Things to bring
Bedding: Bed linen with 4 pillowcases for double bed (king-size in Pengelly Studio.) Duvets / sleeping bags for single beds. We can provide for a supplement of £10 double / £5 single (with duvet.) Towels.
Kitchen: We provide cooking equipment and washing up liquid & cloths / sponges.
Shower & toilet: loo roll (first provided), shower gel etc (eco-friendly please)
Outdoor: Torch / headtorch; wellies / walking boots; insect repellent / sticky fly papers from July – Sept
Indoor: slippers / shoes for inside yurt
Other: Extra nightlight candles. Earplugs if you think owls, lambs or dawn chorus may disturb you!
Food
Hampers (12 hours notice) All veggie / for breakfast or evening meals (Late arrival, Italian, South Indian, Middle Eastern, Buddha Bowl)
‘Cotna Shop’: sells our seasonal organic veg. Wholefood supplies also available.
Gorran Post Office: for basics, one person at a time in shop
The Barley Sheaf pub: excellent beer and some good food indoors & beer garden, depending on hospitality rules 01726 843330
The Shack at Port Mellon: a lovely walk down the valley. Sells some produce as well as great coffee & food takeaways
Firewood: this year we are selling kiln-dried hardwood logs (£6 a bag) but we can offer plenty of kindling for free. Let us know if you want a bag for when you arrive.
Courses: this year we hope to offer outdoor sessions, to be decided nearer the time eg Wild Food Foraging, Seasonal Preserves & No-dig Organic Gardening. Sadly we’re not sure about Sourdough Breadmaking at the moment!
Treatments: massages available if permitted – bring a facemask
Sustainability
Low-impact living is at the core of our ethos at Cotna, and the reason our Eco Retreat exists. As you will see from your visit, we are creating an oasis of natural beauty and tranquillity where diverse species exist alongside us humans. We are committed to avoiding pollution through recycling and reusing everything we can, limiting use of harmful chemicals and managing our waste responsibly. Please help us to reduce re-use & recycle:
- limit the amount of single-use plastic you bring onsite and take it away with you eg water bottles plastic bags & packaging.
- We have pure spring water on tap so no need to bring supplies!
- use eco products for washing – we supply BioD washing up liquid and Faith in Nature shampoo & Bodywash
- use our recycling system carefully with clearly labelled boxes in the recycling area
- try to buy locally – from Cotna, our Post Office shop & Menegwyn’s Farm Gate (just up the track), The Shack or Lobbs Farm Shop Deli. There are no supermarkets close by and we do not take deliveries