committed...
to living sustainably and to sustainable tourism
Sustainable, Environmentally-Friendly Holidays
Watermill Cottages is happily situated in 6 acres of South Devon’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) whose purpose is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the South Hams landscape. Platinum Level Green Leaders on Trip Advisor since 2014 we celebrate the wildness of the secret Gara Valley near Slapton and Dartmouth.
Come and explore a range of habitats protected by Natural England: the old mill leat that supplied water to the mill wheel when it was there, ancient bluebell woods, orchard with old varieties of Devon cider, eating and cooking apples, old tracks, boundary walls and hedgerows, green lanes. And of course, the Gara Brook itself which runs through the valley and is great for playing in. At Watermill Cottages look for otters, dormice, the rare cirl bunting, glowworms in July, kingfishers, dippers, yellow wagtails, trout and eels. Bee-friendly gardens welcome butterflies too.
As custodians of this beautiful, secret valley, whose Gara Brook runs through Watermill Cottages’ shared lawns down to Slapton Ley, a National Nature Reserve and SSSI, we work closely with Slapton Field Centre which manages Slapton Ley. The Field Centre tests the water weekly at Watermill Cottages to monitor the precious habitat here. The largest natural freshwater lake in the South West, Slapton Ley is separated from the sea by a narrow shingle bank along which the main road runs between Strete and Torcross. Take a walk here and enjoy lake and coast views over Start Bay. Slapton Ley offers diverse habitats attracting many rare native and migrating birds, as well as otters, and runs events through the year.
South Devon and the South Hams are renowned for stunning landscapes and so attract many visitors. This can put a strain on the local environment. However, Watermill Cottages is committed to reducing ours and our guests’ impact on this beautiful coast and countryside; to living sustainably; and to environmentally friendly tourism, minimising our damage to these old and precious habitats. We encourage recycling in our recycling centre (with guides to what goes where), composting, being aware of energy use. Come and enjoy a holiday close to nature where rewilding is not a trend, it’s a way of life. To treading gently, leaving only footprints… … at Watermill Cottages.
What we’re doing to help…
ENERGY
The single biggest commitment we’ve made to sustainable living is to install a micro-hydro generation scheme on site. The water turbine provides electricity for our home, the office, laundry and Barleycorn Cottage. What we can’t use on site we return to the grid, so energy used in the other cottages is offset.
We offer free electric car charging for guests.
In the courtyard is the Zappi Charger, a car charging point, it is a type 2 connection, so you may charge your electric or hybrid car too with ‘homegrown’ electricity generated by the water turbine.
Read John’s blog on on our replacement water turbine installation and electricity generation for more information.
At Watermill Cottages 100% of the electricity used is from renewable resources.
As well as…
Land Management
All logs for your cottage woodburner (each cottage has one) are harvested and seasoned from our neighbours land. One basket of logs is included in the cottage rental.
Watermill Cottages’ six acres holds sensitive eco-systems like meadows, hedgerows, woodlands, and the stream itself, offering diverse habitats that support rich and varied wildlife. It’s a rare and wild environment – come and see for yourself!
Watermill Cottages sits on 6 acres of land around the cottages up and down the Gara Valley. Jolly Farm (Jade and Ollie) graze their sheep and cattle here, raising slow-grown, soy-free animals as part of Jolly Farm’s larger farming enterprise. The native breed, organic standard livestock help with conservation grazing and keeping this historically working land in balance with nature. Though not registered organic, they follow organic principles in farming and small-holding. The land here in the Gara Valley is part of a Stewardship Scheme run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which supports us in maintaining environmentally beneficial land management practices.
Food
We’re happy to point you in the right direction to buy locally-produced food from nearby farms – helping you protect Devon’s rural landscapes and iconic farmland by supporting local producers.
South Devon is a hive of activity when it comes to abundant crops turned into delicious food. Stokeley Barton Farm Shop sells a great choice of local produce, including a fantastic local butcher – if you want to know which field your meat grew up in just ask Paul.
All the local pubs and restaurants support local producers with The Start Bay Inn having a sustainably caught fish policy for their award-winning fish and chips. There are plenty of restaurant, cafe and pub recommendations in the cottage information folders, including those that are dog-friendly.
Waste
We encourage you to recycle as much as is possible whilst here in South Devon.
We take all glass, light bulbs, batteries, cans, plastic, paper, cardboard, tetra-packs and scrap metal to recycling centres plus we have onsite composting which in turn feeds the kitchen garden.
Water
We manage water use carefully, and have a septic tank to deal with sewerage. Waste water is pumped uphill and filtered through the land before it enters the stream, which is quality tested every week.
Waste water is treated onsite. So we are very careful about what goes into it. We encourage guests to think about what they are putting down the plug hole too. All cottages are equipped with environmentally friendly washing-up liquid and cleaning products. We air dry where possible aided by a heat exchanger in the laundry.
Community
Watermill Cottages enjoys close links with the local community, with the villages of Slapton and Strete and Slapton Ley Field Centre. Active villages, both have great dog friendly pubs. In Strete, The King’s Arms has a beer garden with amazing sea views, it’s a 40 minute walk from here. Slapton has The Queen’s Arms with sunny beer garden, and The Tower Inn, a gastro pub going back to medieval times. There’s a wealth of individual shops and restaurants for you to enjoy, from the award-winning Slapton Community Village Shop to farm shops and the picturesque towns of Dartmouth, Salcombe, Kingsbridge and Totnes.
We welcome special needs groups, charities and international school groups to enjoy the cottages off season at a discounted rate.
We live gently here and love sharing this beautiful wild valley. We’re happy to discuss any of our sustainable choices, to learn more and journey deeper into self-sufficient living.
Higher North Mill, Hansel, Nr. Slapton
Dartmouth TQ6 0LN
