Quietly Greener in 2022

We have been offering holidays in one of the worlds most beautiful valleys for nearly sixty years.  But as the decades pass our world is showing clear signs of being unable to cope with the consequences of humanities continued desire for growth.

The climate crisis is like no other, in extent, urgency and impact.  Our government has, for many hundreds of years, taken two things for granted; a stable climate and plentiful fossil fuels. Neither of these can be taken for granted any more.  We have little faith in this government being able to deliver any meaningful reduction in the amount of carbon being used in the UK, and so, in the absence of meaningful national regulations, it’s up to all of us to do what we can, to influence, to lead and to try and make a difference.

We all have some choice in how to live our lives, the energy sources we use, if we accept single use plastic or not, what we buy, where we holiday etc..

The Quiet Site has spent the last two decades making both business and investment choices based on a desire to be fully sustainable. We consider both our place in the community as well as our our embedded and operational footprints .

Choosing a ‘Quiet’ holiday means you too want to make a difference in the world.   The Brundtland Commission of the United Nations in March 1987 said, “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.   We agree with this statement fully but sadly much of the Holiday Park industry does not share this view. The Static Caravan is a product designed 50 years ago.  They are poorly insulated, reliant on LPG and the manufacturers show no desire to innovate or improve the product to make it fit for purpose in the 21st Century.   We no longer purchase static caravans and have been building our own units since 2015.  We build well insulated and shaded units that are sustainably heated via a district heat main.  These units are energy positive as they generate more energy than they use.

These units have been designed to operate in the hotter climate that we all sadly have to become increasingly used to. High levels of insulation will become vital for keeping the heat out of accommodations. Our self-built units are triple insulated and shaded (either by soil, hedges, or solar panels).  During the recent heat waves over the 2022 summer the temperature inside our units was nearly half the outside temperature. (We all need to start preparing for the worst even if we still hope for the best).  The humble static caravan that dominates our industry are both impossible to heat sustainably in the winter and also will become uninhabitable heat traps in the summer as the climate heats up.   The phrase “Not fit for purpose” hardly does them justice.

We also have exciting plans for some new units in 2023, but more about that later..!

After 20 years of re-investment we now operate as a ‘nearly’ carbon neutral company.

You can view our Environmental Policy here.

The Quiet Team are absolutely delighted to have received the following awards:

  • Hero of Net Zero at COP21 Glasgow 2021
  • Queens Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2020.
  • Visit England awarded us with a National Award for Sustainability in 2020.
  • FSB Award for Sustainability 2020.
  • Green Tourism Gold Award 2022.
  • Cumbria Tourism’s Gold award for Sustainability 2019.

The Circular economy is the way the world will need to move to survive. As a business we ask all our customers to buy into the green ethos.  Reduce, Reuse, Refill and Recycle.

Designing out waste and pollution, keeping materials in use and using renewable energy sources doesn’t sound too hard – does it?  We believe that there needs to be a balance between how we operate our Business, our Customers behaviour towards the environment and the Community we operate in.  Operating as a Carbon Neutral business is just the start of our journey to become truly sustainable.

We hope you can join us on this journey.

Sustainable Projects To Date Include

2022

  • 1000+ Beech trees planted
  • Second Ground Source Heat Pump installed
  • Branded reusable coffee cups sold
  • Food Composter installed
  • Planning granted for a Open Road day in 2023

2021

  • 15 Energy Positive Camping Accommodations built.
  • Carbon Neutral Food Outlet
  • Ground Source Heat pumps installed
  • 60KW of solar PV panels
  • 650 Beech trees planted

2020

  • 3 new eco-cabins added, 2 more ordered for September
  • Planning started for a sustainable district heat main for 2021.
  • Zero Waste Shop stock extended.
  • Accessible Glamping Cabin, Camping Pods and Glamping Burrow added. #accessforall
  • Accelerate joining the ‘Circular Economy’.
  • 10% more of our grass area left as meadow rather than cut.  The introduction of nature corridors between pitches.
  • The importance of sustainability discussed at public meetings.
  • Bar snacks served in reusable ramekin dishes.
  • 500+ trees planted.
  • Bee friendly plants added
  • New deal signed with AW Jenkinson Biomass to supply our woodchip from local sources in 2019.  (All heat and hot water at The Quiet Site is derived from our state of the art Biomass boiler and our solar thermal panels that make up the south facing half of the service block roof)
  • Our reed bed water treatment plant is entering its 14th Year of perfect operation, costs nothing to run, cleans the water brilliantly and provides a great habitat for bugs, insects and birds.
  • Local Charity ‘Fix the Fells’ supported with online donations when booking.
  • People arriving by foot or public transport get a generous discount when staying.
  • Bee Hotel in our wild flower meadow
  • All cleaning products used onsite are deemed eco friendly.
  • Toilet paper in all self catering units derived from recycled products (Who Gives A Crap)
  • All Crisps sold in compostable wrappings (Two Farmers Crisps)

2019

  • Zero Waste Shop built – no single use plastic.
  • Bottle free soft drinks
  • New purpose built Recycling centre built
  • Local Suppliers where possible.  Food and Drink.
  • Milk and orange juice sold in returnable glass bottles
  • Investing in the visitor economy to bring social and economic benefit to people, place and planet which leads ultimately to a fully sustainable experience for all.

2018

  • Zero emissions electric site utility van bought.
  • New super insulated cellar added
  • 100 Renewable Electricity tariff signed for 5 years
  • LED lighting added.

2017

  • A highly insulated family shower room built
  • 500-1000 native trees planted
  • 5 new underground eco Glamping Burrow added making a total of 15 Glamping Burrows.
  • Energy saving second doors added to bar entrance

2016

  • 10 underground eco Glamping Burrows introduced.
  • Fix the Fells project supported by voluntary online booking scheme.
  • Green cleaning products used.

2015

  • Developed Underground eco Glamping Burrow.
  • Local musicians and magicians.
  • Host for Cumbrian Green build festival in September.
  • Bike hire from site
  • Electric Twizy available for hire on site
  • Electric car charge points

2014

  • Biomass heated drying room introduced.
  • Sustainable cycle holidays introduced in conjunction with two other local parks.
  • 4th reed bed added.
  • Hosted holiday park sustainable business visit.
  • Host for school geography visits for sustainable business.
  • Secure cycle storage introduced.
  • 7th year as a Bellemy Gold Park.
  • Metering introduced to all electric hook ups.

2013

  • New Biomass Boiler replaced 6 oil and gas boilers.
  • Third reed bed and larger wetland area added.
  • Water and electric metering introduced to static caravans.

2012

  • Public transport to site introduced.
  • Joined the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
  • Secondary Reed bed and wetland area created.

2011

  • Tree planting x500.
  • LED lighting phased in.
  • PhotoVoltic solar panels.
  • Local Brewery now used for all beer.

2010

  • Under floor heating introduced into ladies.
  • 1000 mixed trees planted ensuring wood fuel self-sufficiency in the future.
  • Local charity supported “Fix the Fells” (customer opt in whenbooking).

2009

  • Service building reroofed with high thermal insulation.
  • Under floor heating introduced into gents.
  • 35 sqr meters of thermal solar panels incorporated in new roof to help heat water.
  • All showers and taps have aerators fitted reducing water usage up to 50%.

2008

  • Locally made camping Pods introduced.

2007

  • Treated water used for WC flushing.
  • Movement detectors fitted to all lights.

2006

  • Recycling centre created (glass, plastic, paper, cans, BBQs).
  • Biodegradable products used for cleaning.
  • Bar reroofed using extra high levels of thermal insulation.

2005

  • Reed bed introduced for grey water treatment.

2004

  • Wild flower meadow created.
  • Local business supported wherever possible (jam, beer, meats, fudge).
  • Caravan storage offered to reduce the need for carbon expensive towing.
  • The Quiet Site Brochure is printed on recycled paper.

Ready to Book?

Click the link to check our availability and make your booking.

Menu