Our philosophy and approach on sustainability

We are fortunate to live in this amazing and historical landscape. We want our guests and visitors to enjoy the area whilst minimising any environmental impact. As a business, we intend to be more responsible by making the move towards being more sustainable; this is captured in our sustainability policy.

We think that our home is just the next evolution of the buildings that form Craighall Steading. When we built our home, we did so with ‘fabric -first’ way of thinking to minimise running costs over the longer term; this includes energy-efficient design and systems, which include solar energy and battery storage.

Our approach to responsible tourism was recognised by being a finalist in the regional Thistle Awards in 2024 and 2025 for best B&B.

Here are a few of the things that we are doing:

  • We use produce from our garden; be it fresh fruit, eggs from the hens, potatoes for breakfast or seasonal flowers. The glut of fruit from the summer is preserved.
  • Where possible, we use local shops for produce and aim to use what is in season
  • We work with local businesses; many of the decorative fittings are made by local people.
  • Our guest room toiletries are made by Scottish Fine Soaps with cruelty-free and vegan ingredients.
  • We reduce our use of single-use plastic (glass water bottles and milk bottles in rooms, refillable, toiletry bottles, no individual sachets of sauces/preserves etc.)
  • We try to minimise the creation of waste and recycle as much as possible by separating our waste to be recycled at facilities in the village, whilst also composting our garden waste.
  • We reuse or repurpose items such as the lamps and the refreshments shelf in the rooms.
  • Our toilets have smaller cisterns and shorter/dual flushes. We only have showers with eco-friendly heads for guests to minimise water usage
  • We do our own laundry to eliminate transportation costs whilst using the energy-efficient programmes for the washing.
  • We use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
  • We have 3.5KWp solar photovoltaic panels for our electricity and use a Sunamp heat battery to store energy for water heating. We use a 100% renewable electricity supplier.
  • We use energy-saving appliances throughout the premises.
  • We have heated towel rails in each bathroom to ensure guests have the option to re-use towels; we do not change towels daily unless soiled.
  • Reducing our energy and water consumption with low-energy LED lighting and dual-flush toilets.
  • We garden organically. Our small garden has lots of insect and butterfly-friendly plants. There is plenty of wildlife that can be seen close to the property; we regularly see deer, hares, rabbits, foxes, badgers, hawks, and field mice. Craighall Den is an SSSI and home to a range of Flora and fauna
  • We have planted native trees and bushes as part of the Queen’s Canopy initiative.
  • We provide guides and information on local walks and cycle routes to our guests.
  • We volunteer with the Fife and Countryside Trust to help maintain Craighall Den, and we support other local charities that help improve the lives of locals.
Colourful dahlia flowers in bloom in the garden at Craighall Steading B&B

Flowers in the garden

Queen’s Green Canopy plaque at Craighall Steading, marking the Platinum Jubilee 2022.

The Queen’s Canopy

Polytunnel at Craighall Steading B&B used to grow seasonal fruit and vegetables for guests’ breakfasts.

Our polytunnel

Free-range hens at Craighall Steading B&B providing fresh eggs for breakfast.

Say hello to the egg producers

Freshly picked raspberries from the Craighall Steading B&B garden in Fife

Bountiful harvest

Whilst staying at our B&B you can help in small ways

We can all reduce our impact on the environment by making choices. As a visitor you have a very important role to play in helping us to conserve our natural assets and become a more sustainable destination. Here are some tips on how you can help:

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CONSERVE ENEGRY

  • Boil only the amount of water you need; switch off lights and televisions when leaving the room.
  • Hang the towels for re-use when staying with us to help reduce washing and electricity costs.

GIVE THE CAR A REST 

  • Try to use your car as little as possible once you are here and use public transport where possible. Did you know that there are a huge number of walks and places to visit from our door? We have some suggestion on where to go. (LINK TO PAGE)

SHOP LOCAL 

  • Use the village and local cafes’ restaurants and shops – we can provide recommendations (LINK TO PAGE)

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE 

  • We encourage guests to help by separating and recycling using the bins in the guest bedrooms.
trees

RESPECT NATURE

  • Be aware of The Scottish Outdoor Access Code when you are out dog walking, walking, running, cycling, or doing any activity in the countryside.

FUTURE PLANS.

  • We plan to add an EV charging point for use by our guests.
  • Additional we are investigating the installation of further solar and/or small scale wind turbine with battery storage.