To help you enjoy our natural environment while preserving it

This is the largest web page on our site. We don't want to give lessons to anyone or do any "green-washing". We just present some of the actions we have taken to contribute our little stone to the implementation of sustainable tourism, in a preserved natural environment that we wish to pass on to our children.

So, when you arrive at our place, you will have the impression of being in the heart of nothing... but there are so many lives to protect all around us!

We must preserve the well-being of nature, especially as owners of a tourist destination. As owners of a bed and breakfast in the heart of nature, we want to share this place of healing by combining comfort and service for our guests with the protection of life.
We believe in econology: measures that are both economically profitable and environmentally friendly, so that everyone benefits at all levels.
Through these measures, we actively contribute :

to reduce and recycling our waste
to preserve water
to manage energy efficiently
to make our purchases responsibly
to take care of biodiversity
to keep fair and attractive prices

Reducing and recycling our waste

"The best waste is the waste we do not produce".

It is difficult to reach a "zero" waste production but it is simple to limit it.

In each room, we do not use rubbish bags (except for the toilets): the rubbish bin is emptied and cleaned every day, when we clean your room. There are waste recycling bins in the kitchenette for everyone to use. If you have any food leftovers or peelings, please let us know and they will be added to the waste we produce.

In the bathrooms, we do not offer individually wrapped cosmetics, but we do provide tanks of shower gel/shampoo and liquid soap. We use natural products such as vinegar for cleaning the room.

In the kitchen, nothing is lost! Most of our purchases are fresh, non-overpackaged products from local producers. We prefer to buy dry goods in bulk. The composters installed in our vegetable garden take all our fruit and vegetable peelings. Leftover bread can be used for French toast for breakfast. And of course our chickens enjoy what might be left on your plate!

And in the garden? Pruning residues from shrubs are shredded and provide us with an effective mulch for the plantations. The larger branches are fed into the boiler. What comes from the earth goes back to the earth...

Other consumable waste linked to our activity such as light bulbs, batteries, ink cartridges, etc. are systematically brought to the collecting points.

Conserving Water

It is essential to preserve water and not to waste it.

We have chosen to offer our guests the comfort of large Italian-style showers: no more baths that consume too much water!

The toilets are equipped with dual controls.

It is out of the question to use water from the public network for watering the plants: we have a well on the property and we collect rainwater in an underground tank. We limit waste and use only a minimum amount of water for irrigation of the plants. It is automated and is done at night, when the soil has cooled down to limit evaporation. The plants are mulched in order to keep the humidity as long as possible.

In the vegetable garden, we are inspired by permaculture techniques without chemical intrants. We limit the planting of vegetation that is not adapted to our region and replace those that are already present as we go along. Since our arrival, we have planted nearly a hundred country shrubs! They do not need much water and fit perfectly into the landscape of our countryside.

The pool is filled with water from the well, which we return to the earth during its annual maintenance, once it has been cleaned of its cleaning products (which we always use the right amount throughout the season). Its cover greatly limits evaporation.

In summer, the pool allows you to cool down by immersing yourself for a few minutes, much more effective than taking several showers. Before going to bed, it is a real pleasure!

Manage Energy Efficiently

The whole house is centrally heated with a new generation wood boiler that is very efficient and low in pollution.

We favour the use of firewood to fill it: locally produced, with very little processing, it is an excellent renewable and cheap source of energy.

Hot water is produced using solar panels. In case of lack of light, the wood boiler takes care of it. The hot water produced in this way is then sent to the electric water heaters in the rooms to be kept at temperature. This way, we make sure you never run out of hot water!

As for the swimming pool, it is not and will never be heated other than naturally: that would be an econological aberration! The high shelter provides a "greenhouse" effect and protects from the cold outside. Depending on the amount of sunshine, the water easily reaches 26°C from May until October. It exceeds 30°C during the summer.

The house is fully equipped with LED light bulbs. The lights in the common areas and outside are motion-detected, limiting the time of lighting. This allows you to get out of your car and into your room safely without having to worry about finding the switch.

Finally, we have chosen not to install air conditioners. They are often noisy and consume a lot of power, especially if you don't take care to close doors and windows. All the windows are fitted with shutters to prevent the heat from entering the house during the day. At night, the temperature almost always falls below 20°C. We take advantage of this to aerate the house and cool it down quickly.

Our responsible purchasing

To clean the house without chemicals, to bring to our table quality products, to buy only what is necessary is our daily involvement.

For the cleaning of the rooms, we mainly use vinegar, which is very efficient and inexpensive, except during this period of pandemic which requires the use of a virucide. The rooms are aired daily and we do not use air fresheners: do you know a better feeling of freshness than that of bed linen that has dried outside?

We have chosen to control the consumption of laundry products by ensuring their complete maintenance. Laundry detergent and softeners are eco-labelled and bought in bulk. We limit the use of the tumble dryer to a minimum.

From the producers to your plate, we limit middlemen and distances. Fair payment to local producers, fresh and quality products: we favour short channels. Whenever possible, you can even enjoy the products of our small vegetable garden: ultra-short distribution! For breakfast, as for dinner, we always use fresh, seasonal products, prepared in our kitchen by ourselves.

Finally, as consumer actors, we like to give a second life to the objects we use in our daily lives. So don't be surprised to see many objects diverted from their original use for our decoration or old furniture given a makeover.

Preserving biodiversity

We know today that biodiversity, although essential, is under threat.

A few simple gestures in the garden can help preserve all this life that surrounds us.

We cut the grass high: this preserves the humidity and life of the soil. We do not weed these areas: you will see dandelion, burnet, mallow, buttercup and daisy flowers throughout the seasons. Not everything is mowed on the 4 hectares of the property, only what is necessary to enjoy the garden.

In the vegetable garden, no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides, no herbicides are used: we gladly share some of our production with our auxiliary, the green lizard, which feasts on slugs that could attack the lettuce. Some techniques used in permaculture allow us to maintain a healthy soil. The grelinette is our best tool to aerate the soil without destroying the life in it.

To attract pollinators, which are very useful in the vegetable garden, what better than melliferous plants. The spiral of aromatic plants or the large rosemary also contribute greatly to attracting them.

Don't be surprised if you see a pile of branches near the garden, as they provide insects, birds and other animals with a place to hide their nests or protect themselves from predators.

The best price?

You are probably wondering what the financial aspect has to do with this page?

It's very simple: by following these measures, in addition to protecting nature which provides you with an exceptional setting for your stays, we greatly reduce the financial costs of running our family business. Less water from the network, less electricity, less packaging and processed products, ...

This allows us to offer services that other structures do not offer and it is all avoided expenses that we do not have to pass on the sale price of our rooms (and yes! We are not philanthropists! 😊).

Of course, this also brings us constraints: supply from multiple sources, management of household linen, time spent in the garden or maintaining green spaces, handling firewood, etc.

By remaining "simple Craftsmen of accommodation", we consider that it is our part of the work to reconcile the interests of all: yours, ours, those of our children and those of the planet.

Thank you in advance for your help, for your contribution to respecting these measures and for nature, as well as for your stay with us.

The Ray family