Our wildest log cabins

There’s remote and then there’s a cabin on wheels that can be moved between several spectacularly beautiful spots in the Lorton Valley. The latter is Hidden Hut and the owners promise to tell you where it is before you set off. In your lofty perch among the dramatic peaks of Cumbria, you’ll find every home comfort needed for a relaxing stay including a pizza oven, hot shower, wood burner, composting loo and outdoor lounge chairs. You’d need to stay for weeks to sample all of the outdoor activities on offer in the Lake District National Park, but the highlight of your visit will be drinking in those epic mountain views through the huge panoramic windows.

Perched on the edge of the Black Mountains, the only sounds you’ll hear at Kingfisher Cabin come from rippling Escley Book outside its front door and the local wildlife. As well as kingfishers, you’re likely to spot otters, owls and a large charm (full marks for that collective noun) of goldfinches as you relax on the veranda. There are twenty acres of biodiverse land to explore around the log cabin, a rowing boat for setting sail down the river and some awesome hikes along The Cat’s Back ridgeway. For a day out, try kayaking on the river Wye followed by a visit to the quirky, book lover’s paradise of Hay-on-Wye for some cultured mooching.

The Wildekin Cabin feels like it’s grown straight out of the ground to nestle among the apple and cherry trees that surround it. The neighbourhood sheep, Highland cows, horses, badgers and deer barely seem to notice the log cabin is there so it’s easy to observe nature’s comings and goings from the wild garden outside. Start each morning with a hearty Scottish breakfast gazing out of the picture window at the vast skies and majestic Pentland Hills. You’ll find it hard to believe that you’re only 25 minutes from Edinburgh. Spend your days apple picking and walking in the hills, then, when the sun goes down, cuddle up in front of the wood burner with sheepskins, board games, blankets and some mellow tunes on the record player.

Deep in the mighty Cairngorms, Ishriach Loghouse is surrounded by acres of mature woodland and pasture, but refreshingly few other humans. If you’re looking for adrenaline fuelled days in the Scottish wilds you’ll be spoilt for choice with white water rafting, climbing, mountain biking and canoeing on offer. Your rustic log cabin is a sanctuary to return to at the end of each busy day in a state of happy exhaustion, just in time for a session in the recycled horse box sauna. Not to mention, a glass of the owner’s small batch Speyside gin before you drift off to sleep in your cosy mezzanine bed under the eaves.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of an organic farm in Devon, your shoulders will drop and your smile widen as you approach Gosling Lodge which sits on the edge of a tranquil pond, screened from view by trees. On warm days, you can splash around in the boat, enjoy a glass of wine on the jetty and sunbathe on the veranda. In chillier seasons there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book in front of the wood burner. Striking the perfect balance between seclusion and accessibility, you’re a pleasant thirty minute stroll through the fields to the historic town of Bradninch, a short drive to a lovely gastro pub at Clyst Hydon and a little further to the Blackdown Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. For a day out, the eateries of Exeter and watersports at Exmouth are within easy reach.