Campsite cleans up with Loo of the Year Award

The prospect of using the facilities on an eco-friendly campsite may conjure up images of mud-covered concrete floors, smelly compost toilets and slimy shower curtains.

But one site in North Yorkshire is celebrating its "luxury" lavatories, after they were named the UK's best eco-friendly toilets at the Loo of the Year Awards.

The ceremony recognises washrooms in public, the hospitality sector and workplaces, which are judged across 101 criteria including cleanliness, decor, signage and accessibility, according to organisers.

The eco-friendly prize, awarded to The Hideaway at Baxby Manor, is based on energy efficiency, saving water and environmentally friendly products.

Barney Smith, who built the site in Husthwaite in 2012, says its credentials include a biomass pellet wood boiler for hot water, a heat recovery system and eco-certified cleaning products.

"Myself and my family are very conscious of nature and not leaving a lasting impression on the landscape," says the 44-year-old, who is the fifth generation of farmers on the land.

Upon entering the washroom, guests are asked to remove muddy outdoor shoes and replace them with clean footwear.

Despite some people thinking the policy is "a bit weird", Smith says they later "feel a sense of ownership" and want to help keep it clean.

Head housekeeper Sarah Burton adds that sanitiser sprays are provided for guests to wipe down basins, toilets and showers.

"That was originally from lockdown but we kept it going because people do use it," she says.

"Especially on the shower seats and things like that, they like to know that they've got a clean area before they get changed."

Burton says the award is a "big deal" in the hospitality sector.

But she adds: "People do laugh and I told my family we got nominated and my family reaction was like, 'what?'

"I'm so proud of everything we've all achieved, I'm just so happy."

Smith adds: "The main message is that you don't have to forego certain comforts just because it's eco.

"You can have something like this that is very eco and is pretty much carbon-neutral."

The winners are decided by a team of inspectors who carry out unannounced visits to organisations which enter the competition.

Becky Wall, managing director of the Loo of the Year Awards, said: "We are using that standard, made up of British standards and legal standards, especially for accessible toilets, and making sure that they are fit for purpose for all users."

She said good toilets could also contribute to wellbeing in workplaces.

"The Loo of the Year Awards raising this sort of awarenesses and getting people to think about what their washrooms are like for their customers and for their staff is very, very important.

"Everybody finds toilets humorous because I think it's the way we were brought up.

"We're out to celebrate those that are doing a really good job because it's not always looked on as the most glamorous job, but some of the people that do them, they are so passionate."

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