Trelowarren, Cornwall

Timeshares may have had their heyday, but the concept is proving to be a hit in Cornwall as a greener alternative to buying up little-used holiday homes. Trelowarren is on a large woodland estate near Helston on the south coast's Lizard peninsula. Its 13 properties are also rented out as reasonably priced self-catering apartments and are helping to bring in the tourism pound to the region throughout the year. Most of the fish, game and herbs used in the estate's New Yard restaurant come from within around the Lizard.

On the estate, a mile from any road, two 18th-century cottages and four houses have been restored and six eco cottages (above) have been built using locally sourced or recycled materials. They each cater for between four and 10 people and are heated by a vast woodchip boiler that's fuelled by coppicing from the estate, which also feeds a heated outdoor pebble-lined pool (below). There's an all-weather tennis court, an organic walled garden, and you can go on one of the estate's many woodland walks to an iron-age fort and a botanical garden. Beaches: Kynance Cove is at the southern tip of the Lizard. It is managed by the National Trust and is home to a wonderful eco-friendly cafe: Kynance Cove Cafe. · 01326 221224, trelowarren.com. A self-catering cottage for 4 costs from £425 per week. Richard Hammond explored The Lizard in an electric car courtesy of www.eco-drive.co.uk. An edited version of this article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in the Guardian. See also Leo Hickman's review of Trelowarren in the Guardian.

Above: One of six new eco-cottages at Trelowarren

Right: Trelowarren's swimming pool is heated by the estate's vast woodchip boiler Photo: Richard Hammond