//Paid partnership with Unique Hideaways//
Have you ever been glamping before? Unique Hideaways is all about curating some of the loveliest wild places to escape to in the UK that combine the back-to-nature feeling of camping with a few more mod cons – think comfy beds, hot showers and wood stoves. I love their curated collections for easy trip planning – pick snug shepherd’s huts, cosy log cabins, even a totally unique houseboat. You can even search for dog-friendly places if you want to bring a four-legged friend. Perhaps it’s because The Magic Faraway Tree was my favourite book as a child, but I’ve always loved escaping to treehouses and cabins in the woods like the peaceful Tree Tops Cabin, tucked away on the Cornish coast.
An escape to Tree Tops Cabin, Cadgwith, Cornwall
Make your way down to the remote Lizard peninsula in Cornwall and you’ve gone about as southwesterly as you can in the UK without stepping off the map. This wild corner of the country is edged with tall cliffs, glorious beaches and traditional fishing communities, drawing surfers, swimming hikers and those just seeking a little peace and quiet. You’ll find plenty of tranquillity at Tree Tops Cabin, a snug bolthole built for two tucked that has the best of both worlds – an eyrie among green trees but with the ocean waiting literally around the corner.
Step inside the cabin to find one snug room, painted in calming greys reminiscent of the ocean that’s just around the corner and with a king-size bed and a squashy sofa facing a crackling wood stove. There’s a cosy kitchen tucked away to the right, and a bright bathroom (with a steamy shower for warming up post sea-dip) to the left. While the cabin is cute and compact, the floor-to-ceiling windows fill it with light and a view of the valley, and really make you feel like you’re up in the trees. On a sunny March morning it was bliss to wake up and have a coffee with a view, while birds flocked to the feeder on the veranda.
When the sun is shining, you’ll want to spend all your time soaking it up on the wide veranda, a sun trap set among the trees perfect for a cuppa with a book or an evening barbeque. Although the owner’s cottage is next door to the cabin, you’re well hidden here – all you can see is the green valley and the tree tops (although at one point the owner’s pet rabbit hopped through the cabin’s gate to say hello) and all you can hear are wild birds and the far-off rumbling surf of the ocean.
Exploring the Cornish coast from Tree Tops
It’s hard to tear yourself away from the peace of the cabin, but if you want to stretch your legs or go for a bracing wild swim, just steps away is the charming fishing village of Cadgwith and miles and miles of the glorious Cornish coastline stretching away in both directions, hugging the Lizard peninsula. Walk to the left of the village to reach Kennack Sands, a great surf spot, or to the left to reach pretty Church Cove (I walked both, a 12km hike on the South West Coast Path that makes the perfect day exploring the Lizard on foot). Further around the coastline is Kynance Cove, often called one of the most beautiful beaches in the country for its dramatic rocks, while sand and jewel-green water – seek out its hidden mermaid pool among the rocks at low tide for a wonderful wild dip. Back home in Cadgwith, the 400-year-old Cadgwith Cove Inn is the perfect spot for a cream tea of an afternoon or a beer in the sunshine before you head home to your cabin in the trees. Do days in Cornwall get better than that?
A stay at Tree Tops Cabin costs from £68 per night, sleeps two
Unique Hideaways offer hundreds of beautiful boltholes and luxury glamping escapes across England and Wales, ranging from a charming old tabernacle in Devon to a super-modern eco cabin in the heart of Wales and a stargazing retreat on the Isle of Wight. The hard part is deciding which special site you’d like to escape to the most.
Find more special places to stay from Classic Cottages, Unique Hideaways’ sister company.
