Wildlife

• Red Squirrel Habitat Support

Constantly competing with their opposing species, the Grey Squirrel, Red Squirrels are frequently under the threat of being out competed, with a rapid decline or even a complete loss of Reds within some locations.

With slight separate preferences of habitat, Langdale holds an ideal home for Red Squirrels, something we intend on maintaining. With stretches of plush, coniferous woodland, feeders and sources of fresh water on our Estate, habitat management is a focal element of our site maintenance scheme to ensure the upkeep of the environment.

Honoured to obtain an area populated by Red Squirrels, we are doing our utmost to cater for and keep the endangered species around for as long as possible. Plus, who doesn’t love spotting a cute red squirrel from time to time?

• Palm Oil Reduction

The continued use of palm oil is having drastic consequences on not only habitats and homes, but on our fragile ecosystem. A prominent driver of environmental destruction and unsustainably produced, palm oil features in many products which are consumed daily by individuals. But we want to help by encouraging those around us to reduce or eliminate the use of the oil.

Across the estate, palm oil consumption is kept to a minimum, with as many of our products as possible being palm oil free. For the few products which include palm oil, it is ensured the palm oil is sourced sustainably.

• Biodiversity Management Plan

Understood as the natural systems which support life on our planet, biodiversity includes everything from living organisms to the ecosystems they reside in.

With the aim of conserving and enhancing our wildlife and ecosystem, along with improving sustainability, our biodiversity management plan also allows us to embrace and restore the natural beauty of our rural, Lake District location.

• Policy to Plant

Each year, approximately 15 billion trees are cut down worldwide. However, each tree contributes in supporting life on earth, through producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. Yet when these trees are cut down, who’s doing their bit to replace them? That’s right, we are!

Dedicated to looking after our environment, we have pledged to replant as many trees as possible, planting around 1,000 trees in 2019. Although this is not replacing the estimated 15 billion that get cut down, we like to think that our contribution is helping, even if that’s just a little bit.

• Removal of Rhododendron

Bursting with colours of deep red, pastel pinks and even fresh white, Rhododendrons are a vibrant addition to any garden. Yet despite the eye-catching appeal of the plant, they usually pose a threat on other woodland greenery. Shrubs, bushes and trees have suffered as the non-native plant harbours a detrimental disease, particularly infecting Larch trees.  

So, we’ve decided it’s time to take a stand, and fight for our trees. Committed to protect our native woodland, we have taken the time to remove Rhododendrons from our Estate, along with any other threatening greenery. This way, our multitoned Estate can continue to grow and flourish.

• Member of Cumbria Wildlife Trust

“We need nature and it needs us” – The Wildlife Trust.

For more than a century, the Wildlife Trust have been dedicated to saving wildlife and the environment. As a business that has a continuous interest, and moral commitment to do their part, we have been a member of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust for around 25 years.

Supporting and contributing to their cause allows our us to improve life for wildlife who inhabit on our Estate, or in surrounding areas, along with bringing our community together.

Local Footpath Repair

• £275k raised for local environment & conservation projects

Have you ever been out and about enjoying the fresh air and breath-taking views of the Lake District and next thing, you’re climbing your way through rocks and all sorts of other debris? Or even, the footpath has just disappeared? Well, we’re working to help to avoid this.

Raising over £250,000 to go towards the restoration of local footpaths and other related environmental projects, our efforts have contributed to making the Lake District more accessible, safer and even more beautiful for those to explore.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Reducing our waste to landfill

Through a better use of resources, along with actively changing to recyclable and reusable materials, we pride ourselves on reducing waste to a minimum. Whether it’s diverting food waste, reducing paper use, or providing our guests with reusable water bottles, we’re all for it.

• Online marketing/collateral to eliminate paper from the marketing offering

As we try to reduce materials wherever possible, we have aimed to move as much as we can online. In our marketing department, we have managed to reduce our paper usage to a minimal, transferring all documents to an online storage facility.

• Reusable Water Bottles

Globally, it is estimated that one million plastic bottles are bought per minute, yet few of these get recycled or reused, resulting in single use plastic being one of the biggest contributors to landfills and ocean pollution.

A continuous challenge to mankind, it is becoming increasingly important to resolve and reduce the amount of plastic we use. So how do we avoid so many plastic bottles going to landfill? Cheaper, safer and more sustainable, reusable bottles are helping to reduce the amount of single use plastic worldwide, so we thought we’d do our bit to contribute.

Each of our Brimstone guests receive a bespoke reusable water bottle on arrival that they can use throughout their stay and take home with them. Not only are our reusable water bottles good for the environment, we think they also look pretty cool too.

• Reduce Plastic Usage

As plastic is one of the biggest contributors to landfills and ocean pollution, we have made it our mission to reduce, if not remove, all of our plastic consumption on the Estate. With a few small changes, we have seen a huge decrease in the amount of plastic waste that we are producing.

So, in order to save the turtles (and of course, other ocean wildlife), we have removed all plastic straws and stirrers across the estate, especially in our on-site restaurant, Stove.

Along with this, we no longer sell any plastic bottles, whether this be in our hotels, restaurant or leisure facilities. We have also replaced all plastic bags with recyclable material and changed all of our milk to be contained within glass bottles.

Although these are just small changes, every change (small or large) contributes to impacting and saving our environment. We hope to encourage not only our guests, staff and owners, but everyone that we can to join us in making these small, but effective changes.

• Biopolymer Plastic

Ever thought sugar would come in handy for anything other than as an ingredient for all sorts of delicious treats? Well would you believe there’s another use for it, and it’s environmentally friendly!

As part of reducing our plastic consumption, all of our guest toiletries are now contained within biopolymer plastic, which is manufactured from sugar cane, how sweet is that?

Partnered with Pure Lakes, the natural skincare professionals from the Lake District ensure that each product is produced and distributed in sustainable materials, so our guests are not only provided with premium toiletries, but can also relax knowing that the product is environmentally friendly.

Read more about our Partnership with Pure Lakes.

• Recycling Bins across the Estate

We aim to encourage all our staff, guests and lodge owners to recycle all that they can. Whether its paper from the offices, plastic from our hotels or glass from Stove restaurant, if it can be recycled, then that’s what we do!

Aiming to make recycling easy and accessible to everyone, there are a range of recycling points across the Estate, it helps us to ensure there is every opportunity to recycle at Langdale.

• Refillable water station at Wainwrights' Inn

To go in hand with our refillable water bottles, we have created the perfect spot to refill them! Down at our local pub, Wainwrights’ Inn, we have built a refillable water station available to anyone in the area to use. Whether you just want a quick sip to quench your thirst, or to fill your bottle for your upcoming hike, if we can save you a trip to the shop to buy a single use plastic water bottle, then we’re happy.

• Furniture Donation

Many of you who have visited will know that we like to upgrade our Estate, improving the experience for our visitors. But to do this, sometimes a Spring clean is necessary. But, what do we do with all of our old things?

Due to reusing or recycling as much as possible on the Estate, we donate all of our old furniture, ornaments and crockery to charity shops, other departments of the business, or other good causes, making sure we find a new home for every piece we can.

Electric Vehicles

• Switching to Electric Vehicles

Emitting fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol or diesel cars, it is said that electric powered vehicles are the way to go to decrease your carbon footprint. And since we’re all for helping the environment, we have a range of electric powered vehicles on site.

Due to the reduction of air pollution, it allows us to keep our estate and the Langdale Valley cleaner, meaning our lovely guests, staff, and of course, our locals, can enjoy our magnificent location at its best.

• Electric Car Charging Points

Powered by electric? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered, or should we say charged? With 17 electric charging points across site, you’ll never be running low on battery.

Energy Conservation

• LED Bulbs

With over 35 acres of land to light, that’s a lot of bulbs.

Up to 80% more efficient, LED bulbs convert around 95% of their energy into light, only wasting a small percentage of 5% through heat, what a bright idea! By making this switch, we are able to reduce the amount of energy lost through our lighting across the Estate.

• Low Carbon energy production on site through 2 biomass boilers

Using wood instead of fossil fuels, biomass boilers provide an alternative to conventional gas boilers. Working as a carbon neutral alternative, the boilers still provide heating and hot water, but instead of burning gas or oil to produce this heat, they use sustainable woodchip.

With two biomass boilers on site, it has allowed us to reduce our impact on the environment. Using locally sourced woodchip, we are able to power our biomass boilers sustainably, whilst also reducing our carbon footprint.

• Waterwheel for Energy

If you have ever visited our Estate, you will have noticed our two waterwheels located by Stove, our onsite restaurant. However, as lovely as they are, these are not just for visual effect.

Historically, the Estate was home to 14 waterwheels, which powered much of the energy for the site. By 2014, only one was left. With an empty waterwheel pit available, when we were approached by the University of Cumbria and Smiths Engineering about building a new innovative waterwheel, we were thrilled to accept the opportunity.

Studying the effects of the waterwheel, our location was the ideal place to inhabit the prototype. Once the research was completed, our Estate became a permanent home to the test waterwheel, with all of the energy generated from it being pumped back into the national grid.

Read more about our waterwheel here.

• Carbon Management Plan

With a thoughtfully created Carbon Management Plan in place for the Estate, it allows us to structurally plan and meet our carbon reduction objectives across our organisation. With the long-term aim of reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible, our Carbon Management Plan allows us to stay on track and monitor our progress.

To read our full Carbon Management Plan, click here.

• Aerated water supply to each bathroom to reduce water use

A way to save on water, yet keep the quality of water pressure, installing an aerated water supply across the Estate has had many environmental or economic benefits.

Acting as a sieve, water aerators control the amount of water that flows through a tap, without affecting the pressure, whilst they mix the water with air. With less space for the water to flow, the amount of water is reduced, resulting in higher efficiency of water supply.

Less water means less energy to produce it, which means an increased saving on our water supply. Environmental and economical, a win win really. 

• Key cards required to activate electricity/lighting in Langdale Hotel rooms

Although some may see it as a technicality, using your key card to activate the lighting in your room is actually a lot more beneficial than you think. Along with being safer by ensuring all lights are turned off when no one is present in the room, it also allows us to be more environmentally friendly by saving energy. 

• Size of Kettles Reduced

Ever misjudge the amount of water needed for your brew? Well you’re not alone. We’ve noticed that the bigger the kettle, the more water we use, resulting in a waste of not only water but the energy that it takes to heat it.

To avoid this from happening so frequently, we had the hot idea to reduce the size of our kettles across our Estate, encouraging people to only boil the amount of water that they need.

• Installation of Energy Efficient Boilers

Along with our two biomass boilers, we have made the swap of other boilers on site, to more efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives. While providing the same amount and quality of energy, but reducing the amount of emissions and fuel burned, eco-boilers are proving to be a smarter energy source. Innovative and technologically designed, the boilers are engineered to not only be more efficient, but to minimise effect upon our delicate ecosystems.

• Insulation Upgrades

In our aim to reduce energy waste through a range of approaches, it all burns down to the insulation of our buildings. With a lack of insulation, our efforts would be sacrificed through a loss of energy. To avoid this from happening, extra insulation has been added to a range of building across the Estate, allowing us to reduce wasted energy on site.