Sustainability at Snowberry

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We do everything we can to reduce waste, and we don't introduce chemicals into the environment any more than is necessary.

We want your stay to feel good for you - and good for the island too!

We don’t want to release any more chemicals into the environment than we need to. With that in mind, we use Ecover and Method products for all our cleaning, and these are available for guests to use during their stay.

We also provide a couple of smol laundry tablets to get you started.

We provide hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash for our guests. These arrive in bulk and are decanted into the pump‑action bottles within Snowberry to reduce packaging waste. 

We also offer small soaps. We’re always on the lookout for more sustainable options, but guest feedback tells us that people appreciate having the choice between soap and body wash — so for now, we provide both.

While Alastair looks after the lawn, we keep a wee wildflower section in the parking area for the birds and the bees. At home, we also dedicate a large swathe of our own garden — and our pond — to supporting biodiversity. 

We’ve recently installed all new LED lighting throughout the cottage, and we hope that when you head out or leave, you’ll switch things off to help conserve energy. We also use a provider of 100% green electricity. 

In 2023 we installed a brand‑new boiler, as efficient as we could get, and it’s serviced annually. The heating runs on a timer to conserve energy, but we provide simple instructions for turning it off if you find the cottage too warm. 

We provide a large recycling bin in the kitchen (please wash items before placing them inside), along with separate areas for glass bottles, jars, and soft plastics, all of which are recycled.

We also provide a compost caddy under the sink, and all food waste is taken off‑site to be composted.

We provide enough towels for your stay so they can be reused, and we’re always happy to supply more for longer visits.

For longer stays, we offer a weekly bed‑linen and towel changeover service — but the choice is entirely yours. 

The tap water is perfectly safe to drink, as it comes directly from the mains — and Scottish water is known for being some of the best in the world. To reduce waste, we don’t offer plastic bottles of water. 

We provide tea, coffee, sugar, herbal teas, and hot chocolate in individual packets for hygiene reasons, and we compost the packaging where possible. We always look for compostable options when we can.

We also provide a pint of milk for every guest (alternative milks are available — just let us know before arrival). This comes in plastic bottles, which we ask guests to rinse and place in the recycling.

There is usually a box on the roadside opposite Snowberry where our neighbours sell fresh eggs from their hens (subject to availability).

Getting to Lewis by public transport is fairly simple as long as you book well in advance. There’s a train and a bus station at Inverness, and from there the national bus company, Citylink, will take you to the ferry departure point in Ullapool. The ferries are run by CalMac, with several routes serving the Hebrides. You can find more details on our dedicated page.

Getting around the islands by public transport can be trickier, but it’s certainly possible — it just requires a bit of pre‑planning. We’ve included helpful information on the How to Get to Lewis page.

We encourage the use of bicycles and have a secure shed for storing them in the parking area. Information on hiring bicycles is also available on the How to Get to Lewis page.

We did try to have an EV charger installed, but with the cottage walls being three feet thick, it wasn’t possible. It’s also not safe to charge an electric vehicle from the domestic supply in the cottage. However, there is a charger just two and a half miles away at Galson Campsite, which is open 24/7.

We aim to reduce single‑use plastics in the cottage as much as possible, and we’re always on the lookout for sustainable alternatives. 

We already provide some options, including bamboo cups for children, and all toiletries are supplied in refillable containers. We also offer paper straws and bamboo cotton buds.

We trialled supplying milk in refillable glass bottles, but guest feedback was mixed, so we’ve returned to sealed plastic containers for now. We simply ask guests to rinse the bottle and place it in the recycling.

We provide compostable cling wrap as an alternative to traditional cling film, along with 100% recycled and recyclable foil. For leftovers, we also offer compostable food and freezer bags.

We’re currently trialling reusable kitchen scourers and cloths, which we wash after each stay and put back into circulation. These sit alongside single‑use options so guests can choose what they prefer. We know we can’t please everyone, but we can certainly do our bit for the environment.

We don’t provide water in plastic bottles, as the tap water here is perfectly safe to drink — and there’s nothing quite like Outer Hebridean water straight from the tap.

Our individually wrapped tea bags, herbal teas, and sugar come in compostable packaging, and we’re actively looking for the same kind of packaging for our coffee sachets.

We also provide a small jar of ground coffee, which we refill for each guest. It’s simply to get you started — because there’s nothing worse than waking up and realising you’ve no coffee at all.

We care deeply about this island and this wee cottage, and we’re always learning, adjusting, and doing what we can to tread lightly. None of it is perfect, but every small choice helps — and we’re grateful to every guest who joins us in looking after this beautiful place. We hope your stay feels good for you, and good for the island too.