The Lodge is the large communal building for our glamping guests which was completed in May 2019. We tried to make it as eco as possible so used locally sourced roundwood timber (30 tonnes), the external walls are all made from straw-bales and the internal walls are made with 'cob' - earth, sand, straw & water. There is also a grass roof alive with the grasses and wildflowers excavated from the site.

Straw-bale Building
Straw-bale building is a construction method commonly used in natural/eco building construction. Research has shown that straw-bale construction is a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of both materials and energy needed for heating and cooling. Advantages of straw-bale construction over conventional building systems include the renewable nature of straw, cost, easy availability, naturally fire-retardant and high insulation value. Straw-bale walls are typically coated with a thick layer of lime plaster.  The combination of insulation and thermal mass provide an excellent platform for passive solar building design for winter and summer. And the cosiness of the Lodge is a testament to this.

Cob Building
The internal walls of the Lodge were built with 'Cob' which is another method of natural building. Cob is a combination of sandy-sub soil, clay and straw. It’s mixed together in large batches by stomping (or dancing!) on it. Cob is considered the most sustainable method of building there is. It has almost zero embodied energy and since it's made of earth, it is also entirely recyclable, biodegradable, breatheable and non-polluting.