a positive impact on the local environment.

To support you in travelling more sustainably when you do have to drive, you can download the North Devon Explorer app, created by North Devon UNESCO Biosphere. This app provides information such as traffic congestion to reduce pollution & details of EV charging points. Whilst the local public infrastructure for EV chargers isn’t great, many North Devon holiday cottage owners are now choosing to install them as an additional feature.

5. Shop local

Whether it’s buying groceries or looking for gifts to take home, consider where your purchase has come from. Support the local economy by choosing to shop local.

Looking for places but not sure where to go? In all the properties that we manage at Cottage on the Coast, we include a digital welcome pack; in it, we include recommendations for local places to shop and eat. You can also have a look at Plastic Free North Devon’s #looklocal directory for more ideas.

6. Book eco-conscious accommodation

Check that your holiday let provider is doing their bit; opt to use those that value sustainability and are putting their own eco friendly practices into place. It’s not just about offsetting carbon emissions or planting a few trees, companies need to be more proactive rather than reactive.

There’s no greenwashing with us at Cottages on the Coast – we’re not just saying all this to jump on a trend. We really believe in it and do our bit. You can find out more about what we are up to personally in our earlier blog on sustainable tourism.

The advantage of using smaller, local travel providers is also that the money you spend is likely to stay in the local community and be reinvested; having a wider impact on the area.

7. Get involved

Whilst you’re here get involved with efforts to sustain the area. Get involved with an organised beach clean, it’s a great chance to teach the kids about marine pollution, or just do your own #2minutebeachclean; every little helps.

Follow local conservation and environmental projects online. Many run activities during the school holidays which are free or low cost, they are great opportunities to learn more about the area and why we need to take care of it. Alternatively, just take 5 minutes to educate yourself on what they’re up to. If you can follow their social media accounts and engage with the posts, this helps to spread the message to other visitors so they become more aware.

Some projects to check out include:

• Plastic Free North Devon
• Plastic Free Torridge
• North Devon Biosphere
• Exmoor National Park – CareMoor
• Dynamic Dunescapes
• Surfers Against Sewage
• Exmoor Pony Project

8. Remember you don’t have to do it all

Thinking about all of these things may seem overwhelming. But just choosing a battle or two to start with can make a huge impact. Change your accommodation provider, don’t buy those cheap bodyboards this year or try buying food from a local supplier rather than a supermarket.

If you’re a holiday let owner who shares our values and you’re interested in working with us, then we’d love to hear from you.