Discover the UK’s most amazing self-catering holiday spots now that staycations are back

Today’s rule change means that self-catering staycations are back and better than ever after a very, very long break.

Okay, so you might still have to cook for yourself, but with breathtaking, quirky, and luxurious holiday homes like these available to book, that doesn’t seem like such a hardship.

From windmills to giant conkers, let’s see where you could be staying.

Red Kite Conker, Black Mountains

You’d certainly do well to find another off-grid spherical pod made from aluminium and recycled plastic, clad in copper and boasting bendy windows. Or indeed a double bed that converts into a dining table.

Other perks include a kitchenette, a Scandi-style bathroom and generator electricity. Outside is a deck and firepit, with red kites likely to be soaring above. The nearest mobile signal is a ten- minute walk away, and the nearest pub three miles across moorland.

Departing from below Chirk Castle and immediately crossing an aqueduct, you can stop at remote Whixall Moss to spot dragonflies or unusual butterflies, then continue to Ellesmere’s huge array of birds.

Herons line the oddly named Moscow Island and boaters can detour on to the Montgomery Canal looking for otters or water voles. The Black Prince team will provide a full tutorial and can help you through the first lock.

Couples will enjoy cosying up in the innovative wooden cabin at Beacon Hill Hideaways, which is clad in burnt Siberian larch and offers plenty of countryside views from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area, a balcony for cocktails or coffee, and a patio for al fresco dining.

Facilities on the site include a purpose-built observatory for staring at the night sky, a spa and a gym with indoor swimming pool and sauna.

Along with sea vistas capable of lifting the most sombre of spirits, this eight-person home cheers with seagrass rugs, faded nautical charts and, outside, a garden utilising the former salting cellar.

You can swim from a rocky beach unveiled during each low tide or use the rowing boat to find more hidden Cornish coves.

Set at the end of owner Natalie’s garden, it’s an impressive-looking structure that was one of the last built in England. Today, the millstone and machinery have made way for furniture and TVs cleverly curved to fit the building.

There are two modern bedrooms, a luxury kitchen and bathroom and a top-floor lounge that overlooks a sea of fields. Up there is a a telescope for stargazing, and a wine fridge to reduce schleps up and down stairs. Footpaths link to Lavenham’s timber-panelled tea shops.