A holiday centre in Northumberland National Park has gained a prestigious silver grading from the Green Tourism Business Scheme. Whitelee Holiday Cottages is set in a remote part of the border between Northumberland and Scotland, and the owners have been rewarded for the work they have done to protect the fragile local environment. They have created an eco-friendly, nature-based holiday experience based around three stunning cottages in the Whitelee National Nature Reserve.
Amongst other things the owners have installed CCTV cameras in barn owl nest boxes and guests can watch all the action from the comfort of their room. There are also a network of well managed paths which provide great walks in the surrounding area.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the biggest environmental accreditation body, relating to tourism, in Europe. There are over 500 members in the UK and it's inspectors will only provide gradings once they have carried out a full environmental audit of the business, to ensure they have met strict criteria laid down by the organisation.
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