IMAGES: HIGHLAND BASE – KERLINGARFJÖLL; TRAVEL TWO


From top: The Woodman’s Hut in Cairngorms National Park; a cosy lodge at Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll


2 COSY UP IN A SCOTTISH HUT Fantasies of remote living can be indulged


in the Woodman’s Hut — an off-grid timber cabin for two, deep in a forest of Scots pine just outside Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Blonde wood interiors come adorned with a wood- burning stove, Persian rugs and a smattering of books to read by the light of Moroccan lanterns. What the Caledonian foresters of old would make of hot tubs and infra-red saunas is somewhat unclear. Nonetheless, such luxuries are available to guests — both perfect places to recuperate in after chilly hours pacing the foothills of the Cairngorms. Three nights from £504. lazyduck.co.uk


3 CAMP OUT IN A LAVVU A lavvu is ostensibly a kind of tent, but


it’s also a key to understanding the Sámi — Europe’s only Indigenous people. Sámi have used these temporary structures for centuries while on reindeer-herding journeys — lavvu have featured on flags, served as symbols of Sámi resistance and even inspired permanent bricks-and-mortar buildings. Sápmi Nature offers the chance to stay in one such lavvu in Swedish Lapland. Admittedly, modern double beds have replaced animal skins surrounding the smouldering hearths found in traditional tents — but by spending a night inside you can get a tiny taste of nomadic life up on the roof of the world, dozing off to the sound of the Arctic wind rustling the canvas. Two nights from £880. sapminature.com


4 RETREAT TO THE HILLS Bird How is a National Trust cottage set


amid the fells of Eskdale, on the western side of the English Lake District. From the outside, it’s the sort of stoic Cumbrian dwelling that recalls Uncle Monty’s house in Withnail and I — inside, it has all the modern accoutrements to keep its two guests comfy through chilly days. Little windows provide views of dry-stone walls, chuntering Land Rovers and rain-sogged sheep. Should the Lakeland sun emerge, you’re well placed for an expedition up one of England’s steepest roads, Hardknott Pass, which winds directly past the front door. Four nights from £482. nationaltrust.org.uk


5 SLEEP BY THE RAILS Coed y Bleiddiau is a Victorian cottage


whose name translates as ‘the wood of the wolves’. Admittedly, a wolf howl hasn’t been heard in this part of Wales since the Middle Ages, but another sound has since taken its place — the shrill whistle of passing trains. This Landmark Trust property, sleeping four, stands right next to the Ffestiniog Railway — the cottage was built for the railway’s superintendent and has its own private halt (small station). It comes into its own in the winter — guests can arrive here on a seasonal steam train, hunkering down by the cottage’s fireside as snowfall graces the surrounding summits of Eyri (formerly Snowdonia). Four nights from £504. landmarktrust.org.uk


JAN/FEB 2024 165


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180