Caring for the Environment

• "Beautiful cottage, village and views. Incredible countryside. The road from Skipton to Hawes must be the best scenery in England."
• "Great walks, meeting some friendly interesting people along the way, especially in pubs en route. A thoroughly intoxicating atmosphere!"
• "Truly God's own country. Not enough time to see it all."
• "Lovely scenery and really friendly people."
• "It is so nice not to hear traffic - just birdsong."
• "Great cottage, lovely village, beautiful area, great weather, great walking. The Dales are magnificent."
• "So much to do and see. The birds of prey at Sion Hill was the 'icing on the cake'."
• "Wish we could stay forever."

These are some of the comments from guests of Cottage in the Dales discovering the breath-taking beauty and serenity of the Yorkshire Dales.

At Cottage in the Dales we are committed to providing an excellent quality of accommodation and service that our guests expect from our 5 star cottages, whilst also minimising the environmental impact of our business activities. We are conscious that the actions of each and every one of us have an impact on the environment. By doing so we hope in our own small way to help preserve our natural heritage and landscape for the enjoyment of visitors and local people alike.

Green Tourism Business Scheme

A symbol of our commitment is through our membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). The GTBS is the leading sustainable tourism certification scheme in the UK. Businesses opting to join are assessed by a qualified advisor against over 150 sets of criteria across 10 different areas on their efforts to reduce their environmental impact. Each business is assessed every two years against rigorous criteria, covering areas like energy efficiency, waste minimisation and recycling, support of public transport, use and promotion of local food, crafts and businesses.

All 3 cottage have been individually assessed and we are delighted and proud that Cottage in the Dales have consistently achieved the top level Gold award since 2009. This award indicates that we have shown good sustainable practices across our business.

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust - Donate & Dedicate a Tree

Actions by Cottage in the Dales to support this policy includes recycling, reducing energy usage, promoting local crafts and business, highlighting the local nature and supporting community work on the local environment via the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

The majority of our recent guests are very supportive of the initiatives and we are very grateful to them. We would like to invite our future guests to participate in looking after the countryside and making a contribution through our scheme. It is easy to make a difference, even whilst on holiday. Full details are available to our guests on arrival in the 'green file'.

If you have any questions or comments on this subject in relation to your enquiry or reservation, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can all contribute in some small way to ensure the continued enjoyment of the Yorkshire Dales for future generations.

Top 5 UK 'Green' Self-Catering Holiday Cottages 2013

Cottage in the Dales was named as one of the top 5 'green' self-catering holiday cottages in the UK at the prestigious Green Tourism Business Scheme Goldstar Awards 2013 held on Friday 8 November in Bristol. The awards honour the highest GTBS achievers of the last 12 months in terms of innovation, ambassadorship & cost savings.

Andrea Nicholas of GTBS said "Cottage in the Dales are true ambassadors for Green Tourism & a great example for others to follow". This is a real testament to show that as a business we can deliver a high quality product and customer service, whilst still minimising the environmental impact of our business activities.