by There are two types of cabins: the beautiful ones, with an interior design that appears in a lot of coffee table books and fashion magazines, and then the other lot, straight out of horror movies and with dark corners, drafty bedrooms. terrifying air and landscapes. Unfortunately, both are available on vacation rental websites, so to ensure a cabin getaway that’s more magical than MiseryWe’ve scoured the country’s offerings to give you a definitive list of the best.
Down duvets, wood-burning hot tubs and even personal chefs create a cozy atmosphere at these cozy getaways, while the views from your windows are pure rural wonders.
Classic Americana, Cumbria
The name Hidden River Cabins evokes remote North America and this collection of Lyne River cabins comes straight from an Appalachian backwater. A 20-minute drive from Carlisle, the six log cabins are also American-sized, with four bedrooms each, as well as huge bathrooms, Jacuzzis and sparkling kitchens. Not that you need to cook: the hotel’s Hidden River Café serves the much-praised haggis scotch eggs and shepherd’s pie and blue cheese.
Tucked away next to a stream, the newest cabin, Snowdrop, is named after the flower bank behind it that begins to bloom in early January, making it particularly pretty for a mid-winter stay.
Reserve: Snowdrop sleeps eight people, from £1,680 for a two-night break, although the price drops to £840 if there are just two of you (01228 791318).
Rustic Retreat, Northumberland
Forget the new generation of minimalist lodges, Joe’s Place at Hillside Huts and Cabins is a proper old-fashioned place where the woodsy interiors are kept toasty by a wood-burning stove fueled by local logs, even when there’s snow in the fields outside (the decor was inspired by the time when owner Phillip ran a safari business).
The newest of four Hillside Huts and Cabins properties overlooking the spectacular Northumberland coast, it comes insulated with sheep’s wool and topped with an outdoor hot tub from which to gaze at some of Britain’s most starry skies. With a suitable hob, cooker and combined boiler, this place is perfect for longer winter stays. The empty expanse of quicksand Druridge Bay is a five-minute drive away.
Reserve: Joe’s Place sleeps two people, from £350 for a two-night stay (07767668400).
Bijou Hideaway, Kent
A surprising find on Kent’s Isle of Sheppey, the sprawling wilderness of Elmley Nature Reserve seems endless – and is even more spectacular with a coating of frost. Although visitors can explore on a day trip, it’s far better to wake up immersed in the landscape under a vast pink sky, in one of Elmley’s eight cabins and cabins.
A recent remodel by famed designer Francesca Rowan-Plowden added a touch of rustic style and made little Vanellus the cutest of the bunch, decorated in pistachio and strawberry milk hues. Heating, hot water bottles and wool blankets from nearby Romney Marsh ensure comfort on even the coldest nights.
Reserve: Vanellus sleeps three people, from £189 per night (01795 664 896).
Splendid isolation, Shropshire
The seclusion couldn’t be more lavish than at Nipstone, one of the newest additions to the Kip Hideaways portfolio. Tucked away in Stiperstones Nature Reserve, about half an hour’s drive from Shrewsbury, it offers purple-tinged views of misty heather moors and craggy peaks stretching as far as the eye can see.
In winter, there’s no better place to curl up in bed and watch the day go by, although hiking trails lead directly from the cabin so guests are tempted to explore. A wood-fired jacuzzi awaits you for a soak after the hike.
Reserve: Nipstone sleeps two people from £170 per night.
Hidden glamour, Snowdonia
Surrounded by conifers and adorned with reclaimed railway sleepers, Hinterland Cabin is a Christmas card come to life, especially when the surrounding mountains of Snowdonia National Park are covered in a sprinkling of white material. But the rustic exterior belies what’s inside: a rather glamorous mix of metallic fabric, crystal chandeliers and the occasional objet d’art makes this place feel more like a five-star hotel than a woodland hideaway.
A Hungarian goose down duvet keeps guests super comfortable in bed, while underfloor heating warms the chilliest of toes after the hike. And, if you really want to enjoy the good life, hosts can even hire a private chef.
Reserve: Hinterland Cabin sleeps two people, from £1,350 for a three-night stay (01637 355857).
Lakeside Living, Argyll
There’s no need for elaborate furniture at Kabn 2, a plywood-walled, off-grid cottage on the edge of Loch Fyne on Ardkinglas Estate – the landscaping provides all the decor you need. On winter mornings, a mist rises from the water and weaves through the forest, while twilight turns the landscape a burnished amber.
Wet your wellies with a paddle on the beach next to Kabn Lake or venture a little further across the estate on the 40-minute walk to Cairndow Stagecoach Inn. Starting in March, Wild Kabn Kitchen returns for its second season, during which chef William Hamer can prepare you a Scottish feast over an open fire.
Reserve: Kabn 2 sleeps two people from £235 per night (07392 712465).
Cottages with hotel benefits, Cornwall
Snuggle up in a blanket-covered bed and watch the storms over the water from one of the cabins at Tolcarne Beach Village in Newquay. They’re the closest you’ll get to the Atlantic waves that lash this sandy strip while staying warm and dry.
Lined up in front of the hotel’s private beach next to its rooms and apartments, the small cabins feature private bathrooms, televisions and furniture collected during the owners’ travels around the world. Unlike many other cottages, you won’t have to battle a campfire or drive to the nearest town when dinner arrives – Tolcarne Beach has its own restaurant, The Colonial, where you can feast on oysters and Cornish ribs.
Reserve: Tolcarne Beach Village cottages sleep two people from £95 per night (01637 872489).
Woodland hideaway, Perthshire
In the ancient forest surrounding Dunkeld, beavers dam the frozen waters of the Lunan Burn and large families of fungi flourish. This is a place where life seems uninterrupted by the centuries, so it’s a surprise to find Glen Glack’s five contemporary cottages hidden along a path on the edge of Cally Loch.
Part of Atholl Estates, they are traditional-inspired but have all the modern conveniences, including TVs and Nespresso machines (Hazel Cottage’s covered terrace is the ideal spot for morning coffee). If you want to go back to the old days, there is a button that allows you to turn off the WiFi and the modern world. Meanwhile, walking trails wind through the surrounding forest.
Reserve: Hazel sleeps four in two bedrooms, from £490 for a two-night stay (01796510088).
Straight out of a storybook, Norfolk
If Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother had brought the architects, they would have come up with this fairy-tale cabin. Set in 30 acres of private parkland, The Lakeside Cabin at Settle is actually the co-creation of John and Jo Morfoot, a salvaged artefact dealer and award-winning florist respectively.
That means reclaimed radiators and a wood-burning stove help keep the place cozy, while delicate botanical prints elevate it from the mundane to the magical. Unlike many cabins, there’s also more than enough room to swing a wolf (or two). It even comes with two bathrooms: a cozy indoor one overlooking the lake and a wood-burning outdoor bathroom that shelters beneath its own pavilion.
Reserve: The Lakeside Cabin sleeps two people, from £280 per night (01953 497030).
Design studio, Sussex
Cabin Under their management, this little cottage is now a larch-clad wonder lost in the East Sussex countryside with a rather special addition: an ensuite bathroom with floor-to-ceiling windows so guests can take a steam shower while seemingly immersed in in the forest beyond.
A new outdoor sauna inspired by a Chinese pavilion has also proven popular with visitors. Next year, six more cabins will start appearing in the woods, each slightly different (and, Gowland promises, the antidote to the “copy and paste cabins” springing up across the UK).
Reserve: The X cabin sleeps two people, from £250 per night.
