Posted on

The Ring of Kerry, from the water

Catherine's son canoeing across Lough Leane Photo: Outdoors Ireland

If you think that the Ring of Kerry is just for coachloads of tourists, it’s time to head ‘off piste’ with a man who knows the best shores to paddle off, peaks to conquer, and cliffs to climb  Nathan Kingerlee, founder of Outdoors Ireland (outdoorsireland.com), mountain guide and expert rock climber, is also the man who recently wrote a blog about hiking round Ireland with a dog and a goat and, when you’ve read it, you will know that this is the guy to lead you safely up to the summit of Carrauntoohil or, in my case, across Killarney in a kayak.

Before heading off on an all day paddling session, Nathan gave us some kayaking tips on the reed covered shores of Lough Leane and, as a passionate proponent of Leave No Trace (leavenotraceireland.org), he told us to ensure that we did just that on our day on the water. We left Killarney’s tourist filled streets behind and gently paddled out into a totally tranquil lough. It felt like a totally empty lough too, with Nathan saying that the tourist boat traffic stays over on the other side, so we had massive expanses of Kerry water all to ourselves for the rest of the day

With just enough wind to help us across the lough, but also to make us work our muscles when we changed direction, we certainly earned our lunch. We tucked into picnics on the water’s edge, sheltering from a shower on the edge of Tomie’s Woods, followed by a quick walk up to admire O’Sullivan’s Cascade. This stretch of ancient woodland is spectacular, and accessing it by boat might certainly have been a better approach for some man who, according to Nathan, got lost for three days in this, some of Kerry’s densest forest. Warmed, re-energised and back in our kayaks, we gently followed the shoreline to the point where the River Laune meets Lough Leane, and took our final glances of the magnificence that is Macgillycuddy’s Reeks from the water, ending with a lash down the rapids leading to Beaufort Castle, with Nathan able to identify each peak, point out nesting eagles, and teach us how to ride the rapids all at the same time, in that multi-tasking outdoorsy way that I am totally in awe of.

Photo: Outdoors Ireland

Outdoors Ireland is part of a network of Kerry businesses to have joined the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS), a UK certification scheme brought in to help them achieve green status as a region. All participants are listed in brochure called The Greener Side of The Ring of Kerry, downloadable free of charge from Discover Ireland (tinyurl.ie/76p). Some are greener than others, however, with Gold award winners like Outdoors Ireland leading the field, and others still at the early stages of green practices with a Bronze award, although this range isn’t clear from the brochure. For my kayaking trip, I chose an accommodation which had been awarded the Gold award, Salmon Leap Farm, a traditional farmhouse b&b just outside Killarney whose green practices are clearly listed on their website (salmonleapfarm.com).

The GTBS is now one of the several green certification schemes recognised by Fáilte Ireland, with others including the EU Ecolabel, Greenbox Eco-certification and the Green Hospitality Award. In a land where there are forty shades of green, it sometimes feels as if we are getting as many shades of certification schemes, and I long for the day when Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board agrees on one certification which fits all and which embraces all aspects of sustainable tourism particular to Ireland, including access to low carbon transport facilities and, ultimately, creating a clearer, simpler picture for tourists and businesses alike.

In the meantime, Outdoors Ireland certainly meets the criteria for any gold and green award, with Nathan not only sharing his skills relating to excellent low carbon activities, but also guiding us with an expert knowledge of the local ecosystem.  You mightn’t do the whole ‘Ring’ thing with Nathan, but the 24kms of Kerry which I saw from a kayak are some I will never forget. Goodbye Celtic Tiger, hello Celtic climbers and kayakers, where the future is green and raring to go.

An edited version of this article was published in The Irish Times in July 2011

Photo: Outdoors Ireland

 

 

Posted on

Who is responsible?

Bulldozers in Bimini Photo: Gail Woon via Tourism Concern

[This article was published in The Irish Times following the dramatic enquiry into  phone hacking and News International in July 2011]

Many of us have spent the last two weeks watching the dramas of international organisations unfold. As we learn more about the effects of power and money, secrecy and immorality, few can sympathise with the hackers, editors and company directors who are being forced, finally, to account for their illegal and inconceivable activities. Yet, in a world where share values, sales targets and market share take precedence, it is getting harder and harder to see who is accountable for social responsibility.

In tourism, one of the most powerful industries in the world, companies are merging into corporate giants quicker than most holiday makers can get their towels on a sunbed in the morning. Last week saw Thomas Cook being given the green light for a proposed merger with the Cooperative Group, both already holding a vast share of the travel market in UK and Ireland, with Thomas Cook owning Sunworld and Panorama brands to name but a few. In 2007, German travel group TUI, which already owned Thomson, merged with First Choice, to create TUI Travel UK and Ireland, which includes the brand Falcon.

Let me be clear – I am in no way equating the business practices of these tourism giants with those of, say, the Murdoch media empire. In fact, the good news is that all these companies are members of ABTA, The Travel Association which aims to encourage a high level of sustainability among its members, and they are also all supporters of The Travel Foundation (thetravelfoundation.org.uk), a charity which guides leading tourism businesses to participate in responsible tourism practices in specific destinations. ABTA, for example, has created the Travelife System, which audits hotels’ environmental practices as well as the degree to which they support the local community. You can see all participating hotels and tour operators at travelifecollection.com.

However, at a recent conference, when another leading international hotel chain boasted their ethical practices in the Caribbean, announcing that they were now buying all their jam from an island producer, I challenged them: “Why stop at jam?” I suggested, “Surely there are so many other products you could source locally?” to which the response was, “Have you any idea what that would do to our profit margins? And anyway, we employ hundreds of people here every year, which is more than they had before we arrived”. Bread and circus, with jam flavouring to hide the real taste, I thought.

The problem is that sustainability seems only to be a concern for many of the players in tourism when they can be shown that there is a ‘business case’ for it. Or, in other words, when ethics translate to profits. The other argument I often hear is that mass tourism businesses are simply doing what we, the consumers, want. For example, both the Director of Communications and the Director of Purchasing for TUI Travel UK and Ireland concurred, at a recent debate on the sustainability of all inclusive holidays, that TUI’s recent decision to make all their First Choice holidays ‘all inclusive’ from summer 2012, was purely a response to increased consumer demand for this type of holiday,  
adding, “The tour operator supplies what the customer asks”. This ethos of  ‘if there is a demand, it is our job to supply it’ leaves ethics a bit far down the pecking order, in my view.

Sun worshipping in Togo Photo: Tourism Concern

At this same debate, however, Rachel McCaffery, Responsible Business Manager at Virgin Holidays stated, “We have bought into the fact that there is a business case for sustainable tourism but, at Virgin, it is about doing the right thing too”. Profit can no longer be the sole motivating factor in economic activity and, in travel, the time has come for all tourism businesses to recognise human needs in the destination too.

There will always be some corporate leaders who roll there eyes at the ethical debate in tourism, dismissing proponents of sustainability as ‘snobs’ who just don’t ‘approve’ of mass tourism, or out of touch with world economics. But this is not the case. A growing number of consumers are demanding that people in destinations are treated fairly, and that their homelands are respected. Perhaps we just need to shout our consumer demands a bit more loudly. And, in the worst case scenario, if mass tourism doesn’t turn out to be a destination’s promised panacea, that someone is able to hold up their hand and be accountable. Be that we the consumers for ‘demanding’ it, the businesses for profiting from it, or the governments for allowing it.

 

 

Posted on

Glenribbeen b&b in County Waterford, Ireland

Glenribbeen Eco Lodge, Waterford, Ireland. Photo: Catherine Mack

There are some people who like to hide their green beliefs under a bushel and then there are those who stick a great big flag in their garden to let the world know that being green is no mean feat these days, and so if you’ve got it, you might as well flaunt it. Glenribbeen Eco Lodge is a small bed and breakfast run by Els and Peter O’Connor which has greenness and kindness oozing from every open pore. I say open, because the doors of Glenribbeen are always open. If you turn up with your tent they’ll welcome you, with dogs, children, a horse, whatever, they would turn few away. Because Irish Peter and Dutch Els’ approach to hospitality and life are holistic and generous. They are both musicians and artists, growers and creators within the community, and the guesthouse is all part and parcel of that.

The flag is that of the EU Flower, the eco certification which Peter and Els were awarded in 2009, and with solar panels, rainwater harvesting, home made briquettes for the fire, fine organic vegetarian food, bat boxes, free range hens happily pecking around the beautiful gardens and bird feeders at every turn, they have merited the accolade for sure.

However, it is individual dedication, imagination and understanding of the bigger picture of responsible tourism which makes a business truly sustainable, not just the solar panels or light bulbs. You can stick as many responsible tourism policies as you like on your website, or boast about all your eco-gadgets, but it’s the living and breathing it, having a real connection with how their tourism venture can be part of a wider green community, that makes somewhere like Glenribbeen so special. Just have a quick look at Peter’s blog to see everything from a broad bean hummus recipe to creating a solar powered walkway in your garden, and this will give you an idea of his commitment to all he believes in.

This is not an eco-chic home, however,  it is just a home built on sustainable, simple principles, with balconies made from recycled wood, vegetable gardens, books from second hand shops, a living room full of musical instruments. It’s a place where Els’ beautiful paintings cover many of the walls and where Peter shares his passion of archery with his guests by offering lessons free of charge. They know the nearby walking and cycling routes like the back of their hands, with extremely quiet trails straight out of their garden gate, taking you as far as The Vee Gap and the Knockmealdown Mountains.  Or the O’Connors will arrange hired bikes to be delivered to the house from Lismore Cycling Holidays, with convenient off road cycling into Lismore town and then into the hills beyond.

We decided to explore the area from the water, however, and thanks to a top tip from Peter, also a keen canoeist, we spent a few hours of a sunny late afternoon in the delightful company of Cappoquin man, Dennis Murray of Blackwater Boating who, having spent his life on the river, knows every bend, bridge and building on it. His gentle charm and local knowledge of not only the flora and fauna, but every historic building which overlooks the river, was enrapturing, regaling us with history one second, and heron spotting the next.  With so much attention given to Waterford’s fine beaches, we were amazed to see that this haven of river life was almost deserted.

Another wonderful facility on their doorstep is the wheelchair-friendly fishing boat, the Wheelyboat of which Peter is one of the registered captains. With fingers in many pies, a new project always on the go, Peter definitely has a ‘glass half full’ approach to life and, as we said our goodbyes, he gave us a stick of rosemary to put on the dashboard to bring energy to the driver and natural perfume for the passengers, and Els popped a parcel full of her specialty Dutch pancakes on the kids’ laps for the journey. So, if you are looking for a place to stay in the Waterford area, owned by people to whom both generosity and green living come naturally, just follow the flag.

An edited version of this article was first published in The Irish Times in August 2011


 

 

Posted on

Jersey’s cream has turned green

Archirondel Tower St Catherines Bay. One of several sustainable accommodations Photo: Catherine Mack

I remember Jersey as the first place I tasted a cherry. About five years old, I picked it off a tree and ate it, revelling not only in its unique perfume and texture but also in the fact that there were endless sweet gems for the picking. What felt like an ordinary family holiday had, in one moment, been transformed into an exotic adventure, an image of Jersey which has always stayed with me.

I didn’t go in search of cherries on a recent trip back to the largest of the Channel Islands, but I was aware of this same sense of excitement as I packed. I was there to explore the greener side of the island, to see if it is possible to discover it without a car – slow down the pace by walking, cycling and taking the bus around an island where, traditionally, local transport means a luxury yacht, private jet or a Bergerac-mobile.

It felt as if the bus service is made for tourists here, however, with drivers going out of their way to smile and proffer information. A family bus pass is £16.15 sterling per day which gets you around what local people fondly refer to as ‘The Rock’s’  74 square kilometres. My first stop on the number 1 bus was, aptly, Green Island, just a few kilometres east of St Helier, the island’s main, in fact only, town. A peninsula rather than an island, it has white sand and crystalline waters, and the perfect beach café serving locally caught seafood.

After a wake me up swim had done just the job, I got back on the Number 1 which clings to the shore as far as Gorey, a pretty fishing village on the East coast, and walked back along the dusty pink coast path built into the rosy granite which links the island geologically to its neighbouring Brittany, just 22 kms away.

Catherine cycling between Corbiere and St Ouen, Jersey

With fine local produce just about everywhere I visited, I realised that this is obviously an island which values its local produce, and with Jersey Royals spuds, Jersey cows, a plethora of fish swimming off its shores, they have everything going for them here. Some of the flavours I can almost still taste as I write include a fresh crab sandwich at the Driftwood Café immediately after a swim in St. Catherine’s Bay; sipping local wine and test chocolates at the islands winery, La Mare Wine Estate, run on a committed green basis by a Cork man, funnily enough; buying picnic ingredients at the Victorian covered Central Market in St. Helier, and the superb ice cream at the Classic Herd Farm Shop in St. Peter’s Village, which has all the supplies you could want if you are self-catering.

The ice cream moment followed a long day of cycling along Jersey’s greatest green coup – the Green Lanes. Launched in 1987, this is an 80kms network of country roads where the speed limit is 15mph (24kph) and where walkers, cyclists and horse riders are given priority.  All clearly marked on road maps as well as by very visible signs on the lanes themselves, drivers also seem to respect the spirit of what Jersey is trying to achieve here. Cycling up lavender lined paths, past flower filled gardens and potato-filled fields, cyclists and walkers all greeted each other, most of us visitors who are new to the notion that, for once, we had right of way over cars.

For green places to stay you can choose between yurts overlooking St. Aubin Bay (jerseyyurts.com), one of several historic forts right on the sea from jerseyheritage.org, a courtyard apartment attached to one of the island’s most sumptuous manors and gardens in St. Clement (samaresmanor.com) or in converted officers’ quarters attached to an early 18th century military barracks metres from the sea at Grève de Lecq Bay (nationaltrustjersey.org.je). Wherever you stay, you will soon see there are beaches and coves at the end of almost every cycle, bus or walking route here. In fact, it’s worth having a couple of sets of togs tucked in your backpack, and more than a couple of days on the ‘Rock’ where there are so many cherries for the picking, their bowl runneth over.

St. Aubin Bay, Jersey Photo: Catherine Mack

An edited version of this article was first published in The Irish Times in August 2011. For more information on Jersey see www.jersey.com.