News from The Forest of Bowland
4 Star Accreditation for Bleasdale
Cottages
 Robert
and Anne Gardner of Bleasdale Cottages have announced that the cottages
have recently achieved 4 star accreditation as self catering and
guest accommodation (B&B).
Newly converted from traditional Lancashire stone
farm buildings, the holiday cottages include both M1 and M2 disabled
access, while the owners have recently won awards for wildlife conservation.
The cottages are situated on a farm managed for
wildlife, and in accommodation designed for sustainable tourism,
featuring green energy wood pellet central heating.
Bleasdale Cottages are now supported by their own
website - www.bleasdalecottages.co.uk,
which provides booking information, a photo gallery and details
of forthcoming events in the Bowland area.
Back to the top.
Environmental Award for Cobble
Hey Farm & Gardens
 Cobble
Hey Farm and Gardens has received a Green Tourism Award for outstanding
achievement in environmental sustainability. The owner of the cottage,
Edwina Miller, received the award from Alex Southall, an environmental
consultant from Lancaster University's Environment Centre. The university
is a partner on the Chamber of Commerce’s EU-funded Sustourex
programme, which oversees the awards.
Cobble Hey features a large dining area, built
in a converted barn, and ornamental gardens that attract many bird
watchers, coach parties and smaller groups every year between April
and the end of September. In addition to making the visitor facilities
as energy efficient as possible through the use of low energy lighting,
effective insulation and modern glazing, the owners also manage
the site very actively to enhance its value to wildlife.
“We have a very strong policy on conservation,” said
Edwina. “For many years, our land has provided a home for
an abundance of wildlife, and by forging links with the RSPB, we
have been able to improve its value as a habitat for many species
of bird including lapwings, curlews, oyster catchers and red shanks.
The land is protected and monitored, and to help visitors to appreciate
what is going on, we have recently created a lapwing walk in partnership
with the Countryside Rangers.”
“The work at Cobble Hey has been very impressive,” said
Alex Southall. “Clearly, environmental concerns are very close
to the owners’ hearts and they have done a creditable job
in establishing a site that is simultaneously attractive to tourists
and local wildlife. That can often be a very difficult balancing
act, but Edwina and her team have carried it off very successfully
indeed.
“There are similar examples of sustainability in action throughout
the site. The wooden way-markers for the lapwing walk are made from
oak that has been felled within the garden itself, and every summer,
the farm hosts a wood carving course that enables traditional skills
to be passed down for future generations. Locally sourced timber
is also used as a renewable fuel source in the dining area, while
there is also a re-use and recycling policy in place to ensure that
all resources are used responsibly.”
In recognition of the work carried out at the farm, Alex presented
Edwina with an attractive award plaque, made from recycled aluminium,
and an award certificate designed to inform visitors of the team’s
environmental achievements.
ENDS
Back to the top.
New Guided Walks
On Friday 12th May, there will be a walk along
the paths around Scorton Village into the beautiful Bowland countryside.
It will begin at 1.30pm and will last approximately 2 hours. the
meeting point is The Priory Hotel, Scorton and entrance is free.
 Experienced
outdoor education specialist and Mountain Leader, Tim Deighton,
will be leading a guided walk on Sunday 14th May in conjunction
with The Garstang Walking Festival. Starting from Calderbank Country
Lodge at 9.30am, it will take approximately four hours and will
be across open access land on Bleasdale & Oakenclough Fells.
The charge of £10.00 includes refreshments before and after
the walk. The Lune Valley Vintage Jazz Band will be playing on the
lawn at Calderbank on return. To reserve a place, please contact
the Garstang Discovery Centre between 11.00am - 3.00pm on 01995
602125.
Tim will also be running a one-day map reading
and navigation course, which can be booked for either the 7th or
the 21st May. The day will start with tea/coffee at Calderbank at
8.30am and the course itself will start at 9.00am, finishing around
5pm with an afternoon tea. The cost is only £30.00 per person
including the refreshments. To book for either day, please call
Calderbank Country Lodge on 01995 604384. More details of the course
content can be found here
on the Calderbank Country Lodge website.
ENDS
Back to the top.
Tourism Award Nominations for
Bowland Experience Members
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board recently
commended three members of the Bowland Experience during its 2006
"Lancashire Excellence In Tourism Skills Awards."
The LETS awards take the form of a gala dinner
and presentation evening, which was held this year at Ribby Hall
in Wrea Green. Award categories included, amongst others, Excellence
in Customer Service; Most Up and Coming Lancashire Chef; Most Promising
Student; Most Impressive Tourism Trainee; and Tourism Team of the
Year.
 Rachel
Haslam from the Priory Hotel in Scorton
won the award for 'Most Impressive Tourism Trainee', and Rowland
Hayward of Calderbank Country Lodge
in Oakenclough won the 'Commitment to Industry Award'. Cobble
Hey Farm and Gardens, which was short listed as one of the 'Best
New Entrants to the Industry', was also highly commended in the
"Best Tourism Experience of the Year" category of the
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards 2005/6, which were held
recently at the Stanley House Hotel in Mellor.
Under a separate awards scheme - the North &
West Lancashire Chamber of Commerce's 'Sustourex' programme, Calderbank
Country Lodge also recently won a Green Tourism Award for environmental
sustainability.
The 2006 LETS Awards were organised by Lancashire
and Blackpool Tourist Board in conjunction with Welcome to Excellence.
More information about the Awards is available from Diane Blakemore
at Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board - tel. 01257 226611.
ENDS
Back to the top.
Bowland Experience Expands
Its Membership
In January 2006, three new members joined the Bowland
Experience. These include The Priory Hotel in Scorton, Penny Productions
and the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team.
The Priory is a popular haunt for cyclists, walkers
and other visitors to the Forest of Bowland, and occupies an historic
building that has been an important part of the local community
since the 1600s. It offers accommodation, a restaurant and bar.
More details can be found here.
 Penny
Productions is run by Sally Hull, who produces hand made wooden
gifts such as jewellery boxes, oak chests and furniture using traditional
craft skills. She is happy to welcome visitors to her workshop,
where unusual items such as motorcycle-rocking horses and gravity-defying
wine bottle holders can be seen and purchased. More details can
be found here.
Finally, the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team
is a welcome addition to the group. A registered charity, it provides
365-day Mountain Search and Rescue services in both the rural and
urban districts of Lancashire. Its volunteers will be working with
other Bowland Experience members to explain their work to visitors
and to promote mountain safety. More details can be found here.
ENDS
Back to the top.
Now Booking for Outdoor Survival
and Navigation Courses
 Wilderness
survival specialists Tamarack Bushcraft are now taking bookings
for their various courses, many of which will be run in the Bowland
area. Courses start with basic introductions to issues such as shelter
building and gathering wild foods. However, for the more avid enthusiast,
the courses build up to help trainees develop a comprehensive range
of survival skills, culminating in the Quest course, in which small
groups of students fend for themselves for 4 days and nights without
any modern tools or equipment.
Further details are available from Mike Rushton
or Tony Cameron. See the Tamarack page
for details.
Another member of the Bowland Experience group,
Mountain Leader Award holder Tim Deighton is now organising a series
of navigation courses and guided walks. Full details of the course
can be found here
on the Calderbank Country Lodge website. The restaurant provides
a start- and end-point for the courses and for many of the guided
walks. The website also shows photographs taken on the various featured
walks.
ENDS
Back to the top. |
