Green guide to Mendips launched

Good food local accommodation features in Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) guide to low impact holidays

Green holidays website http://www.Greentraveller.co.uk and the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) have published an online guide to show visitors how to make the most of the area in a way that has a low impact on the environment and a positive impact on the region's economy, local communities and natural landscape.

Greentraveller's Guide to the Mendip Hills AONB(http://www.greentraveller.co.uk/green-holidays-mendip-hills-aonb) features over 40 recommendations for where to stay, eat and what to see and do in the area. It includes an interactive map of the featured businesses and in-depth information on how visitors can reduce their environmental impact by travelling to and around the area by public transport and onfoot or by bike.

Greentraveller's team of professional travel writers has picked out some of the top green places to stay, from mellow-stoned B&Bs and converted cottages on working farms, to family-friendly campsites and wild meadow yurt camps.

The guide also features some of the best spots to find local produce,such as authentic pubs, great restaurants, and local farm shops, as well as local food producers, such as Thatchers cider, Cheddar cheese and Yeo Valley yoghurt. The guide also features family-friendly things to do in the area, from visitor attractions like Cheddar Gorge and Chew Valley Lake, to outdoor activities, such as walking, cycling, and caving.

Sarah Jackson, Mendip Hills AONB Manager, said:

"The Greentraveller Guide to the Mendip Hills has put us firmly on the map as a great place of natural beauty to visit on the doorstep of Bristol and Weston-super-Mare."

"This exciting online guide enables visitors and local people to plan a great day or a longer stay in the Mendip Hills AONB experiencing fantastic scenery, quality local food and accommodation and by doing so supports our rural businesses."

Florence Fortnam, Head of Content, greentraveller.co.uk, says:

"The Mendip Hills AONB is an incredibly varied landscape, one of dramatic scenes and wild plains. Visitors flock in their droves to Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole Caves every year,but, magnificent though these visitor attractions are, the AONB has so much more to reward the visitor who choses to stay in the area a little longer; culture vultures, nature lovers and foodies will all find plenty to keep them happy here."

"On a recent trip to the Mendip Hills AONB, I was struck by the variety of local businesses and their resolve to protect their heritage and the way they do things, many of whom have been operating in the same way for generations. We hope this Greentraveller Guide will allowvisitors todiscover these businesses for themselves, in turn helping to conserve the landscape and support the local economy."

The guide has been supported by a grant from the Mendip Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund.

Valere Tjolle

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