Regenerative Tourism Award

Insights

aerial view of new wildlife pond and a tractor

We are very excited to have been shortlisted in two categories of the 2026 Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards which recognise excellence across the visitor economy.

We’re in the running for New Tourism Business of the Year and, particularly close to our hearts, also a finalist in the Regenerative Tourism Award category.

Regenerative tourism is defined by Visit Britain as “The idea that tourism should leave a place better than it was before.” And that’s ultimately what we are trying to achieve.

We’re on a mission to rewild natural spaces to allow people and planet to flourish (read why we do what we do here).

It’s been a busy few years at Cow Close Farm. We began the journey by investing in working with an experienced and local ecologist, Julie Riley, to create a 30-year plan to manage the land in order to increase biodiversity. This included detailed work to provide a baseline assessment of the state of the land and the habitats within it.

We first renovated Oak Cottage and Hickory Cottage and we’ve loved inviting guests to unplug, unwind and reset. The Farmhouse was then finished in autumn 2024.

interior design features of The Farmhouse - a bedside lamp against beautiful wallpaper and plush bedding

Our site is powered by renewables from our solar panels, and via our choice of energy provider. As part of the refurbishment we installed a smart energy system so we can provide guests with a warm welcome in the most energy-efficient way.

VisitEngland came to assess us in the spring, and we were delighted when they rated all three cottages Five Stars, with the Farmhouse awarded the prestigious Gold Award.

solar panels on Farmhouse roof photo credit Duncan Campbell

We’ve started creating new woodlands and have planted approximately 330 native trees.

Last winter we created three new ponds for wildlife to flourish in, and in doing so, also built bee banks for the 250 species of solitary bees that live in the UK, to nest in. We also created three hibernacula (piles of stones, twigs and decaying organic matter) to provide even more habitats for wildlife.

We’ve gradually started to expand species-rich hedgerows, actively nurtured a rare meadow field of wild flowers to thrive again and developed another of the fields to be an ideal habitat for barn owls.

We want to inspire and encourage our guests to play a part too. Whether that’s providing nature spotting guides for kids, encouraging guests to recycle their waste or by providing information about car-free adventures e.g. walks from our door and the excellent Peak Sightseer open top bus tours.

Guests can charge their electric vehicles for free. And the calm, restorative atmosphere of Cow Close Farm leaves people feeling recharged too.

There is one final round of independent judging before the winners are announced in the spring. We’ll keep you updated here and on our LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages so please do follow our progress.Steve Coles

Steve is the Managing Director and one of the co-founders of Wild & Other.

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