We’re working hard to safeguard our local environment and be the “green” choice for our Isle of Wight holiday cottage guests. 

We:

• Encourage our guests to recycle waste: we have containers for recyclable waste (plastics, metals, glass, paper & cardboard) and we collect vegetable & fruit waste for composting
• Offer incentives for guests travelling without cars – from free maps, walking and cycling guides, to free foot passenger ferry tickets or 5% off cottage rental. Even if you bring your car we can still provide you with ideas for car-free days out and the offer of a 24-hour Group Rover Ticket for up to 5 people at a discounted price of £1.
• Provide an Electric Vehicle charging point (ECVP)
• Promote and support our local wildlife and landscapes, including guiding our guests on the best sites to visit during their stay
• Achieved Visit Isle of Wight Green Tourism Gold Award
• Don’t do printed marketing material as most of our communication is via the internet
• Use recycled and locally sourced products. Guests are provided with a welcome pack of local Island produce.
• Live locally so we minimise car miles with housekeeping and on hand to help our guests
• Line dry our laundry whenever possible. Laundry is washed and pressed using energy from our own solar powered array.
• Phase out single use plastics, e.g. we use refillable soap and dish wash dispensers
• Use the services of a local digital marketing company (Nosy Marketing) that share our values on sustainability.

Travelling to your Isle of Wight holiday cottage and around the Island without a car

If you would like to reduce your impact on the environment why not use public transport to get to your Isle of Wight holiday cottage and during your stay – see Visit Isle of Wight for more information. As an IOW Green Tourism Gold Award winner we can offer our guests a 24-hour Group Rover Ticket for up to 5 people at a discounted price of £1. Note the Group Rover ticket excludes travel on the Breezer services.

You can travel by train to the ferry ports of Southampton (to Cowes or East Cowes), Portsmouth (to Fishbourne or Ryde) and Lymington (to Yarmouth). Our Brighstone holiday cottage 2 The Granary, can be accessed via bus from Yarmouth, changing at Freshwater or from Cowes, East Cowes, Fishbourne and Ryde, changing at Newport. See Southern Vectis website for routes and timetables. Fares remain capped at £2 per leg of each single journey throughout 2024.

The Isle of Wight is popular with cyclists and has dedicated cycleways – many following the course of disused railway lines, signed routes, miles of bridleways and quiet country lanes – see Cyclewight for more information. Maps and walking guides are available in the cottages. Electric bike users are welcome to charge bikes at the cottage.

We recommend Wight Cycle Hire based locally in Yarmouth (advance booking essential). They will deliver cycles free to our Isle of Wight holiday cottages.

West Wight Cottages – supporting our local community

We support the organisations below through paid membership, donations or volunteering. We also feature their activities, latest news etc on our social media pages.

The Isle of Wight Natural History & Archaeological Society – promotes the study of natural history & archaeology, conservation of the flora & fauna of the Isle of Wight and preservation of all objects of special archaeological and geological interest. We pay an annual membership subscription which allows us to participate in the Annual Recorders Conference and field meetings. Teresa leads some of the Ornithology walks.

Freshwater Independent Lifeboat – operates 2 lifeboats in an area up to 30 miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight from Hurst Point to St Catherine’s Point. We are a lifetime member and make regular donations.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust – protects the wildlife and wild places of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and our local seas. We make monthly donations and also make contributions to appeal funds locally. We support the exciting introduction of beavers to the Eastern Yar pending a successful licence application.

Roy Dennis Foundation – together with Forestry England the team released six juvenile White-tailed Eagles on the Isle of Wight in August 2019, seven eagles in August 2020, twelve eagles in 2021, four eagles in 2023 and eight eagles in 2024. We make monthly donations and to see these massive birds around the Island is an absolute thrill.

Isle of Wight Ornithological Group – bird surveys on the Isle of Wight and field trips. We take part in the bi-annual garden bird surveys and field meetings.

National Trust Isle of Wight – Teresa is a member of the National Trust and volunteers as part of the Newtown National Nature Reserve team (bird hide, breeding bird surveys & winter walks), Species Recovery project (surveying and monitoring some of the UK’s most threatened plant and invertebrate species) and Newsletter team (writing and reviewing articles).

British Trust for Ornithology – Teresa is a member of the Isle of Wight team, taking part in Wetland Bird Surveys and Breeding Bird Surveys. She is also the Isle of Wight Regional Organiser for the Breeding Bird Survey.

Isle of Wight National Landscape – promote events and dark skies project.

You can play your part too, why not shop locally? We have a well-stocked Brighstone Village Shop with a fantastic range of local produce and well priced everyday branded goods.