Sustainable & Organic

Setting up and running Lower Coombe Royal on a sustainable basis is very important to us, which is why we are committed members of the Green Tourism Business Scheme. In 2006, within six months of opening, we gained our first Gold award and we retained our Gold accreditation in 2009.

We were also delighted to be finalists in the Sustainable Tourism Devon Environmental Business Initiative in November 2007, while the Coach House, which runs on green energy sources, was featured on Sky TV's travel channel programme 'How to holiday greener'.

We have used recycled, reclaimed and sustainable materials, products and items throughout Lower Coombe Royal, both inside and out. If we can restore something that is old and beautiful, that's what we do.

Organic and local

Devon has a wealth of local producers of fresh and often organic produce. In our welcome packs, we supply guests with organic welcome items including tea, coffee, milk, sugar, and porridge, as well as Susi's homemade organic muesli. You will also find a basket of organic vegetables and fruit from a local supplier, Greenjane's, when available and in season and a complimentary hamper of local produce, some of which is organic, if you stay for a week or more. We also supply our own organic fruits when in season, subject to availability. You are welcome to help yourselves to our strawberries, redcurrants and apples - always tastier when freshly picked from the garden!

In the bathroom, we hope you will enjoy the complimentary natural organic toiletries for adults by So Soapy of Cornwall and for children and babies, natural organic toiletries by Earth Friendly. Most of our bed linen, towels and throws are also organic, supplied by Green Fibres of Totnes. Our anti-allergy duvets and pillows are filled with hollowfibre polyester, made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.

Below are further details of sustainable and/or organic items in each of our cottages and apartments.

Garden Rooms

The Garden Rooms has a huge mattress made from organic latex and cotton, supported by a wooden Bilbao bed made from sustainable beech wood. The bed is covered in organic linen and a chenille organic throw. All these have been supplied by Green Fibres.

The floor is made from oak sourced from sustainable sources and is scattered with rugs sourced from local auctions.

Lawn Apartment

This has been furnished almost exclusively with recycled furniture - from auctions, our collection or the local newspaper! The master bedroom has a beautiful old English oak wooden bed, French fruit wood wardrobe and mahogany chest of drawers all from our private collection.

The carpets are woollen and have been predominantly recycled from our stock. All the curtains are made from Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics made in this country from pure cotton or linen.

Coach House

We have converted an old derelict garage into a three bedroom cottage. It has been insulated above building standards and is double glazed throughout. The extension was built out of reclaimed local stone. It is run on green energy with a bio-mass boiler for the heating and supplements the hot water produced by the solar panels.

The special piece is the reclaimed wooden staircase with 23 cm thick newel posts, originally installed in an Edwardian house in Salcombe. The wonderfully comfortable Wesley Barrell sofas were reclaimed through the local newspaper (for free!) and re-upholstered in a designer fabric.

Out on the terrace you will find a beautiful FSC wooden table and chairs, along with some potted camellias. In fact, the Coach House used to be the shop for the plant nursery which flourished here 20 years ago.

The Royal House

As part of our ongoing improvements, we have had some of the old sash windows restored to provide a draft-proof system which is considered to be more effective than double glazing. The kitchen diner has a double-sided Yotel wood-burning stove, found many years ago when we lived in Somerset.

The drawing room is home to various items found at local auctions as well as some beautiful Belgian chandeliers, recycled from a grand house in Hope Cove, which hang gracefully from the high ceiling. Antique Belgian wooden beds grace the twin bedroom. The children's playroom is full of high quality toys kindly donated by our children, purchased through the local newspaper or from Born Again, a fantastic baby and children's shop in Kingsbridge.

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