How to Holiday Greener
Presenter(s): Miranda Krestovnikoff, Richard Hammond
Approximately eight hundred million people take an overseas holiday every year and it's estimated that figure will hit 1.6 billion by the year 2020. The result is a huge impact on the world that we enjoy - in terms of increased carbon emissions, global warming and the erosion of the natural resources we take for granted. As travellers, we can make a difference. How To Holiday Greener shows you how.
For additional details on destinations featured in the series visit the links below.
EPISODE 1: DEVON & CORNWALL
Miranda opens the series in Devon, one of the UK's greenest counties and finds out how holidaying greener is all about making informed choices. During her trip to the South West coast, Miranda samples the services of two Gold Awardee Winners of the Green Tourism Business Scheme and finds out how you can really tell if something is as green as it claims to be. In the second half of the programme, Miranda crosses the border to Cornwall and discovers how man is threatening the county's most precious asset - its beaches, and explores the fragile landscape of Bodmin Moor. She rounds off her trip with a visit to one of the world's greenest attractions, The Eden Project, and enjoys some traditional fish and chips with a twist!
For further information on holidays to Devon & Cornwall visit…..
Discover Devon
Cornwall Tourist Board
If you’d like to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
The Venus Beach Café, Blackpool Sands
Top quality beach café and beach shop. Gold Green Tourism Business Scheme award winner. www.venuscompany.co.uk
Lower Combe Royal, Kingsbridge
Five star luxury self catering accommodation in the heart of the South Hams near Kingsbridge, South Devon. Gold Green Tourism Business Scheme award winner. www.lowercoomberoyal.co.uk
The Local Food Company
Award winning local and organic produce from the West Country. Ordered online and delivered to your door. www.thelocalfoodcompany.co.uk
Surfers Against Sewage
Campaigners for clean and safe recreational waters. www.sas.org.uk
Explore South West
Provide a ‘green transport link’ for people visiting the South West of England with a fleet of carbon neutral biodiesel taxi’s. Their carbon footprint is reduced even further by sourcing all their biodiesel from local producers www.exploresouthwest.com
The Adventure Centre
The Adventure Centre operates an exciting range of extreme sports and activities in the Cornish outdoors including Eco Steering which allows you to get up close and personal to all kinds of marine life. www.adventure-centre.org
South Penquite Farm
An 80 hectare working organic hill farm located on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. As well as lots of farm animals they offer camping with solar powered showers and fully equipped Mongolian Yurts for that ‘back to nature’ experience. www.southpenquite.co.uk
Harbour Lights Restaurant
Award winning fish and chip shop that’s committed to reducing their impact on the environment. As well as recycling and using bio-degradable packaging, ALL their fish is sourced from sustainable stocks. www.hlfish.co.uk
The Eden Project
More than just a green theme park, The Eden Project is a living demonstration of regeneration and connects plants, people and places. A great day out for all the family.www.edenproject.com
EPISODE 2: LONDON
Can city breaks really be green? Miranda heads to London, the world's most popular city break destination to find out. During the programme Miranda explores the greenest ways to travel around a bustling city centre and investigates the green credentials of one of London's finest hotels. She samples the organic delights at Acorn House, London's first truly environmental sustainable restaurant and takes a stroll through one of London's most magnificent green urban spaces. At the London Wetland Centre Miranda explores the city's wildlife and spends an afternoon shopping with one of London's chicest eco-shoppers.
If you’re like to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
One Aldwych
Award-winning, contemporary, luxury hotel located in the heart of London. www.onealdwych.com
Acorn House
London’s first truly eco-friendly restaurant which offers fresh, seasonal menus in an environmentally conscious restaurant. www.acronhouserestaurant.com
The London Wetland Centre
An international, award-winning visitor attraction known for being the best urban site in Europe to watch wildlife. www.wwt.org.uk
Green Tomato Cars
An environmentally friendly car hire service which uses a fleet of hybrid cars that emit less than half as much CO2 as traditional black cabs. www.greentomatocars.com
Living Space
Community learning centre and internet café that incorporates a number of creative environmentally friendly concepts including solar power and rain harvesting. www.living-space.org.uk
Walkit.com
Ditch the car and use your feet instead! Walkit.com finds you’re the quickest walking route to any attraction in London. www.walkit.com
YHA Holland Park
Bike hire in central London from just €1.50 an hour. www.yha.org.uk
Style Will Save Us - Virginia Rowe
A digital style magazine that loves all things super-stylish, ethical, organic, fairtrade, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable. www.StyleWillSaveUS.com
Top Shop
Great range of vintage clothing as well as several organic Fairtrade labels. www.topshop.com
Selfridges
Fabulous selection of scrumptious, organic, skin care products including Ren and Stella Macartney. www.selfridges.com
Terra Plana
All Terra Plana’s shoes are made from eco-friendly materials such as vegetan and some have been recycled using old parachutes, tweed jackets and firemen’s trousers! www.terraplana.com
EPISODE 3: THE NEW FOREST
Recreation and tourism brings many benefits to an area but it can also bring a number of problems too. Miranda travels to The New Forest in Hampshire where sustainable tourism has been an integral part of the forest's management for almost twenty years. Miranda discovers the beauty of the forest and uncovers the reasons behind its success as a sustainable tourist destination. She visits the local businesses who are helping to make it happen and discovers a whole world of local food producers who are cutting down on food miles and providing visitors with a fantastic selection of local, seasonal and organic produce.
For further information on holidays to the New Forest visit
If you’re like to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
Cottage Lodge
Charming beamed 17th Century Forester's Cottage offering bed and breakfast accommodation in the heart of the New Forest. Gold Award Winner – Green Tourism Business Scheme. www.cottagehotel.org
Carey’s Manor
Luxury hotel and spa located in the New Forest National park. Gold Award Winner – Green Tourism Business Scheme. www.careysmanor.com
Cyclexperience
Bike hire in the heart of the New Forest from around €16 a day for adults and €8 a day for children. www.cyclex.co.uk
Liquid Logistics
Whether it’s kayaking out at sea or a gentle canoe down the beautiful Beaulieu River, Liquid Logistics offers trips and courses for all ages and abilities. www.newforestactivities.co.uk
Eling Tide Mill
The only surviving tide mill in the UK that is still working and in production. www.elingtidemill.org.uk
New Forest Marque®
Look out for the New Forest Marque when buying food in the New Forest. All produce and goods bearing the Marque have been grown, reared, caught, brewed or produced in the New Forest area. www.newforestproduce.com
Setley Ridge Vineyard
Family run wine and farm shop which stocks local drinks and produce. They grow grapes and produce and bottle their own Setley Ridge wine on site. www.setleyridgevineyard.co.uk
EPISODE 4: WALES
Miranda takes a look behind the scenes at a country where greener living is part of the national psyche, which means you holiday greener without even knowing it! Green locals are two-a-penny: there's the local bike hire company that kits itself out with recycled bicycles, the local organic dairy farmer who recycles his cow muck to power his organic cheese production and the local hotel, which stocks this sustainable cheese and plans to bed its guests on the greenest of mattresses for the greenest of sleeps. Even the local car ferry is showing support and has lent its decks to a local dolphin conservation charity, which encourages passengers to lend a hand in spotting and counting Wales' coastal wildlife.
For further information on holidays to Wales visit
If you’d like to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
Avis
If you want to hire an ecologically friendly car, a hybrid from Avis could be what you’re looking for. With a conventional engine that runs on petrol combined with an electric motor and battery, these cars only emit 104grams of carbon per kilometre.
For further information on Avis visit
Virgin Trains
During a 6 month trial, Virgin Trains are running some of their trains on 20% biodiesel as part of an attempt to make rail travel more environmentally friendly. Services on the Virgin Voyager are currently running in Wales.
For further information of Virgin Trains visit
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT)
65,000 visitors come to CAT every year to learn more about living a sustainable life. There are also a variety of short and long courses, ranging from solar water heating to building with straw. www.cat.org.uk
Veg Oil Motoring
Daniel Blackburn of Veg Oil Motoring was first to drive the length of the UK in a veg oil car! He will also teach you how to convert your car to run on veg oil on a short course at CAT. www.vegoilmotoring.com
re-CYCLES Bike Hire
Hiring a re-CYLES bike, means you are getting around Wales in the greenest way possible. All bicycles are second hand and have been lovingly brought back to life, to save them from a fateful death in a landfill site. Free delivery and collection. www.cyclepembrokeshire.com
Welsh Wildlife Centre
There’s world class birdwatching on the Teidi Marshes here, as well as amazing Asian Water Buffalo, who graze the marshes in order to keep the habitat healthy. www.welshwildlife.org
Duncan Aitkenhead
A visit to the Aberyswth Farmers Market, means you can sample buffalo burgers and other treats, and meet the man who lends his Asian Water Buffalo to the Welsh Wildlife Centre. www.buffalodairy.co.uk
St Davids, Eco City
The pretty town of St Davids near the sea in Pembrokeshire, wants to ensure visitors care for the environment as much as they do and aims to be the world’s first eco-city. The local eco bus service – the Celtic Coaster – stops off at the famous White Sands eco-café and also runs a service for coastal walkers. www.eco-city.co.uk
TYF Eco Hotel
The first organically certified hotel-restaurant in Wales, TYF Eco Hotel pride themselves on their 15 mile meals, which means you can tuck into their tasty Welsh beef with a clear conscience. www.tyf.com
Wyn and Chris Evans
With a solar shower block, and views across the Pembrokeshire coast, this eco-campsite is more than deserving of its great reputation. Caerfai Farm also produces organic cheese, and runs tours for those hungry to learn about renewable energies. www.cawscaerfai.co.uk
ABACA Organic
The world’s only organic mattress producer that is certified by the soil association. Watch out for organic hotels in Wales who choose Abaca’s mattresses. www.abacaorganic.co.uk
Seatrust
A charity which has teamed up with Stena Line Ferries, to do sustainable dolphin surveys on an existing journey from Fishguard to Rosslare in Ireland. www.seatrust.org.uk
EPISODE 5: Scotland
Ditching the car for public transport is all well and good in a city but what if you fancy a pint in the most remote pub in Britain? In this episode Miranda discovers that sometimes it’s actually more convenient to explore by train than by plane or automobile. From the wilds of the Highlands, where Miranda kayaks with seal pups, to the ‘wilds’ of the country’s largest music festival that has itself gone green, it’s always possible to holiday in a sustainable way leaving little more than your footprints behind. And, as Miranda finds out, it doesn’t have to be done at the expense of mod cons. Be it a solar radio, a wind-up phone charger or solar shower, you can always add a touch of eco-luxury to adventures in the great outdoors.
For further information on holidays to Scotland visit 
If you’d to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
First Scot Rail
Run an overnight sleeper from London to the Scottish Highlands, one of the most ecologically friendly ways to travel.
For further information visit
Nick Priest, Loch Ossian Youth Hostel
One of a fabulous network of Scottish Youth Hostels across the country and quite possibly, the most eco-friendly hostel in the whole of the UK. A mile by foot from Corrour Station, Loch Ossian is run on wind power and photovoltaics.. www.syha.org.uk
Scottish Natural Heritage Trust
A climb up Ben Nevis might be your idea of leaving behind nothing but footprints, but with 110,000 visiting the summit every year, the Scottish Natural Heritage Trust is doing its best to ensure the natural vegetation and wildlife are not impacted. www.snh.org.uk
Wildnerness Scotland
An environmentally aware company who put more into the environment than they take out. There are walking holidays, adventure tours and wilderness experiences throughout the Highlands, including guided kayaking holidays. www.wildernessscotland.com
Blue Badger Cruises
The Blue Badger boat will get you from Mallaig to the remote peninsula of Knoydart. They also run sightseeing tours by sea. www.bluebadgercruises.co.uk
Knoydart Foundation
The Knoydart Foundation aims to preserve, enhance and develop Knoydart for the well being of the environment and the people. You can join one of the local rangers for an exploration of Knoydart or even go on a deer photo-stalking tour. www.knoydart-foundation.com
Millets
Whether you’re climbing Ben Nevis or camping in the New Forest, Millets has a great selection of good quality outdoor equipment. www.millets.co.uk
Kilchoan Estate (Knoydart)
Warm, comfortable accommodation on the Knoydart Peninsula. Great for fishing, deer stalking, walking, mountain biking or just chilling out. www.kilchoan-knoydart.com
The Old Forge
The remotest pub in mainland Britain and worth a visit if you fancy seafood or venison burgers. www.theoldforge.co.uk
T in the Park
The largest carbon neutral festival in the world, T in the Park has plenty for the environmentally aware music goer – there’s a recycled cup scheme and any tents left behind are donated to conflict zones. www.tinthepark.com
EPISODE 6: Norfolk
Not only can tourism be sustainable but it can also be the catalyst behind the regeneration of natural habitats and so the source of sustainability itself! In this episode Miranda sets off to explore a county once ravaged by the excesses of human production – from waterways to forests – but that is today a beacon of success thanks, surprisingly, to mass tourism. It has even greenified its traditional bucket and spade breaks! Miranda visits a local rock producer who only sources East Anglian sugar for his sweets, she luxuriates in the comfort of a boutique hotel that recycles newspapers for chicken bedding and unearths the local descendant of the Guinness dynasty who is brewing local, sustainable beer in his family’s age old tradition.
For further information on holidays to Norfolk visit
East of England Tourist Board
www.visiteastofengland.com
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk
The Brecks
www.brecks.org
If you’d like to find out more about the places and activities we featured in this episode take a look at these sites……
Avis
If you want to hire an ecologically friendly car, a hybrid from Avis could be what you’re looking for. Hybrids are particularly efficient in stop start traffic and only emit 104grams of carbon per kilometre.
For further information on Avis visit
Car Free Itineraries
These car free itineraries encourage visitors to explore the Brecks by bike, by horse or even on a working farm. www.brecks.org
Bike Art
A bike hire company in the Thetford Forest, with lots of information about trails in the area. www.bike-art.com
Docwra Rock Shop
An age old tradition, rock has been around since the 1800s, and at Docwras Rock Shop in Great Yarmouth, you can even watch it being made! www.handmadechocolates.co.uk
The Broads Authority
An organisation responsible for the conservation of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads waterways. www.broads-authority.gov.uk
Ra Solar Boat
The Ra Solar Boat was Britain’s first solar powered passenger boat, and runs tours on the recently restored Barton Broad. www.broads-authority.gov.uk
Connoisseur Afloat & Emerald Star
As the biggest operator of cruising holidays in Europe, Connoisseur are doing their best to minimise their impact on the environment. All their boats have holding tanks for storing sewage, and any oil drips are collected within the boat itself, rather than polluting the waterways. www.emeraldstar.ie www.connoisseurafloat.com
National Trust
The National Trust protect over 300 historic houses and gardens and 49 industrial monuments and mills, which are all open to the public. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Ickworth House
An extraordinary oval house built by the 4th Earl with paintings, silver and furniture collections. Ickworth House recently took part in a special programme to reduce its energy consumption. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust works for the protection and enhancement of Norfolk's wildlife and wild places. The Weeting Heath Hide is the only hide in Norfolk from which you can spot the rare stone curlew. www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
RSPB
An organization protecting birds and the environment. www.rspb.org.uk
Iceni Brewery
Since 1995, Iceni has been brewing local beers, working in a co-operative with local producers, to reduce food miles and promote sustainable practice. www.icenibrewery.co.uk
Elveden Estate
Elveden Estate is home to Elveden Ale and Stout, produced by the great great great great great great grandson of the Guinness Lord, and part of the Iceni co-operative. www.elveden.com
Strattons Hotel
The first hotel in the UK to win the prestigious Queens Award for Outstanding Environmental Performance is located in the Brecks region. A luxury boutique hotel, they have introduced novel ways to recycle waste materials. www.strattons-hotel.co.uk
Centerparcs
Centerparcs at Elveden Forest have managed to create a green retreat and regenerate 400 acres of Thetford Forest. They have a car free policy, and run nature tours for people interested in local wildflowers. www.centerparcs.co.uk
Thetford Forest Park
The Forestry Commission runs regular music concerts within Thetford Forest, in order to raise money for the commission. A great family outing. www.forestry.gov.uk