THE LATE-SUMMER STAYCATION
6 dreamy UK cabin stays to book now

For grown-up serenity: Firesyde, SurreyEnveloped by green-gold oak-topped hills where kestrels hover, the scenery at Firesyde – five cabins tucked in a valley just outside Godalming – provides an instant antidote to urban commotion. Newly bookable via Kip Hideaways, Firesyde's five cabins pair wrapped-in-wood ambience (thanks to walls, beams and ceiling built in Douglas Fir timber) with raffia lighting and braided jute rugs. Nesting beneath a wellyboot-green canvas, the front porch and fire pit are angled to drink in valley views, while out back there’s a stone bathtub for steamy, al-fresco soaks. The wilderness surrounds get a boutique hotel flourish: ready-to-grill BBQ suppers can be ordered, welcome hampers include Swiss hot chocolate, vanilla-bean marshmallows, Nutbourne rosé, and well-kitted out kitchenettes make self-catering breezy. There’s also an atmospheric garden which unfurls to reveal a winding stream, gunnera-fringed pond and ‘wild spa’ with sauna and dunk-if-you-dare cold plunge barrel. For longer rambles, 95-acre Winkworth Arboretum’s on the doorstep. 

For treetop thrills: Treedwellers, OxfordA stay at one of these futuristic treehouses is about as close to slumbering in an art installation – albeit one 3m-high in the canopy – as it gets. Ringed by pine woodland at the edge of the Cornbury Estate, these cabins were designed to encourage brainwaves to shift from high-alert, busy beta mode to totally-calm alpha through immersion in nature – and boy, do they deliver. Full-force vistas of fern-carpeted forest are welcomed through wide windows whether cooking in the kitchen, lazing by the lounge’s flickering woodburner or having an (indoor) forest bathe in the freestanding tub. Bedrooms’ leafy triple-aspect views (there are privacy blinds if you’re feeling shy) an outdoor deck soundtracked by chiffchaff, and walks through green-on-green copses where muntjac deer lollop, deepen the at-one-with the forest vibe. Some treehouses sleep just two, while others can accommodate families, and Charlbury’s honeyed-stone cottages and convivial watering hole The Bull are a short drive away.

For luxe lakeside R&R: The Reeds at South Lodge, SussexA clutch of lodges set by a lake in the bucolic, 93-acre grounds of renowned spa hotel South Lodge; what’s not to love? Pushing the definition of cabin somewhat, these seriously plush lodges are light-filled, spacious, split-level beauties with push-a-button curtains that swing back to show off floor-to-ceiling views of a pink-waterlily-festooned lake. Each sustainably-designed, bamboo-clad lodge, sporting names inspired by wildlife you might spot, like Newt and Damselfly, blends sensitively into the wooded scenery. Double-height lounges are decorated in mossy shades, spoiling bathrooms have jade green marble showers and hewn-in-rock bathtubs stocked with Pelegrims toiletries, while curvaceous ash staircases lead to serene bedrooms. Four-person ‘lakeside lodges’ have overwater sundecks, while ‘spa lodges’ with added zen (thanks to steam showers and infrared saunas) sleep two. Access to South Lodge’s brilliant spa – reeded freshwater, indoor and vitality pools, thermal suite and cascading, lounger-lined terraces – energising lake swim sessions, and opulent fine dining at the hotel’s Camellia restaurant ensure you’ll leave feeling utterly restored.

For a creative reboot: Craftsman’s Cabin, SomersetSoothing and soulful, this larch-clad cabin – looking out to the evocative Somerset Levels and ancient moorland – is imbued with local artistry. Designed and owned by Decca Lang, who’s behind the dreamy interiors at hit restaurant-with-rooms Holm in South Petherton, decoration here celebrates the work of hyperlocal makers and is cabincore heaven: traditional willow basketry, walls hung with Frances Watts’ ode-to-landscape artwork rubbing up against vintage furniture and checked tablecloths. Hand-turned oak plates and stylish ceramics are provided to present meals cooked over the firepit (or by induction hob and oven), and sessions with the cabin’s featured artisans – from in-the-fields oil painting to willow weaving and pottery classes – can be organised. Intentionally absent Wi-Fi encourages you to retreat to the verandah’s rocking chairs, or to its outdoor bathtub for under-the-stars relaxation. Country paths lead to the picturesque village Kingsbury Episcopi, and handily, given its heart-of-Somerset’s-cider-country locale, Burrow Hill Cider Farm is an easy walk.

Image: Dave Watts

For a glimpse of farm life: Tiptoe Retreat, NorthumberlandSurrounded by pastures dotted with grazing sheep, looking out to the River Till valley and the heather-clad Cheviot Hills beyond, Tiptoe Retreat’s two glorious ‘tree cabins’ occupy a tranquil corner of the 600-acre, organic, regeneratively-managed Tiptoe Farm. Both made-for-two solar-powered havens have sleek kitchens, wood-burning stoves and outdoor copper jacuzzi baths; pick larch-timbered, living-roofed Howlet for its Moroccan souk-inspired bathroom, or opt for vision-in-douglas-fir Brock for cosy, midnight stargazes thanks to an above-bed skylight. While straight-to-cabin breakfast hampers pack produce from within 20 miles – like free-range eggs from R.Ord & Hens and honey from Chain Bridge Honey Farm – and in-cabin reiki and massages make things feel deliciously private, liveliness is still within easy each, with soda bread baking sessions in the farm’s studio, and fishing jaunts on the Till.

For a coastal charm: Rusty Sheds, DevonFor an off-grid outdoorsy getaway, Rusty Sheds’ two handsome cabins, bookable through Canopy & Stars, are a clever and handsome choice. Pointy and Curvy (named for their roof shapes, the latter inspired by a Dutch Barn) sleep four apiece and sit pretty in vast fields in the 5000-acre Flete Estate, part of the picturesque South Devon AONB. While Scandi-style interiors dressed in seasonal estate-picked blooms, log burners, snuggly hand-woven recycled Weaver Green blankets, walk-in showers with Land & Water toiletries, wood-fired outdoor baths and woodland hammocks might tempt to you linger here all day, the great outdoors awaits. Paddleboard or wild swim at the estate’s small, private white sandy beach Pamflete (five minutes’ walk), or drive to neighbouring Mothecombe Beach for sea dips, pit stopping for scoops of passionfruit-mascarpone ice cream at Surfing Cow Ice Cream’s sea-view parlour.

Ianthe Butt is an award winning travel writer and editor. 

For more England travel inspiration, see VisitEngland.