Sustainable Business:

Farming and Tourism

• Countryside Premium Scheme: beetle bank, river margins, bird cover, hedges and wildflower seeds planted

• Precision farming to minimise chemical inputs

• Eco-friendly cleaning products, energy efficient products

• Local/sustainable products and recycling facilities

The environment is an important issue in the countryside.  At Cliftonhill, we are doing many things in order to improve and maintain the high quality surroundings for future generations of people and wildlife.  The Countryside Premium Scheme has come in to offer farmers grants in order to improve the quality of the land for wildlife which may have suffered due to intensive methods which are common to industrialised agriculture.  There is a beetle bank running up the field between Plumbraes Barn and Edmonston House, offering a safe haven for colonies of beetles to become established.  Hedges, wildflower seed and bird cover have been planted on set aside to encourage the populations of partridge, pheasant and songbirds.  The river has been fenced off in order to allow regeneration of natural vegetation. The water has already improved - the fish are monitored by the Tweed Foundation and there has been a significant increase in Salmon parr, due to the protection offered by the leafy banks from marauding heron and kingfishers.  

Archie employs precision farming equipment, to map the chemical demands of the fields and therefore avoid over application of fertiliser.   This is done by taking soils samples and location measurements with GPS, then recording the results of the soils samples on the map constructed using GIS.  For further information, see the Landmaps Ltd website by clicking here.

The holiday cottages have been awarded a silver Green Tourism Business Scheme certification.  We are trying to use eco-friendly detergents and cleaning products where possible  to reduce the amount of abrasive chemicals released into the Eden watershed.  We use energy efficient products like steamers and light bulbs.  There are water saving devices in the bathrooms.  Tea and coffee are sourced from fair trade, premium locations, and other products are locally produced therefore have travelled few miles.  We have set up recycling facilities at Plum Braes Barn and Edmonston House, allowing guests to recycle glass, paper and tins.  More information on this is found in the folders in each cottage.