The only
surprises we want you to have on holiday are pleasant ones, so in a refreshing
break from many holiday property websites, we're keen to tell you the
not-so-good bits as well as all the good bits.
We love animals, but sadly pets are not permitted.
Dunescapeis a strictly non-smoking property.
Owing to the amount of stairs in the property, Dunescape
is not suitable for people with limited mobility.
Opposite bedroom
2 only is an empty plot of land. As yet no planning application has
been made to build on this plot, but we'll keep you informed.
While Dunescape is right next to the
beach and you can hear the sea, you cannot see the sea due to the height of the
adjacent sand dunes.
There is parking for one
average-sized family car in the garage and one further space on the drive. There
are visitor spaces, but we recommend you bring no more than two cars.
There is a minor road between the
development of which Dunescape forms part and the sand dunes. This road accesses
the smaller of Camber's beach car parks and a few houses. It is a
no-through-road and normally very quiet, but gets busier at peak times on
Saturdays/Sundays/Bank Holidays in high season when the weather is good.
Organic cotton towels are provided for use
within the house only, please do not take them to the beach or use them to lie
on outside. We don't provide beach towels but they are for sale locally.
Likewise, in season you can hire deckchairs and windbreaks for the beach.
An Eco-Holiday Home: The Pros and
Cons of Going Green
Feedback we have received tells us
that our guests enjoy the experience of staying in a brand
new eco-home and using our organic and 'free-of-nasties' cleaning and bathing
products. However, it's best to warn you that
certain small sacrifices may have to be made in order to keep the carbon count
down.
GEOTHERMAL HEATING
PROS: Taking heat from the ground by
means of 100m deep rods, this method of heating requires only one unit of energy
(electricity) input for every four units of energy output. For maximum
efficiency, the water in the pipes is heated to a temperature inversely
proportional to the outside temperature. Underfloor heating pipes do away with
the need for ugly radiators.
CONS: It can take 24 hours to
achieve target temperature, and on days that hover around the 16 degree mark it
is uneconomical for the heating to kick in. With this in mind, electric heaters
are supplied to take the chill off should you wish to use them.
GRASS ROOF
PROS: Soaks up rainwater, helps
prevent excessive run-off and pressure on the drainage system, insulates the
property, and minimises the visual impact of the development from the sand
dunes.
CONS: Being right next to the sea,
we're still experimenting with grasses and sedums that are suitable for the roof
and are both wind and salt resistant.
SOLAR WATER HEATING
PROS: Supplies up to 60% of the hot
water we need, saving a huge amount of electricity and carbon emissions. The
tank capacity is a whopping 260 litres.
CONS: During days of 'low solar
yield', which is technical speak for cloudy weather, the system depends on an
electric immersion heater which heats only the top 76 litres of water in the
tank. There's a good reason for this. This way, the water in the lower part of
the tank is at least heated up to a lukewarm temperature by even the slightest
hint of solar yield, and as this rises up to the top of the tank as hot water is
drawn off, the immersion heater has to work a lot less hard to heat this up to a
hot temperature. On cloudy days, or mornings following cloudy days, it might be
best to stagger showers and baths. The immersion heater takes about an hour to
heat its 76 litres. Naturally, we would encourage a shower as opposed
to a bath, but sometimes there is nothing like a good long soak, is there?
ORGANIC TOWELS AND BEDDING
PROS: A disproportionately huge
amount of chemicals and pesticides are involved in the production of regular
cotton. Using organic linen helps us to reduce the amount of poisons pumped into
the earth and the atmosphere, and helps prevent some of the terrible mutilations
that some cotton workers suffer. Our bedding (except kid's duvet covers and
pillowcases) is made of high quality, soft organic cotton.
CONS: It's much more expensive to
buy, but that's our problem, not yours! Sadly we are as yet unable to source six
sets of organic cotton bedding suitable for kids at a price that does not
involve us extending the mortgage.
ORGANIC AND VEGAN TOILETRIES AND
CLEANING PRODUCTS
PROS: Brands we use include Bio-D,
Faith in Nature, JASON, and Ecover. Avoiding all products tested on animals is
what some folks may refer to as a 'no-brainer'. What we use seems to work well
enough for us. Our
toiletries and cleaning products are all made with phosphate-free non-polluting
natural ingredients. When you visit Dunescape you will no doubt fall in love
with the sea as much as we have, and it becomes clear why we feel so passionate
about protecting it. Supplying shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner in large
bottles leads to less packaging and wastage.
CONS: A new, wrapped bar of gentle
soap is left for every set of guests, but the liquids are supplied in large
bottles that we ask you not to remove from the house. Therefore you may have to
use up the last few squirts of one bottle before throwing it in the recycling
bin and opening the next bottle, which will be supplied for you. It's not as
'nice' as having small, new bottles of product for every set of guests, but the
environment suffers just that little bit less as a result. One set of unperfumed
toiletries is always provided in case of any allergic reactions to the natural
oils in the smellier products. Although we have our laundry washed in Bio-D
washing liquid, we do have it washed at an un-eco friendly 60 degrees for
reasons of good hygiene.
LOW ENERGY LIGHTING
PROS: Reduces energy consumption and
carbon emissions. It works very well with Dunescape's fresh, white decor.
CONS: You cannot dim the lights so
we provide a variety of uplighters and table lights to suit your mood.
Spotlights in the kitchen are halogen.
FAIRTRADE AND LOCALLY-PRODUCED
WELCOME PACK
PROS: We'll leave you with a few
goodies when you arrive which are mainly either Fairtrade, organic, or locally
produced. Fairtrade tea and coffee help give the growers a better standard of
living, organic milk is better for the cow, and local products reduce the amount
of 'food miles' travelled, supporting local businesses too.
CONS: Don't expect a bunch of
air-freighted flowers to be waiting for you in a vase!
'DUNESCAPE'-TYPE PLANTING IN THE
GARDEN
PROS: In order for this new
development to blend in with the adjacent sand dunes, the garden is planted with
native, naturally-occurring plants suitable for sand dunes. Paths are made from
shingle designed to allow the grass to grow through to give a flowing, natural
effect.
CONS: Recently planted, the new
marram grass plants and the shrubs and trees are obviously very young and need a
season or two to mature and spread, so it may take a while for us to achieve the
desired effect. As a result the garden still looks very 'new', so in the
meantime we've invested in some mature plants on the deck to provide greenery
and some privacy.
Information for vegans
We have made Dunescape
as
vegan-friendly as possible, and will naturally make sure your 'Welcome Pack' is
vegan if requested.
However, please be advised of the following:
Carpets in the bedrooms are wool. We decided
on wool as this is the only carpeting we could find that is not treated with
harsh chemicals.
Cleaning products: Only where Bio-D products
are not yet available do we then use Ecover. There is
some discussion about Ecover's rolling five-year animal testing policy as
opposed to a company such as Bio-D who have a fixed cut-off date. We feel for
ecological reasons that Ecover is a better option than big polluting (and
animal-testing) brands, but as we find 'proper' vegan alternatives to Ecover, we
will switch over.
We do not insist on a vegan or vegetarian
client-base. We can however, upon request, provide you with a grill/oven pan
reserved for non-meat and non-fish cooking.
