Sheffield Park Garden, East Sussex
Sheffield Park Garden, near Haywards Heath, is famous for its autumn colours – former owner Arthur Soames planted it for the season, with richly hued species such as acer, nyssa and taxodium. Formerly the gardener’s residence, Welbeck Cottage has recently opened to guests, offering out-of-hours access to the estate’s 300 acres of woods and parkland. It’s a magical spot, with winding paths that lead through woods and across bridges to cascades and lakes that reflect the gold and red of the leafy landscape. Inside, the renovated cottage is warm and comfortable, with neutral colours, wooden floors and a twin and double bedroom. Beyond the estate, beautiful Ashdown forest is 15 minutes away for more leaf peeping.
• Sleeps four, from £357 for three nights, nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
The second-largest crown forest in England after the New Forest (and once a royal hunting ground), the Forest of Dean has magical expanses of wild, ancient woodland. The Speech House Hotel is a 17th-century hideaway with 35 bedrooms (some with four-posters) and two restaurants. Forest walking trails start on the doorstep, it’s next to the Cyril Hart Arboretum, and the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail is close by, with art works hidden among the trees. The local tourist board has devised a Leaf Peeping drive guide, listing the hotspots for autumn foliage, while nature lovers can book wildlife “detective” Ed Drewitt for private safaris (up to six people, £100 for two hours or £200 full day).
• Doubles from £57 room only, two-night Autumn Leaves Explorer package from £278 for two for half-board plus packed lunch or cream tea, thespeechhouse.co.uk
The Lizard, Cornwall
Built in 1840, Frenchman’s Creek is a secluded cottage surrounded by dense woods, near the Helford River estuary on the Lizard peninsula. It has been a source of literary inspiration for several former guests, not least Daphne du Maurier, who named one of her novels after the place. Later tenants were Maria Pendragon and Clara Vyvyan: the latter describes the cottage in her book The Helford River. “Often, instead of reading, I would sit gazing out of the window at that wall of trees rising to the sky and feeling the quiet of that place as if it were soft music.” The two-bedroom hideaway can be reached by boat at high tide, or by foot along a path.
• Sleeps four, from £439 for three nights, landmarktrust.org.uk
National Forest, East Midlands
The 200-square-mile National Forest is the biggest environment-led regeneration project in the country: by this autumn, 9m trees will have been planted in less than 30 years, on land once scarred by mining and industry. The Old Stables B&B (pictured) in the pretty village of Packington, Leicestershire, is a comfortable base that’s ideal for families, as there are two inter-connecting, beamed rooms (one with bunk beds) and a colourful library of books and games. Great walks are guaranteed on the 75-mile National Forest Way, which is divided into 12 sections and runs from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to Beacon Hill Country Park in Leicestershire.
• From £80 for a double or £100 for a family room sleeping four, sawdays.co.uk
New Forest, Hampshire
The New Forest is at its most picturesque in autumn, when ancient oak, beech and sweet chestnut trees turn the landscape gold and red, and the annual pannage (when pigs are released to eat acorns) adds to the ambiance. Treetops is a three-bedroom, contemporary cottage in woods on the banks of the Beaulieu River, with a deck for alfresco dining and a woodburner inside. There are plenty of cycling routes and forest walks on the doorstep. Visit during New Forest Food & Drink Fortnight to try local produce, from pannage pork to beer, at various forest destinations.
• Sleeps five, from £731 for three nights, newforestliving.co.uk
Mid-Wales
Sleep in a tent up in the trees at Red Kite Tree Tents, on a private 81-acre woodland estate next to a swift running stream. Featured on George Clark’s Amazing Spaces, the globe-shaped tree tents (the Dragon’s Egg is the higher of the two) sleep two, are well-insulated, with woodburners and comfortable double beds, and are totally secluded and off-grid. Wooden walkways lead to living platforms with outdoor cooking areas and firepits. Spend the days walking through forests and valleys, or mountain biking through unspoiled hills.
• Sleeps two, three nights in Dragon’s Egg from £355, holidaycottages.co.uk
Snowdonia
The small upland hamlet of Rhiwddolion can only be reached on foot – it’s a 10-minute walk up a forest track, passing large flagstones and ancient oaks. There are three remote properties for rent here (the only remnants of a once-thriving community of slate miners): two cottages, Ty Uchaf and Ty Coch, and the former chapel and school room, Ty Capel (pictured). They sit atop a wooded valley above Betws-y-Coed, home of the Snowdonia national park visitor centre. Close by, Fairy Glen gorge will delight children, Swallow Falls are the highest waterfalls in south Wales, and there are several circular rambles on the doorstep, plus plenty of hiking throughout the park.
• Cottages sleep two, three and four, from £259 for three nights, landmarktrust.org.uk
North Wessex Downs, Hampshire
In private woodland on the Hampshire-Berkshire border, Hollington Park Glamping has two vintage-style cabins that are ideal for family campers. It’s a small, dog-friendly site that’s also home to a rabbit, several Indian Runner ducks, chickens, two miniature dachshunds and a great dane, who all enjoy a meet and greet with visitors. The heated cabins have kitchenettes and electricity, plus there’s a shared chill-out space, firepits, and separate showers and composting loos. Beyond the grounds is The Chase, a 143-acre nature reserve next to Woolton Hill village.
• Sleeps two plus two children, from £70, hollingtonparkglamping.co.uk
Near Ennerdale Water, Lake District
Surrounded by fells, ridges and peaks, YHA Ennerdale has wow-factor views across the Lake District from most rooms. It’s a great place for walkers and cyclists, be they solo travellers or large groups. Formerly forestry cottages, the hostel is now an off-grid retreat with hydro-electric power supply and no phone signal or TV. There are private and dorm rooms in the main building, and a beautifully renovated 16th-century camping barn nearby, available for exclusive hire (from £99 a night, sleeps 13, BYO bedding).
• Dorms from £15, private room for four £49, yha.org.uk
Dartmoor, Devon
Designed to look like a giant birdhouse nestling among the trees, The Bird Box comes with a wooden hot tub on the balcony, views of the surrounding woodland from the bed, a little kitchen and a woodburner. For walkers, Dartmoor national park is just five minutes on foot and the old tram line goes from nearby Okehampton village through meadows, woods, and by the river up on the moor; for cyclists, there’s the traffic-free Granite Way. Adventure Okehampton is also just a few minutes’ walk away, offering horse riding, gorge walking, caving, kayaking, river rafting and other activities.
• Sleeps two, from £86 a night, three-night minimum, independentcottages.co.uk
Wye Valley, Herefordshire
For full forest immersion, try Mrs Higgs Lodge, an isolated house with its own private woodlands within a 3,000-acre estate nine miles west of Hereford. Built in 1835, it had been engulfed by the forest (only the chimneys could be spotted, poking through the trees) until its recent restoration. The rustic charm remains: it’s off-grid, with no wifi or phone signal, woodburners keep it cosy, water comes from the original spring well, and bathroom facilities are in a wooden out-house. Soak up the sounds of the forest from the hot tub; look out for deer, owls and badgers; and hike on the extensive network of woodland trails around the estate and into the Wye Valley.
• Sleeps four in two bedrooms, three-night stays from £615, qualityunearthed.co.uk
River Nene, Cambridgeshire
Overlooking a Forestry Commission poplar plantation in the grounds of Island House, The Arc is a spacious but cosy cabin surrounded by nature. Red kites can be seen soaring around the woods, which are also home to otters, muntjacs, herons, kingfishers, badgers, swans and more. Kenneth Grahame is said to have stayed in the main house and could well have drawn inspiration for The Wind in The Willows from this peaceful corner near the River Nene. Days spent walking on the Elton-Nassington-Fotheringhay loop or at Ferry Meadows can be followed by nights in the colourful open-plan space, with its vintage furniture, packed bookshelves and games by the woodburner.
• Sleeps four, three-night weekend from £450, canopyandstars.co.uk
Tamar Valley, Cornwall
Steeped in the history of England’s mining industry, Danescombe Mine, near Calstock, was in operation throughout the 19th century, after which it lay abandoned until the 1970s, when it was restored by the Landmark Trust. The converted engine house now has large, light-filled rooms, and there’s a raised outdoor deck to take in the forested valley view and sound of a stream leading to the Tamar River. A short walk away is National Trust-owned Cotehele, a Tudor house and gardens, and Calstock village and viaduct.
• Sleeps four, from £353 for three nights, landmarktrust.org.uk
Mid-Wales
On a wooded slope above a valley, Treetop Cabin sleeps three among a canopy of ancient oak, beech, ash and lime trees, and a 50-metre-high redwood. It’s right on the Welsh-English border, near Presteigne, with 25 acres of private forest and wildflower meadows to explore – home to roe deer, stoats, noctule bats, woodpeckers and other wildlife. Made from wood from the surrounding valley, the cabin has a terrace with hammocks, a firepit barbecue, a woodburner and a composting toilet. Use of the kitchen and showers is shared with Redwood Valley eco-camp, which runs birdwatching and green woodworking courses. Also nearby are nature trails around Norton Brook; the river Lugg for wild swimming; and, this being in a dark-sky site, the Spaceguard Centre observatory for stargazing.
• Sleeps three, £260 for two nights, pitchup.com
The Highlands
In a secluded corner of the wild, mountainous Balblair Woods, overlooking tidal Loch Fleet, the new Birdwatchers’ Cabin is surrounded by a forested nature reserve. Glass patio doors make the most of the views, and there’s plenty of space, with a smart kitchen and comfortable living and sleeping areas. Trails lead through pine, larch and spruce forests, and wildlife ranges from red squirrels to deer and otters (there’s a bird hide close by too). Breakfast baskets are delivered to the door on request.
• Sleeps four (one double and a sofa bed), from £160 a night, hostunusual.com
Ashdown Forest, East Sussex
Ashdown Forest is where AA Milne created Winnie the Pooh while watching his son, Christopher Robin, play as a boy. On the edge of the wood, the Forest Garden glamping site – half ancient forest and half permaculture garden – runs woodland craft courses, including green woodworking and beekeeping. With lots of edible plants onsite, the team practise “wildcrafting”– harvesting fruit and flowers from their natural habitat, for the breakfasts and lunches served in the cafe. There are two woodburner-heated yurts and four log cabins with kitchens, plus a shared firepit, barbecue and picnic area.
• Sleeps four, from £315 for two nights (£355 weekends), forestgarden.info
Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh
There is a two-mile private woodland trail in the Finn Lough resort, and dozens more around Lough Erne and the surrounding peninsula, which can be explored on foot or by bike (available to rent) and pass by mountain lakes and castle ruins. Alternatively, hire a boat and visit its little islands, sandy bays and river inlets, or take a walk to spot wildlife, including red squirrels and badgers. Finn Lough has catered suites, cottages, lodges and transparent bubble domes, a spa with a lakeside hot tub and sauna, a tennis court and a restaurant serving fish from the lough and the nearby Donegal coast.
• Suites for two from £120 B&B, finnlough.com
River Coquet, Northumberland
At the bottom of a steep, thickly wooded valley sits Brinkburn Mill, depicted by JMW Turner in the foreground of his 1832 painting of Brinkburn Priory, which is just over the garden wall. The mill dates from around 1800 and had been empty for 50 years until the Landmark Trust bought it and began restoration in 1990. The mill wheel and grinding stones are still there inside one of the two bedrooms. Next to the River Coquet is a woodland walking loop, and there are lots of other rambling trails nearby, plus Northumbrian castles and beaches just a few miles away.
• Sleeps four, from £455 for four nights, landmarktrust.org.uk
Galloway Forest Park
Galloway Activity Centre sits just outside the UK’s largest forest, Galloway Forest Park, which was also its first designated Dark Sky Park. The centre has a range of accommodation, from dorm beds in the bunkhouse to yurts and small eco-bothies with hot tubs. Activities available in and around Loch Ken include canoeing, windsurfing, climbing and archery. There’s also guided night-time cycling, and mountain bikes can be hired to explore further into the park’s 300 square miles of varied landscapes – keep an eye out for the resident red deer.
• Dorm beds from £18.50, yurts sleeping six from £93, eco-bothies sleeping three from £385 for a long weekend, lochken.co.uk
Yorkshire Wolds
Just outside the village of Sancton, the North Star Club is a modern retreat in 500 acres of Yorkshire Wolds, inspired by the private wilderness retreats of the late 19th century, known as American Great Camps. Each design-conscious cabin sleeps four to six, and is styled with faux-fur throws, black steel and recycled timber – and one also comes with a roll-top copper bath and sauna. There are barbecues on the terraces and a communal “woodshed”, with a big dining table, sofas, tea and cake and a canopied campfire outside. After a day of walking in the wilderness, group spa packages can be booked for some in-cabin pampering (from £20pp).
• Cabins sleep four to six, from £395 for two nights, northstarclub.co.uk
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