Me booking space in a cob cottage, off the grid in the most magical town I have ever been fortunate enough to visit, was real. My husband and I spending four nights and 3 days in a land where pedestrians and folk on their bicycles outnumber fossil fuel modes of transport, was real. A place where we could freely walk or ride about without a care in the world, any time of day or night, fully taking in our surroundings, awakening all our senses to the glorious natural world we live in, was real. Where starry skies were the jewels in our crowns and the passing breeze, the sweet deliverer of floral perfumes that made every breath we took, a deep dose of well being.
I'm in two minds about telling you the name of this place as I suspect many of you have not yet paid attention to the well camouflaged turn-off leading to it.
Beyond the fact that it is such a hidden gem, it is less than 2 hours drive from Cape Town, no need for flying or extended driving trips and once there, driving is no longer necessary (save, perhaps, for the odd wine tasting trip around the town's borders). Because our visit was during Spring, we took advantage of a Spring accommodation special. In addition, we saved money on travel costs, our carbon emissions were limited, our health benefited and as an added bonus, our welcoming and parting gift was a free roadside display of fields filled with breathtaking bright-coloured Spring flowers!
But that is not the half of it (sorry, this might start sounding like an advert, but I can't help it!). The Cottage, the sweet little cottage - gifting us with the opportunity to experience sustainable living full-on! Built using mainly local materials and cob, the cottage is well appointed with a cozy lounge and fireplace, master double bedroom, a second bedroom with two single beds and a small loft above the kitchen that can sleep a fifth. The entire cottage is built out of cob with reclaimed wooden beams and local stone for trim on windows/door frames. The thermal and noise insulating effect of cob is amazing! The cottage stays cool in summer and warm in winter. There are lovely views from all angles and the outdoor verandah offers the perfect spot for a braai or lazing about in the afternoons and for seeing the sun on its way out, ...or in, if you are an early bird!
All the cottage's lights are powered by solar power, the garden by solar garden lights, with the fridge, geyser and stove running off gas. To top off the 'greening' experience, we were able to experience the use of a completely odourless and easy to get used to waterless compost toilet. Yes, you heard me right... I am talking 'humanure' and no, I am not talking an 'outhouse'! If you have not yet heard of this, it is time for you to read the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins. Humanure is a resource that if properly managed produces a completely odourless and safe compost-type soil (also known as 'humus') rich in nutrients for use in agriculture, small scale farming and general gardening. For those of you cringing in your seats as you read this, don't be alarmed and keep in mind that sewage (from waterborne sewege systems) and humanure are two completely different things. But don't take my word for it, read the book/research it yourself; book the cottage or, if in Cape Town, visit Soil for Life who also have such a system set up at their premises. All I know is to have experienced the use of this system has totally opened my eyes to just how much we waste precious resources such as water and humanure in our every day lives and how this is completely unnecessary.
There are recycling bins for paper, plastic, glass and tins and a composting tub is also furnished in the kitchen for your veggie/fruit scraps. There is no 'normal' bin as one is not required, although there is a small one in the bathroom for tissue and miscellaneous waste. As big recyclers back in Cape Town, we found it a great learning experience to separate the recycling because back home our recycling is collected mixed. What we discovered from the separating experience is what type of packaging we mainly use. To our surprise we discovered that most of our waste is plastic. This is an important and helpful discovery for us as we are going to try and reduce the amount of plastic packaging we consume from now on.
Another discovery we made during our stay was how the experience made us more aware of our electricity consumption patterns. It made us realise that it just takes a simple mindset shift to become more efficient and cost effective and that, by doing so, our energy requirements are reduced resulting in a lower demand for it!
Because the cottage owner follows organic gardening principles, organic and eco-friendly liquid handsoap, dishsoap and cleaning supplies are furnished and visitors are asked not to make use of synthetic/toxic chemical products that might find its way into the water system or gardens.
In addition to everything we learned from staying in the cottage, it was such a pleasure to meet Jill our hostess who was most accommodating throughout our stay. Jill built the cottage, together with the assistance of her staff and also lives in a cob house just up the hill from the cottage. We were given a hardy and personalised welcome on our arrival with a grand tour of the Cottage and all its "ins and outs". Jill also had fresh organic eggs for sale to guests as well as organic veggies, depending on the season and availability. It was such a pleasure to meet and chat with someone who has such firsthand experience in off-grid living, natural building and sustainability.
Anyway, as much as we would like to keep our secret, I have to share it with you for an important reason. If we have learned so much from it, if we were revived so much by it, inspired so much by it and it made us reconnect to nature and the wonders of life again, what will it do for you? If everyone had the chance to experience this type of living, as I recall one guest wrote in the Little Cottage visitor's book, then "there would be no problems in the world"!
p.s. Oops!;) Almost forgot to mention the name: Little Cottage at McGregor Alternative Technology Centre (MAT) in beautiful McGregor, South Africa. www.mat.org.za.
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