HOLIDAYMAKERS keen to seal themselves off from civilization for a week could soon take advantage of a self-sufficient cottage kitted out with its very own mini wind turbine.
The National Trust is hoping to persuade national park planners to give the green light to its proposal to convert a remote Coniston bothy into an environmentally-friendly holiday home.
"It's really in the wilds it isn't for the faint-hearted," explained Trust communications officer Shona Owen of the Park-a-Moor property that is a 20 minute cross-country drive to the nearest road.
"We want people to book for a week or two or so and we will transport them up there in a four-wheel drive with all their food and fuel and they will be able to use that alongside what equipment is up there," said Ms Owen.
The Trust's plan is to install a five-and-a-half metre tall wind turbine next to the former farmhouse with solar panels mounted on its mast to provide basic power for the three-bedroomed home.
Ms Owen said the idea had come about as a means of preserving the original stone building and to get more use out of it following the expiry of a long lease to the Field Studies Council. The FSC had used it sporadically as a base for educational field trips.
April 17, 2003 15:30
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