Yahoo Finance 10 wonderfully unusual UK staycation ideas
The possibility of a foreign holiday is uncertain this year, but that doesn’t mean we all have to jump in the car to the same set of cottages in Cornwall.
In fact, holidaying in the UK is the perfect excuse to mix things up a bit - the great British Isles are full of kooky stays, including double-decker buses and floating lake cabins.
From sleeping in the treetops in Devon to forest bathing in Somerset, here are 10 of the most unique summer staycations (hurry though, they’re booking up fast).
Grebe’s Nest, Essex
USP: Wild swimming
Time from London: 40 minutes
Sleeps: Two
Price: Pod for 2 from £100 per night
Why stay next to the water when you can stay on it? Only 40 minutes from the city, this bobbing home is easily accessible from London, yet worlds away.
Sip your morning coffee while spotting the wondrous aquatic life, all from your front porch. For the adventurous, fishing trout or wild swimming are on offer. After, be lulled to sleep by the water.
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Candlestick Cottage, Somerset
USP: A hillside hot tub and woodland sauna
Time from London: Three hours
Sleeps: Two to eight
Price: £60 - £105 per night
A two hundred-year-old whitewashed cottage with a quirky freestanding in-bedroom bath, wonderful views and al fresco dining terrace overlooking the Somerset countryside.
Candlestick Cottage is the newest property of four, set in a privately owned organic dairy farm with footpaths, gastropubs and a medieval castle all within walking distance.
Beautiful Dorset and Devon are both on the doorstep and there’s a hillside hot tub and woodland sauna for unwinding after a day at the beach.
The Hide Roundhouse, Somerset
USP: Al fresco bathing
Time from London: Three hours
Sleeps: Two
Price: £127-337
Swap South Africa for Somerset: this rural roundhouse mimics a luxury safari lodge and is set on an organic farm surrounded by wildlife.
There’s a firepit for the evenings, a private outdoor bath-house and patio furniture including a rocking chair. Inside, there’s an open plan living space with double bed, fully equipped kitchen and luxury en-suite bathroom with clawfoot bath and large rain-head shower.
Treetops Treehouse, Devon
USP: Treetop living
Time from London: Four hours
Sleeps: Four
Price: £270-£450
A treehouse but not as you know it. This incredible structure is built around a 250-year-old oak tree and is surprisingly spacious: inside, there’s a kingsize bedroom and a separate bunk room for two children.
There’s also a luxury copper bath, fitted kitchen and lounge with a large terrace overlooking a fishing lake and Eggesford Forest.
If you fancy some time at ground level, the house is set in the grounds of the Fox and Hounds Country Hotel with its own bar and restaurant. There’s also fishing on the lake nearby.
Oxenford Gatehouse, Surrey
USP: Your own bit of history: expect 19th century architecture and a spiral staircase
Time from London: One hour
Sleeps: Four
Price: Four nights from £343
This 19th-century gatehouse was commissioned by young Anglican aristocrat Lord Midleton in 1843 to dress his farm at Oxenford in Elstead, Surrey. It was built by Augustus Putin inspired by the Middle Ages and is filled with Pugin details, with a spiral staircase and open fire.
The cobbled streets of Guildford and its castle, shops and market are a short drive away, and Petworth or Clandon Parks are close by for walking and historical visits.
The Egyptian House, Cornwall
USP: Rich history and views of St Michael’s Mount
Time from London: Five hours
Sleeps: Four
Price: Four nights from £196
If you’re going to head for Cornwall, at least do it a bit differently. The Egyptian House (now divided into three minimalist apartments) lies in the centre of Penzance, the Cornish town famous for its pirates, and was originally built as a museum and geological shop, with an extraordinary exterior dating from 1835.
Use it as a base to explore this historical corner of England: Chyauster Ancient Village, St Michael’s Mount and the Botallack mine are all nearby. You can see St Michael’s Mount from your window.
Olive, Hampshire
USP: Your own double-decker bus
Time from London: 90 minutes
Sleeps: Five
Price: £160 for two people per night
A whole new meaning to ‘catching the night bus’: this quirky stay is actually the 308, an olive-green vintage Dublin Double Decker bus, complete with a kitchen, bathroom and wood-burning stove. It also comes with your own outdoor space and fire-pit, patio and BBQ.
While this might be a one-time-trip, it’ll certainly be a good conversation-starter when you Zoom the family back at home.
Willow the Wisp Cabin, East Sussex
USP: Woodland walks and country pubs
Time from London: 90 minutes
Sleeps: Two
Price: £130-£170 per night
The ultimate walking holiday bolthole. This cosy cabin is surrounded by fabulous hikes to Bewl Water reservoir (a top cycling and watersports hotspot) or numerous quaint country pubs. The charming village of Ticehurst is also home to a golf course, Dale Hill, and Scotney Castle, Bodiam Castle and the seaside town of Rye are all nearby.
The cabin itself is hidden in five acres of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty woodland and comes with its own Hikki hot tub, wood burner, fire pit and BBQ.
A Secret Garden, Kent
USP: Stargazing from bed
Time from London: 90 minutes
Sleeps: Two
Price: £184-£245
Your own secret garden hideout: this magical cabin is adorned with ivy, murals and toadstools designed for an ethereal weekend away. There’s a glass ceiling above the bed for spotting the stars and a wooden hot tub for sipping champagne in the evenings.
Take a trip to charming seaside town of Whitstable nearby, where the annual Oyster Festival is held. The Oyster Shed is a must.
Shepherds Hut, Wales
USP: Pizza making and campfires
Time from London: Four hours
Sleeps: Four
Price: Call to request
Camping without the faff of a tent. This luxury glamping hut in Lampeter in south Wales comes with a pizza oven, wood burning stove and picnic bench for al fresco dining.
Basics including matches, tea bags, coffee and a welcoming bottle of wine are provided - just bring your own marshmallows for roasting over the campfire.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, book one of the safari tents on the same site.
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