Rejoice – we can go on holiday again!
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
There’s glamping and there’s this. On a hillside in a pastoral pocket of Mid Wales north of the Black Mountains, the futuristic Red Kite Conker reckons to be a world first – and probably is.
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.
Two nights from £360, glampingly.co.uk.
Canal Boat on the Llangollen Canal, Shropshire to Wales
No experience is required for a slow-paced narrowboat cruise along the wildlife-rich Llangollen Canal through Shropshire to Wales.
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.
Seven nights on a six-person boat from £1,529, black-prince.com.
Beacon Hills Hideaway, Northumberland
Hide from the world in this modern treehouse tucked away on the south side of a 40-acre beech wood on a farm in Northumberland.
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.
Four nights from £748, premiercottages.co.uk.
Ropehawn, Cornwall
There are two ways to access Ropehawn, a fisherman’s house turned upmarket cottage south of St Austell – by boat, or via a steep, 200m woodland path from the nearest road. Its sense of privacy is further enhanced by the absence of any other visible properties.
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.
Four nights from £2,230, boutique-retreats.co.uk.
The Windmill, Suffolk
Fancy staying in a windmill? There’s an adults-only one for hire in deepest Suffolk.
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.
Two nights from £825, thewindmillsuffolk.com.
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