Our pick of the most remote holiday cottages

Get lost in the Scottish hills

The Woodshed is an amazingly peaceful spot in a place you might not think to look. The Pentland Hills Regional Park, just south of Edinburgh, is one of Scotland’s lesser-known beauty spots and The Woodshed sits down a track on a sloping hillside in the south east corner. It’s got the simplicity of a cabin to its design – pale brushed wood and a subtle muted colour palette – which gives it a frontier feel, augmented by the woodburner’s crackle and glow. Right from the door are lovely walks with plenty of wildlife to keep an eye out for and you can spend all day taking in the views from the hilltops before you retire to the comfort of your the sofa in your remote quirky cottage. Outside you’ll find a hot tub from which you can look down over the valley as you soak. It might slightly break with cabin tradition, but makes a wonderful end to a day of fresh air and stunning scenery.

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Find calm in the Lake District

While the Lake District is obviously one of the most popular spots in the UK, there are still little pockets of calm to be found there if you know where to look. Bracken Barn is hidden in the hills between Coniston and Windermere, with 33 acres of bird-filled woodland to explore and a hikes to Tarn Hows, Black Crag and up Limstone beck, for spectacular views over Esthwaite Water. You might bump into the owners, who will happily arrange yoga classes and meals or just leave you to your own devices; and there may be guests in the other barns, but there’s a feeling of solitude here that comes from being surrounded by countryside at a remote holiday cottage in the Lake District. Of course, there’s never a pub far away, so if you need a break from all that peace and quiet, walk down to the famous Drunken Duck Inn for some fine food.

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Go wild in rural Wales

Narrow green lanes lead you down into a lush valley, where the whitewashed cottage of Glan yr afon stands lost in the trees at the edge of a scattered hamlet in the coastal countryside of central Wales. The lane running past is a quiet back road that’s barely used – you’ll probably hear more noise from the river. When the weather is fine, stroll down through the woods to the beach or sit out in the tumbling garden. When it turns, which it probably will, this being Wales, light the wood burner and settle in under the beams, up in the reading nook in the loft space. A few miles down the road at Llangrannog, you can find good fish & chips or pub food at the Pentre Arms, but the temptation here is to simply turn up, close the door and leave the world behind.

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Unwind on a beach all to yourself

Saltwater Chronicles looks as if it could have washed up into its current position from the sea. The winding road down to it can be an adventure, but the reward is well worth it. All yours on the sprawling Dunskey Estate are two waterfalls, two lochs and three beaches. Walks along the coastline are sublime, taking you through patches of rhododendrons that surround the lochs, or down a glen, past a waterfall and brook to the beaches from which dolphins and seals are often spotted. For a truly wild experience, wait until the tide is out and wade to the rocks to harvest pepperdulse seaweed, which tastes like oceanic truffles!

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Revel in the wild beauty of Northumberland

Northumberland is rapidly becoming one of our favourite places to visit and The Old Barn’s remote location puts you right at the heart of the national park that makes up most of its centre. Despite the name, the style inside is a pared-back, lightly modernised version of country charm. There’s a four-poster in the bedroom, a wood burner in the lounge and minimalist sophistication throughout, except in the welcome hamper, which is maximalist at its very welcome finest. There’s an enormous amount to do nearby, from Alnwick’s famous Barter Books to Holy Island and the beaches of the east coast, but walking from the door and stargazing in the Dark Sky reserve at night, maybe even throwing in a trip to Kielder Observatory, might be more than enough.

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