Pick an eco hotel for a planet-friendly UK break

Book your staycation at a hotel that adds sustainability to the pleasure of a no-fly getaway

Norman Miller picks out some fabulous places around Britain – from Perthshire to Somerset – that care as much about environmental ratings as they do stars.

Grove of Narberth, Pembrokeshire

Set just back from a stellar coastline of stunning sandy beaches and harbour villages, the Grove of Narberth is a proud member of Green Tourism UK, which gave the hotel its gold award in 2017 for a plethora of sustainable initiatives from owners Neil and Zoe Kedward.

But there’s no skimping on atmospheric luxury, as you’d expect from a hotel in the upmarket Pride of Britain portfolio. Burnished wood panelling lifts many spaces, while displays of iconic carved Welsh spoons add a local design flourish. The acclaimed restaurant celebrates superb produce sourced within a 50-mile radius, while the historic market town of Narberth is just down the road, offering excellent design and food shops.

Solar panels supply electricity, while heating and hot water come from a biomass boiler. The hotel has dug boreholes to supply the entire premises with spring water free to all guests. All glass, plastic and paper is recycled, while cardboard is used for composting, along with garden and vegetable waste. The hotel has also planted substantial areas with trees to provide a sustainable source of wood, while reed beds treat foul water before it enters the surrounding environment. Wild meadows and ancient hedgerows also help nurture local wildlife.

Saorsa 1875, Perthshire

‘Dedicated to ethical luxury’ is how Saorsa 1875 describes itself, and it’s also the UK’s first hotel dedicated to a 100 per cent vegan lifestyle – from bold plant-based dishes in the restaurant to power supplied by Ecotricity, the UK’s first certified-vegan power supplier. And with intensive animal farming estimated to cause 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, that means something.

When animal rights organisation PETA voted this their best UK luxury hotel, they acknowledged fine style as well as fine ethics – 11 bedrooms decorated with designer wallpapers, chic chairs and plush fabrics, alongside plenty of artfully sourced second-hand retro style.

The setting is stirring too – a baronial Gothic Victorian mansion on the edge of the Highland village of Pitlochry within striking distance of iconic spots like Loch Ness. Pitlochry itself is a pleasing riverside town, where diverse attractions include the exotic Explorers Garden, the acclaimed Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and Atholl Palace Museum with its chronicle of life from the 1870s onwards.

The Green House, Dorset

Just a couple of blocks back from Bournemouth’s fine sandy beaches, this Grade II-listed Victorian villa showcases its sustainability commitments in myriad forms – from beehives installed on the roof to naturally fire-retardant wool carpets produced in nearby Salisbury.

Wood furniture at The Green House is crafted in the UK using trees felled in storms or by tree surgeons, while wallpaper is FSC-certified and made using vegetable inks. The bespoke luxury Hypnos beds utilise eco-friendly bamboo, all electricals are low-energy and they even recycle rainwater. Talking of water, solar heating helps keep that warm.

The hotel’s Arbor restaurant is arguably the best in town, complemented naturally by a strong commitment to sustainable sourcing based on fresh, tempting and seasonal ingredients from the local area.

Heckfield Place, Hampshire

This lovingly restored Georgian country pile provides a cosy historic hideaway in the Hampshire countryside within easy striking distance of London. Heckfield Place sits within 400 acres of secluded landscape gardens laid out in the 1820s and dotted with charming follies. Inside, the sympathetically restored interiors mix period furniture with contemporary amenities like a luxurious cinema space and a spa using all-natural products.

The sustainability ethos plays out subtly throughout the house. A biomass boiler provides heating, while natural British materials are widely utilised – such as rush headboards made by weaver Felicity Irons. Packaging is reduced through touches like ground coffee in the bedrooms stored in locally made ceramic pots.

This hotel also has its very own biodynamic farm, where guests can pitch in to help plant or harvest fresh produce, or just wander through kitchen gardens and orchards that supply the Marle restaurant and its inspiring menu overseen by top chef Skye Gyngell.

The Victoria Inn, Norfolk

An imposing flint building close to the vast swathe of Holkham Beach, The Victoria you see today rose as a coaching inn opened in 1837 – though other inns had stood here before. The spectacular nearby coast is a wonderland of dunes, vast strands and tidal marshes full of wildlife, dotted with historic towns including chic Burnham Market and the medieval pilgrimage village of Walsingham.

The inn received a Green Tourism gold award in 2017. Heating comes from a biomass boiler using wood from the surrounding sustainably managed estate, all lighting is LED, while everything that can be recycled is – from bottles to batteries. Food waste is collected to produce green energy via anaerobic digestion. Talking of digestion, the vast majority of produce at the inn’s outstanding restaurant is local, including venison from the deer herd in Holkham Park.

Number One Bruton, Somerset

In recent years, the arrival of sophisticated gallery spaces like Hauser & Wirth and Moorwood Art have made the Somerset village of Bruton a chic bohemian bolthole at the heart of one of England’s loveliest counties.

Number One Bruton is a 12-bedroom hotel with a glorious melange of historic architecture carved from buildings including a Georgian townhouse and a medieval forge. The style is simple and elegant, as well as pleasingly sustainable – think eco-conscious paints from Edward Bulmer and gorgeous hand-turned English oak beds featuring biodegradable mattresses. Add Arts & Crafts textiles, plentiful vintage furniture, and interiors fashioned using natural materials like jute and wool.

The Traddock, Yorkshire

Tucked away in a secluded Yorkshire Dales National Park village setting, The Traddock provides a perfect blend of sustainability and local community engagement with upscale cosseting. Five-star nearby natural attractions include the lush Forest of Bowland, the dramatic limestone amphitheatre of Malham Cove, plus plenty of walking trails.

The characterful Georgian house retains a host of 19th-century features including gorgeous antiques, while the excellent restaurant works wonders with the local produce – some grown on site.

A dizzying raft of sustainability initiatives have a local focus: paper waste is crushed and baled, then sold to a local recycler to raise funds which have helped keep the local swimming pool open, while cooking oil is collected by a local cooperative group to be recycled into biodiesel. The hotel’s heating and hot-water systems are powered by a sustainably sourced wood-pellet boiler, and cleaning products are ecologically based. Outside lights and signage are all low-energy, while garden cuttings and kitchen waste go into compost for the vegetable plot.