by There are two types of cabins: the haunted, interior ones that appear in many coffee table books and glossy magazines – and then the rest, straight out of the horror movies and full of dark corners, bedrooms and scary scenery. Sadly, both are available on vacation rental websites, so to ensure a cabin break that’s more magical than miserywe’ve sifted through the nation’s offerings to bring you a list of the best.
Down duvets, wood-fired hot tubs and even personal chefs up the snuggle factor at the cozy escapes, and the views from the countryside windows are stunning.
Classic Americana, Cumbria
The name Hidden River Cabins conjures up remote North America and this collection of treasures is on the Lyne straight from the Appalchian backwater. A 20-minute drive from Carlisle, the six log cabins are also US-sized, with four bedrooms apiece as well as huge baths, hot tubs and gleaming kitchens. You don’t have to cook: the on-site Hidden River Café offers Haggis scotch eggs and the highly-acclaimed beef and blue cheese pie.
Situated by a stream, the newest cabin, Snowdrop, is named for the bank of flowers behind it that start to bloom in early January, making it especially beautiful for a mid-winter stay.
Book it: Snowdrop sleeps up to eight, from £1,680 for a two-night break, although the price drops to £840 for just two people ( 01228 791318).
Rustic retreat, Northumberland
Forget the new breed of minimalist lodge, Joe’s Place at Hillside Huts and Cabins is a proper old-fashioned place with a wooden interior kept toasty by a log burner and local logs, even when there’s snow on the fields outside (the decoration). inspired by the time owner Phillip was running a safari business).
The newest of four properties at Hillside Huts and Cabins overlooking the dramatic Northumberland coast, it’s insulated with sheep’s wool and topped with an outdoor hot tub to watch some of Britain’s best skies. With a proper combi hob, cooker and boiler, this place is perfect for longer winter stays. The empty sweep of shifting sands at Druridge Bay is five minutes away.
Book it: Joe’s Place sleeps two, from £350 for a two-night stay (07767668400).
Bijou bolthole, Kent
A spectacular find on Kent’s Isle of Sheppey, the sprawling wilderness of Elmley Nature Reserve seems to go on forever – and is made even more dramatic with a coating of frosting sugar. While visitors can explore on a day trip, it’s much better to wake up immersed in the landscape under a vast rosy sky, at one of Elmley’s eight huts and cabins.
A recent renovation by renowned designer Francesca Rowan-Plowden has touched the heart of the cottage and made tiny Vanellus the cutest of the lot, done up in pistachio and strawberry milk colors. Heating, hot water bottles and blankets made from wool from nearby Romney Marsh ensure coziness on even the coldest nights.
Book it: Vanellus sleeps three, from £189 per night (01795 664 896).
Splendid isolation, Shropshire
Seclusion doesn’t get more beautiful than at Nipstone, one of the latest additions to the Kip Hideaways portfolio. Tucked away in Stiperstones Nature Reserve about half an hour from Shrewsbury, it comes with purple vistas of misty heather moorland and rocky bush stretching as far as the eye can see.
In the 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 for guests who are tempted to explore. A wood-burning hot tub awaits for a post-hike soak.
Book it: Nipstone sleeps two from £170 per night.
Hidden glamor, Snowdonia
Surrounded by conifers and tucked away in reclaimed railway crossings, the Cabin Hinterland is a Christmas card that comes to life – especially when the mountains surrounding Snowdonia National Park have white springs. But the rustic exterior is a foil to what’s inside: a glamorous mix of metallic fabrics, crystal lamps and the odd objet d’art make this place feel more like a five-star hotel than a forest hideaway.
A Hungarian goose duvet keeps guests very snug in bed and warms the coldest post-walk toes under the floor. And, if you want to embrace the good life, the hosts can even arrange a private chef.
Book it: Outback Cabin sleeps two, from £1,350 for a three-night break (01637 355857).
Lives in Cois Locha, Argyll
Kabn 2, a semi-detached, off-the-grid cabin on the edge of Loch Fyne on the Ardkinglas Estate, has no need for elaborate furnishings: the landscape provides all the decor you need. On winter mornings, mist rises from the water and weaves through the forest, as darkness descends on the burnt amber landscape.
Get your wellies wet for a paddle on the beach of Lake Kabn or venture a little further through the estate on the 40 minute walk to the Cairndow Stagecoach Inn. From March, Wild Kabn Kitchen returns for its second season, and chef William Hamer can cook you a Scottish feast over an open fire.
Book it: Kabn sleeps 2 from £235 per night (07392 712465).
Cottages with hotel perks, Cornwall
Snuggle up on the blanket-draped bed and watch storms roll over the water from one of the cabins at Tolcarne Beach Village in Newquay. They are the closest you will get to the Atlantic waves that wash over this stretch of sand while you stay warm and dry.
On the hotel’s private beach front alongside rooms and apartments, the tiny cabins come with en-suite shower rooms, televisions and furniture collected during the owners’ travels around the world. Unlike many other cabins, you won’t have to struggle with a fire pit or drive to the nearest town when dinner rolls around: Tolcarne Beach has its own restaurant, The Colonial, where you can feast on oysters and a Cornish rib eye.
Book it: Tolcarn Beach Village cabin sleeps two from £95 per night (01637 872489).
Forest wasp, Perthshire
In the ancient woodland around Dunkeld, beavers build dams in the icy waters of Dóián Luan and large families of fungi thrive. This is a place where life seems unbroken for centuries, so it’s surprising to find Glen Glack’s five contemporary cabins tucked away along a track at the edge of Loch Cally.
Part of the Athall Estates, they are inspired by traditional bothies but come with all the mod-cons including TVs and Nespresso machines (the covered deck at Hazel cabins is the perfect spot for morning coffee). If you want to go back to the old days, there’s a button that lets you turn off WiFi and modern life. Meanwhile walking paths cross the surrounding forest.
Book it: Hazel sleeps four in two bedrooms, from £490 per two-night break (01796510088).
Straight out of a storybook, Norfolk
If Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother had brought in the architects, this storybook cabin is what we would be making. Set in 30 acres of private parkland, The Lakeside Cabin at Settle is the brainchild of John and Jo Morfoot, an award-winning salvage merchant and florist respectively.
That means reclaimed radiators and a wood burner help keep the place cozy while delicate botanical prints elevate it from mundane to magical. Unlike many cabins, there’s more than enough room to swing a wolf (or two) too. It even comes with two baths: an indoor cocoon overlooking the lake and an outdoor wood-burning bath under its own pavilion.
Book it: Sleeps two in a Lakeside Cabin, from £280 per night (01953 497030).
Designer of, Sussex
When the children were very popular on the family farm, Cabin X was renovated at Architect’s Holiday when all the children grew up and one of them, Will Gowland, became an architect. Under his direction, this larch-clad teenage cabin lost in the East Sussex countryside is now a surprise with a rather special addition: an en-suite bathroom with floor-to-ceiling windows so guests can take a steamy shower while immersed in the college. forest over there.
A new outdoor sauna inspired by a Chinese pavilion was also popular with visitors. Next year, six more cabins will start appearing in the woods, each a little different (and, Gowland promises, the antidote to the “copy and paste cabins” cropping up across the UK).
Book it: Cabin X sleeps two, from £250 per night.
