Glamping places to get to by train from Birmingham

Light the wood burner and relax in the king-sized bed made from the very forest you can see from the treehouse. Watch a film, or curl up in the cabin bed nooks, secretly tucked away beside the wooden spiral steps leading up to the bathtub – there’s a little window up there so you watch the sun setting as you soak. A second bathroom (quite the luxury when living up in the trees!) has a shower and flushing loo. From the private hot tub, you can stargaze uninterrupted until your fingertips are wrinkled.

There’s a direct train from Birmingham New Street to Worcestershire Parkway which takes 28 minutes, with a 20-minute taxi the other side. There’s a small welcome hamper provided, but if you need a larger shop done the hosts can do a supermarket order for you. If you don’t feel like cooking, you can always take the half hour walk to The Queen Elizabeth pub!

Padding about in Adder Treehouse is an exercise in meditation, with clutter-free, light and airy spaces pushing your focus to beautiful design, and the incredible wilderness around. Indoors, you’ll find the bedroom, where you’ll pair the coffee station with the reading nook and set a crackling log fire in the burner for a soundtrack. Outdoors, you’ll find the kitchen on the covered deck, for cooking in the fresh air come rain or shine. It’s also where you’ll spy the loungers by the BBQ fire pit for those lazy afternoons in the sun, or late nights toasting marshmallows. And right at the edge of the deck, sits the outdoor bath, where you’ll sink slowly into steaming water, and watch the birds swoop over the rewilded wetlands.

Getting here’s as easy as taking the train from Birmingham New Street to Gloucester, which takes 55 minutes, with a 20-minute taxi the other side. You can also order amazing food hampers, if you order five days before arrival.

Perched in its own elevated clearing in the heart of the Ebworth Valley and beech woods. Make fresh cups of tea on the wood burner to enjoy steaming on the covered deck, or you could make use of the three different seating areas outdoors – following the trail of the sun across the sky and matching its pace with appropriate sundowners. Only wander as far as the wooded fields around, or even closer – an evening spent ignoring the world in the Japanese plunge bath, where you could easily forget your own name, let alone hectic city living.

It's a simple ride from Birmingham New Street to Gloucester Station, at just 55 minutes, with a 25-minute taxi ride the other side. The basics for cooking are all there, and a welcome pack’s included too! If you need anything else, take the two-mile stroll to the village shop, or get a supermarket delivery. If cooking’s not on the cards, do the ten-minute walk to The Butcher’s Arms in Sheepscombe.

Reached through the walled vegetable garden, it feels nicely private, and looks out onto a pond, fields and a disused Victorian cricket pavilion. First priority will no doubt be to make full use of the wood-fired hot tub, but there’s a lovely little patio area to sit out on too. Rustle up meals in the outdoor kitchen on the deck, or the outside BBQ, which has a cauldron hanging over and a dedicated frying pan.

If you fancy a break from cooking – or a pint of local ale – wander over to the Red Hart Inn, literally just down the road. Come back to your private cabin to slow down and decompress in the hot-tub or with a hot cuppa and a good book by the wood-burner. At an easy 55 minutes from Birmingham New Street to Gloucester Station, and a 25-minute taxi from there, it’s a breeze to get to.

Perched among oak trees on the edge of an ancient woodland, it has breath-taking views of rolling hills and valleys and the Black Mountains of Wales beyond. Find a welcome hamper with local biscuits, crisps, seasonal fruit, apple juice and cider; vegetables are usually available from the organic garden too. Open the bifold doors in the morning and hear birdsong pour in and enjoy breakfast on the deck – ask Zac about ordering freshly baked bread, eggs and honey from his neighbours. You can easily while away the day on the hammock or reading next to the wood burner or watch the sunset with a view of seven counties from the nearby Garway Hill and return for a session in the wood-fired hot tub.

When it comes to dinner, cook up a storm in the fully equipped kitchen, fire up the combined barbecue/pizza oven or stroll to the pub, The Fountain Inn, a minute’s walk away. Getting to and from here’s easy – just head from Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury Station, which takes just over an hour, with a 20-minute taxi the other side.

Sitting on a hilltop in front of a view of the Black Mountains you have to see to believe. Sit on the log seats or lazing in the hammock and deck chairs, or pull the cover off the hot tub sunk into the deck and slide into the steaming water. The record player comes with a selection of 78s, but also spans the musical ages, playing radio, CDs and even hooking up to an iPod. It sums up the atmosphere of the wagon, which invites you to switch off for a little, or at least only switch on the things that will add to your relaxing stay.

The path just over the lane leads to a climb up to a trig point, where you can see seven counties. Head out here from Birmingham New Street Station, arriving at Hereford in an hour and half, and take the 20-minute taxi to the space. The essentials, like salt, pepper and cooking oil and a few extra bits are provided – but if you’re feeling lazy take the mile walk to The Fountain Inn.

Tucked away in a dingle, Owl Treehouse is hiding amongst the trees. Spend your days by the fire pit – sheltering in the dingle or earning an appetite as you cook on the BBQ grill. Wander the 12 acres on site, spot farm animals or follow the stream, but the best ways to unwind might be found indoors. Curl up, book in hand, in the reading window. Or melt into the impossibly seductive wooden bath that sits at the foot of your king-size bed.

It's a nice simply hour and ten to get here, and a 25-minute taxi. A welcome pack’s included, and there’s even local and handmade ready-meals are available to buy from the hosts. But supermarkets also deliver to the space! You could explore the local Picklescott down the road, or Pop into The Bottle and Glass pub for some good food and a pint as reward for the journey, and you might even bump into the local craftspeople that made Owl treehouse possible.

Feel at one with the wood in your cosy bed in the roof, with the gentle creaking of timber to lull you to sleep, a different view from each window and a pot belly stove to warm you. Cross the rope bridge to stoke the fires for s’mores and cook in the Dutch oven or use the practical kitchen for more adventurous suppers. Wash up to views of the moors from your own private wood-fired hot tub – you’re off-grid, but there’s hot and cold running water straight from the hills.

Head here from Birmingham New Street Station, arriving at Wrexham General, which should take an hour and forty, with a 22-minute taxi the other side. Margaret and Jenny run a food company, so you’ll be well fed here and they’re more than happy for you to roam around their 300 glorious acres. When it’s wet play games in the caravan, or head to The Crown for posh pub grub in front of the fire.

Your only neighbours here are the longhorn cattle, quietly munching, and an abundance of wildlife. Inside the yurt you can spread out on kantha rugs or sheepskin-covered chairs, find thoughtful books to read, and stare at the sky through the transparent ceiling – wonderful on starry nights. You may be out in nature here, but there are delightful nods to luxury – proper champagne glasses and a well-kitted out kitchen with oven and hob, running hot and cold water, cosy towels and a heated towel rail in the shower room.

Hop on the train at Birmingham New Street, and alight at Shrewsbury to take a 20-minute taxi. It’s as easy as that. The village pub, The Mill at Leighton, is a five-minute walk across fields for real ale and hearty pub grub. Though supermarkets will deliver if you like. Whilst you wait for you partner to cook dinner, why not have a hot bath on the deck– at dusk and dawn there are often breath-taking views of the mist rising from the valley floor.

Overlooking the Malvern Hills, perched on stilts among the trees and hidden from everyone, is a cabin that combines elegance, simplicity and adventure in a perfect balance. The king-sized bed and modern bathroom facilities give you comfort to relax into the gentle rural rhythms, while the barbecue and the smoker give you the chance to cook and cure like a true woodsman and, if you’re really feeling the frontier vibe, owner Will can give you classes in woodworking.

An hour and ten from Birmingham New Street to Great Malvern Station, it’s just one 25-minute taxi ride further. You can order up a breakfast hamper, a pizza pack for the barrel oven or a ready-made meal from Myrtle’s Kitchen. Then, run yourself a bath outside on the deck or lie on the chaise longue, doing nothing but dozing, snacking and letting the peace of the English countryside flow through you.