Quabbs Sustainability Pledge and Policy

Our Sustainability Pledge

Here at Quabbs sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and believe in and as such we have woven this into every aspect. We are proud of our sustainable approach and commitment from the initial construction of the cabin, to its ongoing minimal impact on the environment. This is not a static pledge or policy – our aim to to revisit and reassess on a regular basis. We are ALWAYS open to suggestions from our guests. 

Here is a detailed look at how we uphold our sustainability pledge:

Local Suppliers

We use local suppliers and growers, not only to support local business and communities, but also to minimise the all-important food miles. Each of our edible hampers/boxes are sourced locally. Details of hampers/vegetable boxes can be found under the ‘extras’ section on our website and are available to pre-book.

Meat and Coffee

The meat eaters will be treated to produce from either Wegnalls Farm in Presteigne, just 6 miles away or from AJ Pugh in Knighton. Both are excellent. Ground coffee supplies are from Teifi Coffee: Teifi Coffee – Coffee Online – Subscription – Welsh

Preserves and Drinks

Jam and preserves are from: Radnor Preserves – Luxury Preserves | Best Marmalade in the world who proudly boast ‘the best marmalade in the world’ due to their Gold Medal Award. Bottled drinks are supplied by Radnor Water in Knighton: Radnor Hills – Still, Sparkling & Deliciously Flavoured Water

Fresh Produce

Those of you wanting to make use of the full kitchen and to cook while you are here – the organic seasonal vegetable boxes come from next door – Rhos Market Garden. There cannot be anything more local than that! Mick and Alice, the owners of Rhos Market Garden are always happy to cater to your needs and will deliver to the cabin in time for your stay. Rhos Market Garden also has a shop in Knighton where local produce, including local wines, flowers and ethical household products such as Faith in Nature can be purchased. This is well worth a visit. Take a look at their website here: Home | Rhos Organic

Honey

The honey we supply is also from next door (the other side) Barbara and Tom who own Wild Nectar. Honey can be ordered to take home with you. It is delicious – especially the whipped honey and they are consistently developing and offering new ‘bee’ products. Although they do not have a website, they can be found on Instagram at: wildnectar_

Orchard and Herb Garden

We have planted an orchard adjacent to the cabin, and as this grows and develops, guests will be able to pick their own fruit at certain times of year from a selection of apples, pears and cherries (if you can beat the birds!) You can also sit under the trees and have a picnic. We have also planted a varied herb garden in the Quabbs garden to which guests can help themselves during their stay – there are 6 different varieties of mint (a great addition to a sunset G&T!) as well as a good selection of others to enhance your culinary delights!

Electricity

The electricity in the cabin is from solar panels on the farmhouse roof.

Log burner

We source your logs from managed trees from around the farm with a focus on sustainable cropping and coppicing. The fire lighting pack contains offcuts from projects and small branches from the farm. Each year we have to do essential cropping, coppicing and cutting back to ensure our trees stay healthy and provide habitat for wildlife and shelter for livestock. This timber is then stored and cured until it is right to use – the length of time this takes is dependent on the variety of tree/amount of sap.

Building

The timber used for the building is from a local forest, selected, felled and milled in Bucknell around 6 miles away. Our locally sourced builder could not be more local – it’s Paul! All the doors and windows are double-glazed to retain heat and ensure the cabin is as energy-efficient as is possible.

Interior

The interior is insulated to a high level ensuring that the heat remains inside rather than heating the atmosphere – please do remember to close doors and windows and let the cabin’s insulation work its magic and to minimise the need for additional heating. The insulation means that you will be warm and toasty even on the coldest of days. The fixtures and furnishings inside the cabin are  lovely eclectic blend of vintage finds, constructed from reclaimed timber, or repurposed – i.e., made from something else or ethically sourced. Although we are proud to be sustainable, please be assured that the comfort of our guests is paramount, and your stay will be enhanced by our values rather than compromised by our commitment to sustainability.

Consumables

At Quabbs, we use ethical household products such as Faith in Nature and Wild. All products offered as part of your stay will be septic tank friendly and will not have an impact upon the biodiversity of the area.

Charity

Each year, from the sale of our ‘extras’ we make a contribution to RABI, the farming charity who support farming people through a wide variety of services. Please take a look at their work here: About – RABI

Tree/Hedge Planting

We are committed to planting trees. We have, so far, planted over 300 trees on the farm and this autumn we undertake a hedgerow planting project that will provide increased habitat, shelter and food for wildlife. Watch this space!

Minimal Lighting

As Quabbs is located in a dark skies area we use minimal lighting at night so as not to add to light pollution and also to ensure that your stargazing experience is as perfect as is possible. Therefore, we do supply torches for your use. Any lighting used in outside areas, is powered by solar.

Grounds

Lawnmowing – a little tongue-in-cheek gesture, but your lawnmowers (when the cabin is empty) are the sheep! Several areas across the farm are left fallow/wild. This is to encourage wildlife and to provide habitat. Several patches of wildflowers are grown annually to encourage bees and insects – these reseed naturally and are therefore left to die back and regenerate. You can find harvested seeds from these on your ‘plant-it’ postcard.

Bird/Nesting Boxes and Bug Hotels

We have a lot of nesting boxes, including owl boxes across the farm to encourage birds to nest and breed. We have placed three within good eyesight of the cabin porch, so keep your eyes open. You may not see our tawny or barn owl during your stay, but you will definitely hear them. If you do spot them, please do let us know. Our ‘bug hotel’ and hedgehog house have been made by our grandchildren and we are hoping for lots of guests this year.

Rainwater

Rainwater is collected from the roof of the cabin and is used for animal water and for watering the Quabbs garden in the summer.

Recycling

All guests are encouraged to recycle. Sorting bins are clearly marked and situated by the guest parking spot and we ask that everything is recycled including food wastes

We are dedicated to making your stay enjoyable, while minimising our environmental footprint. Thank you for supporting our sustainability efforts.