How We Do Our Bit for the Environment

At Hele Valley, we are passionate about the environment. Unsurprising, seeing as we are surrounded by some of the most splendid natural scenery in England.

Our guests are always delighted by the stunning countryside in the area, and we are committed to protecting it. So, we thought we’d provide some details about how we make sure we are doing our bit to help.

The Big Spring Beach Clean

We are fortunate enough to be located close to some fabulous beaches at Hele Valley. It’s not hard to find spectacular beaches in North Devon, and whether you’re enjoying a summer sunbathing session or a wild winter walk, we have beaches to die for.

Like our local Hele Bay Beach, which has been awarded a Blue Flag and comes with sand, shingle, rock pools and even smugglers’ caves. But you also have Putsborough, Croyde Bay, Saunton Sands and more to choose from.

Every year, The Big Spring Beach Clean takes place in April – in 2020, it will be held from April 18th to 26th. This is the biggest beach cleaning project in the country, maybe even in Europe, and we are going to be very much involved.

It’s been running since 2010, and in that time over 120,000 people have taken part in thousands of events in the UK. It’s an event that has a huge environmental impact – and it’s also a lot of fun.

You can get involved yourself. Just visit the website to find out where your nearest event is and turn up ready to help clean the beach.

Award-Winning Conservation

As well as taking part in big events like The Big Spring Beach Clean, we also do a lot of day-to-day conservation activities to ensure we are running a greener, cleaner business. For our efforts, we have received the David Bellamy gold conservation award on no fewer than six occasions.

This involves taking steps like:

● Using a biomass boiler to heat the showers

● Repurposing old duvets into cosy dog beds

● Using a water butt to collect water for plants and washing caravans

● Recycling tin cans via a community resource group

● Using scrap paper to print and composting it afterwards

● Recycling all old furniture and decking

And these are just a few of the sustainable practices we follow!

We Love Wildlife

We want to ensure our park is a haven for the fantastic local wildlife, and we maintain a wild nature trail so our guests can explore nature for themselves. We also put up boxes for birds, bats and dormice – we even have hedgehog houses.

We’ve also taken the British Beekeepers’ Association pledge to help protect honeybees. This means we provide habitats for honeybees in our park, which has involved planting flowers and hedgerows. We also keep our own bees, who make delicious sweet honey that you can find in the reception area.

Discover Our Surrounding Beauty

We look after the environment because we want our guests to be able to enjoy it properly. We’ve already touched on the beaches, but there is a lot more to discover in North Devon.

Just pop into our reception and you’ll find plenty of information about the local area, including walking maps and cycling guides. Our staff are very knowledgeable too, so feel free to ask away.

We are so fortunate to be located where we are, with truly stunning scenery everywhere we look. We are located very close to the Cairn Nature Reserve, for example, a small hill with beautiful views over the area.

It is covered in a mixture of conifer and deciduous trees that were planted over a century ago and it was turned into a country park. Now it has pathways so you can go exploring and discover the beautiful scenery for yourself.

Or visit Wistlandpound Reservoir, which can be visited on one of the local walks around Hele Valley. Located close to Exmoor, this deep lake is surrounded by pines and there is an easy circular trail around perfect for families.

Baggy Point is another popular family walk on Croyde’s headland. Here you can see old whale bones and a wreck post, as well as panoramic views over the ocean looking out to Hartland and Bideford Bay.

And Heddon’s Mouth is a pleasant Riverside walk that takes you through woods and down to a secret beach. It’s particularly attractive in spring when the wildflowers are in full bloom.

Book Your Stay Today

At Hele Valley, we are dedicated to looking after our sublime natural environment and wildlife by doing everything we can to safeguard it. In return, you can enjoy the pristine beaches and unblemished natural spaces we are blessed with in North Devon. Don’t just take our word for it, book a stay. It’s that beautiful, you’ll not want to leave.