Ecoescape United Kingdom Guidebook
A Review of the UK Handbook to Responsible Escapism by Laura Burgess
Slow travel meets slow food in this guide full of environmentally friendly tips to help you reduce your carbon footprint and find the best local food and drink in the UK
Laura Burgess's first edition of ecoescape was self-published in 2007 and received widespread acclaim. Now Markam Publishing has turned the ecoescape concept into a series of practical guidebooks for green holidays.
What is ecoescape?
An ecoescape is a holiday experience combining the escapism of travel with responsible tourism that cares for the environment, and Laura Burgess believes that the best places to escape are closer to home than we had ever imagined: it just takes some fresh eyes and a new mindset to enjoy them.
Ispiring Ecoescape Vacation Ideas
The first part of the book lists 50 handpicked ecoescape destinations throughout Britain, divided into the South West, the South East & London, East Anglia, the Midlands, the North of England, Wales and Scotland. Please note that despite the "United kingdom" in the title, this guide does not cover Northern Ireland. Presumably, the region will be included in the forthcoming ecoescape Ireland by Catherine Mack.
Far from being exhaustive, this section aims rather to inspire the reader with a variety of options that may tickle the imagination and interests of different travelers' personalities. For each ecoescape, the main feature may be a throroughly sustainable activity, attraction or accommodation facility (green hotels, ecolodges, environmentally friendly B&Bs, etc.), and the two-page entry includes color pictures and contact, pricing and accessibility details alongside a review.
Slow Food for Slow Travel
There follow a couple of related listings, one of which is usually some kind of eaterie: a restaurant, a cafe, a kiosk, an Inn or a bakery offering seasonal, locally sourced, organic food. After all, Slow Travel does stem from Carlo Petrini's Slow Food movement!
Slow Travel Tool Kit
The second part of the guide is a 70-page 'Slow Travel Tool kit' listing dozens more ecoescape addresses and resources. Where available, this directory also features the green leaf logo awarded at gold, silver or bronze level by the Green Tourism Business Scheme, the leading sustainable tourism certification scheme in the UK. Again, foodies may want to focus on the delicious eating opportunities listed in the various regional 'Places to Eat' sections.
Go Slow: Environmentally Friendly Travel Options
Each of the 50 ecoescape listings in the first half of the book includes a 'Getting there slowly' paragraph detailing how to reach the location leaving as light a carboon footprint as possible: green travel by public transport (train, bus, coach, boat), on foot or by bike. Further, the second part of the guide provides specific 'Slow travel option' tips and addresses for every area covered in the book.
A Medium in Tune With the Message
Printed and bound in the UK on FSC-certified, 100% recycled paper and board using vegetable based inks by Cambrian printers Ltd, the ecoescape guide book is a pleasure to feel and smell - not a secondary asset for something you want to thumb well and often! Likewise, the ecoescape website is hosted on wind-powered computers.
ecoescape United Kingdom | by Laura Burgess | ISBN: 978-1-905731-40-4 | paperback | 208 pages | 198 x 130mm | published March 2008 | Markham Publishing | UK price £ 8.99
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