SYou may want to arrive at your destination quickly and easily, and then relax. Won’t it be nice to not worry about possible traffic jams on the way or missing your connection? Take a direct train to arrive at your destination.
That’s what these brilliantly accessible boltholes in the UK deliver – they’re all within easy reach of a train station and with everything you might need for a stress-free break on the doorstep.
A wild swimming caban Essex
Ffion and Ollie Speck left their London jobs to renovate the 15th-century hunting lodge in Thorpe-Le-Soken. In addition to renovating the house, the couple built two cabins. The latest addition to the house, The Lakeside Lodge, sits on the edge of a natural swimming pond surrounded by reeds and trees. From London, it’s a direct train (under 90 minutes) from Liverpool Street or Stratford, then a 20-minute walk down a quiet country lane.
The aim is to rest and reset, and there’s a host of pros to help: yoga and breathwork teachers, sound healing, reiki and reflexology (from £55). A cold dip in the pond followed by a sauna session or a warm soak is also possible. An English breakfast hamper with bacon and sausages from the local butcher and eggs from their rescue hens can be dropped off (£25 for two), and on chilly evenings snuggle down in bed to watch classic films on the projector.
Sleeps 2 (and a dog for an extra £20) from £210 per night coolstays.com
A aThe perfect seaside hideaway Cornwall
It’s hard for us to believe that this (now) beautiful decorated, glass fronted hotel was once a shabby, bare building. Little Pembroke It was once an old garage. The cabin’s mezzanine bedroom is the spot to hole up and take in the seascape these days – there’s even an easel and art supplies, should inspiration strike (the big house, Pembroke Lodge, was home in the 1800s to Walter Langley, pioneer of the Newlyn art school).
Penzance, the landing point for passengers arriving by plane Night Riviera Sleeper The best way to get to London is to take a morning sea breeze, followed by a dip into the ocean. Jubilee Pool It is possible to reach the station by direct train from Cardiff (check website) or Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, or even Edinburgh. Little Pembroke can be reached in 10 minutes by taxi, or you can take the bus which stops right down the street.
There are coastal walks and gallery hopping to enjoy. The cabin is nestled peacefully between Newlyn, Mousehole and Penzance. Grab a Beryl (the Cornish-equivalent of a Limebike) in Newlyn or Penzance and explore further. Welcome hampers include Trink milk, butter and sourdough (breakfast is sorted), while a historic maritime pub offers Sunday lunch in front of the fire. The Tolcarne InnOr Mackerel Sky For crab nachos and lemon sole katsu.
Sleeps 2 (plus a baby and/or dog) from £230 A night, littlepembroke.com
Northumberland: Sand castles
Anyone who has travelled on the East Coast Main Line will have glimpsed Northumberland’s spectacular coastline when the train curves towards the North Sea, giving those on the east side of the carriages a front-row seat. But rather than speeding on through, hop off at the village of Alnmouth (3½ to four hours from London, one from Edinburgh, two from Leeds) with its pastel houses and seabirds wading in the Aln estuary.
Two-bedroom apartment overlooking the golf course and the beach. Marine House Cottage It’s only five minutes by taxi (or one mile if you walk, but Scott’s Deli is a good place to get supplies). The raised terrace outside looks out over the sea. In the main bedroom, the window seat is perfect for reading and watching the waves.
The bikes (e-bikes or standard) can be delivered directly to your home. From there, you can enjoy the traffic-free route. Aln Valley cycleway You can either run to Alnwick and train your children to fly broomsticks at the castle (children will love this Harry Potter-inspired activity) or cycle south to Warkworth Castle. Coast and Castles route. Crabtree & Crabtree, cottage specialists in the north of England and south of Scotland, also offer a small black book of additional services. These include private chefs and spa treatments.
Sleeps 4 from £765 Seven nights, crabtreeandcrabtree.com
Funky country house spa in Berkshire
Not all hotel spas are expensive, or hen party conveyor belts. Elcot Park RetreatSignet Collection is a funky and affordable hotel chain. It’s two miles from London Paddington, in the countryside between Hungerford & Newbury.
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There’s little need to leave, with hefty breakfasts and two restaurants, and the hotel has recently pumped up its wellness focus, adding outdoor cold plunge tubs, wood-fired hot tubs and a tented yoga studio to its Himalayan salt sauna, hydrotherapy pool and aroma steam room inside the spa (full use of the spa facilities is included in room rates; massages and treatments from £105).
There’s also a tennis court, heated pool and 6.4 acres (16 acres) of land. The welly wall is a great place to borrow boots for autumn walks in the woods nearby, along the Kennet and Avon Canal, or at the vineyard Winding Wood. Families with dogs and children are welcome. The bunk rooms are equipped with snack pantries and home-baked cookies.
Doubles from £120 B&B, retreatelcotpark.com
There are many ways to support the Sustainable Development Goals. The word “bright” is used to describe the brightest of all. Near Stirling
There are 400 hectares of semi ancient woodland, heath-covered heaths and wet wetlands in the Brucefield Estate It feels very remote, even though it is only an hour away from Glasgow by direct train (to Alloa), then 12 minutes in a taxi, and a half hour more from Edinburgh, including a stop at Stirling.
Three sustainable bothies are hidden in the woods, and named after Scots words for animals that can be found there. Tod (fox), Brock(badger)and Mertrick (mertrick) (pine marten). The mezzanine bedroom has a duvet that is made of plastic bottles. It also features a sleek design with all-Scottish fabrics, including SkyeSkyns shearlings and organic Siabann products.
The biologist-run estate has a 10-year plan to protect and enhance biodiversity, which visitors can learn about on a history and wildlife tour (£40pp). There’s oodles to do: cycling on gravel tracks, outdoor yoga sessions (from £65pp), walks through neighbouring Devilla Forest (look out for red squirrels) or through birch trees to a picnic set up in the woods (from £65 for two). After a day’s exploring, nearby Polly’s Pantry delivers hampers, or chef Douglas MacNair can pre-prepare a feast of local produce to cook over the bothy’s firepit (£75 for two).
Mertrick sleeps 2 from £A night for 145 dollars, kiphideaways.com
Lakeside hotel offers budget accommodations District
Comparing the Lake District to other rural regions, it is incredibly accessible via public transport. Oxenholme is on the West Coast Main Line and less than three-hours from London. It’s also under two hours from Glasgow, and just over one hour from Manchester. There are many local rail and bus services from Oxenholme. Oxenholme is 20 minutes away by train, and Windermere is just two minutes walk. The PennA new hotel concept (no restaurant, no reception) in a stone house dating from the 19th century in the centre of the town.
Check-in by keypad keeps prices down; the smallest doubles are snug, but roomier ones with rolltop baths are only around £30 a night more. Each room is decorated in earthy colors with a jazzy tiled bathroom. In the bedrooms you’ll find a Nespresso, kettle, and mini-Smeg refrigerator filled with soft drinks. Homeground Cafe The following are some examples of how to use Toast For breakfast, you can swim at the lakeshore or climb Orrest Head. This was Wainwright’s first Lakeland walk. If you want to explore further into the Lakes region, Total Adventure Bike Hire The Penn is just a few doors away, or you can take the scenic 555, which runs through Ambleside, Grasmere, and Keswick.
Doubles from £102 room-only, the-penn.com
