The Sussex Airship is a retro sci-fi-style structure that looks like a spacecraft parked in private woodland in the village of Haven. Unattractive 1990s additions have been removed, and original mouldings and stained-glass windows have been restored. Magic bus, Lake DistrictSleeps 2 | From £100 a night. Sleeps 4. With folding walls that slide upwards and a large outdoor deck, the Danish Cabin, on the coast near Tintagel, aims to make the most of the surrounding wilderness. With 22 bedrooms to choose from, a lighthouse penthouse suite at the top, a nightclub, a hot tub and a laser quest arena (yes, you read that right), No Man’s Fort is definitely one of the most unusual places to stay in the UK. The Treehouse at The Woodlands The pods cost from £150 a night (sleeping four). Filled with quirky period furniture, it’s easy to imagine that you’ve stepped back in time when you holiday here. It’s a great base for exploring the coast and its beaches, and within easy reach of Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. What’s more, every time you book a holiday with us you help to care for these special places for future generations. Artists’ retreat, Welsh bordersSleeps 2 | From £565 a week. The Little Hide is a luxury, adults-only pod … Available for group bookings too. It will have the kids’ eyes out on stalks. A four-mile cycle route links the city with the sea at Morecambe. The trust painstakingly restored its baroque plasterwork, including nine Muses decorating the walls. Airship pod, West SussexSleeps 3 | From £130 a night. With copper fittings and furnishings, and lined with turquoise hexagons, it’s fun, cosy and modern, with tech-y extras such as an air recirculation system to regulate temperature and a bluetooth soundbar, plus a composting toilet, terrace and fire pit. Showers and kitchen facilities are in two separate shelters. Baroque tower, ManchesterRooms 270 | From £95 room-only. Inside, you’ll find classic quirks from the past including arched gothic windows and a cosy open fire. It’s a 10-minute walk to find a phone signal, and shops and a pub are a 10-minute drive. Such was his love of this slice of rural Britain that he moved here with his wife Mary in the 1980s. Operational until 1980, it was renovated in 2005 to create an art deco retreat, with vintage furniture throughout, and period details from a sunburst door to green leather chesterfield chairs and walnut bedroom sets. Sleep in a sphere, Mid-WalesSleeps 2 | From £199 for two nights. There’s an amazing collection of quirky cottages and glamping options on a large estate near Ludlow, with formal gardens and a fine arboretum around the private Walcot Hall. Sitting on a hill above the Wye Valley, it offers views of the Black Mountains from the terrace, and Offa’s Dyke Path, the Wye Valley Walk and the Abergavenny three peaks are all close by. Sleeps 2. Rewild yourself, the CotswoldsSleeps 2-3 | From £89 a night. All rights reserved. Cars have to be left away from the fields, where the camp is tucked into a hollow on the hillside but with a clear view of Whitby Abbey. The boatyard is a 10-minute walk from the market town of Beccles, where the Royal Oak does Neapolitan-style oak-fired pizzas. The interior of the house is decorated in 70s style to reflect the period when it was built, with a quirky monochrome interior and bright orange bathroom. This year it opened Orchard Cottage (formerly the gardener’s cottage) as a holiday let. Modern eco-bothy, LanarkshireSleeps 4 | From £99 a night. The Passive House is an ultra energy-efficient building in Whitstable that uses design principles such as airtight build, thick insulation and natural light and heat. Rennie Mackintosh’s cottage, near InvernessSleeps 6 | From £509 a week. Sleeps 12. Festival vibes and home comforts are what you get at Coast and Camplight, a peaceful off-grid nature camp between Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. The site is solar- and wind-powered, has composting loos and grows food year-round. Magnificent mill, NorfolkSleeps 9 | From £1,103 a week. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! Effective insulation, underfloor heating and a woodburner mean it’s snug all year round, and double-height windows allow guests to take in the view, watch birds on the 30 feeders in the garden, and spot badgers. Sadly, it was one not realised by the great artist himself, who died before he had a chance to live in the curvy white cottage he designed – probably as a future home for him and his wife. Sleeps 2. Unlike its namesake, this boat is thankfully still floating. A woodburner and selection of boardgames and musical instruments give it a homely feel, and the hamper including Welsh cakes and sloe gin is a welcome touch. Stay in one of the last surviving Welsh Cloms, a 17th-century mud constructed cottage. Sleeps: 5. The owners recommend you turn off your phone and listen out for the resident tawny barn owls, paddle in the sea and hike to the pub. Foodie Bridport is nearby too. From luxury villas, country houses and boutique B&B’s, to yurts, treehouses and shepherd`s huts. Experience the high life with a get-together in a luxurious holiday cottage. This unique building has one of the largest fireplaces in England as well as many other original features. The Hobbit Hole is the latest, so new it hasn’t opened yet (booking available from 24 April). If you’re tempted to escape, there are two pubs a 10-minute walk away, and Carisbrooke Castle is nearby. The aluminium, stainless steel and glass structure was created by architects to be self-built, and dismantled and relocated by two people if desired. The current building was originally one of a pair of towers that lined up with Whitby Rock to warn passing ships of the hazard. Sleeps 5. Formerly an ornate race stand for the Earl of Buckinghamshire, The Tower now offers the opportunity to experience life in a mini castle. It is the best resource for reliable safety and security information. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides valuable up-to-date travel advice for British citizens abroad. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. This five-star art-deco hotel in South Devon has been restored to its original … Waterworks retro, South CornwallSleeps 6 | From £550 a week. Romney Marsh is dotted with the remnants of small brick “lookers” – shelters used by shepherds in the 18th and 19th centuries. Activities include yoga, foraging and DJ parties. Sleeps 10. Live Calendar. The driver’s seat has been left in place, which will thrill kids. Inside you’ll find a careful restoration that captures much of Burges’ unique style. Hire a boat at Knockkinny Marina, a 15-minute drive away, to explore on the water, or scramble over the castle ruins and wonderful old yew trees of the National Trust-owned Crom Estate. There’s no excuses – it’s time to be still, look up and reconnect with nature. With views of the dramatic tor-topped Mourne mountains, carbon-neutral Birch Cottage is one of the few cottages in Northern Ireland to hold a Green Tourism Gold award. The Landmark Trust has more than 200 extraordinary buildings to stay in across Britain – including The Music Room, a garden pavilion that dates from about 1730. Looking like an Agatha Christie film set, the luxurious interior of Portland House retains many of the original 1930’s features. Staying in a house designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh would be a dream come true for many art lovers. The blue haze that envelops the Hindwell Valley on a summer’s evening reminded Australian artist Sidney Nolan of the wild landscapes of his homeland. The Cider Works, Dover. Once you overcome the dizzying heights of this clifftop cottage you’ll love the panoramic views of the North Devon coast. Boho garden retreat, LondonSleeps 4 | From £89 a night (based on 2 people). The beach is also popular for rockpooling and safe for swimming. The site is home to chickens and a horse, a silent disco area and a 20-acre field. It’s the perfect spot for wholesome fun: swim in the spring-fed lake; row, kayak or paddleboard; play rounders in the meadow; and toast marshmallows on the firepit. Made from local, sustainable materials, with a composting toilet, it’s on the Minginish peninsula in the island’s south-west, handy for walks and climbs in the nearby Cuillin mountain range and on the coast around Talisiker and Fiscavaig Bay. In 1820, the Reverend Trist built four round thatched cottages in the village of Veryan on the Roseland Peninsula, part of the Cornwall AONB. Bikes are available for hire. Sleeping in a first-class railway carriage from the golden age of steam usually means forking out for a luxury journey, but there’s an affordable option at Coppins Farm in Suffolk, where a steam carriage dating back to 1885 is now a cute escape for four. Now one of them, The Lookers Legacy, has been transformed into a stylish hideaway for two with a timber extension and views across the neighbouring vineyard. Look no further than our historic holiday cottages for a getaway full of historic charm, stories and adventures. Thankfully, the usual bus floor detritus has been replaced by sofas, lanterns, wood burners and beds. Inside there are the usual trappings of the modern retreat – woodburner, bare brick, fur throws, hot tub – but it’s the setting that makes it special. The Birdcage is a 200-year-old former cobbler’s shop, which rises out of the narrow winding streets of Port Isaac. It was renovated by creative agency Nor–Folk, with help from local craftspeople, and sits on the banks of the River Thurne in the Norfolk Broads national park. An easy walk from the cottage takes you to the magnificent Rhaeadr Ddu Falls, an inspiration for generations of writers and poets. An outdoor bathroom provides hot showers, plus there’s a firepit and solar lights. Finn Lough offers a variety of luxurious places to stay, but by far my favourite type of accommodation is the bubble domes, found deep into the forest. Sleeps 2. Sleeps 10. Here are some fine examples of some of the more unusual places to stay in the area - including a converted water tank and a former police station. Grab a slice of Americana in rural Suffolk at the Happy Days Retro Vacations site, where eight trailers – some sleek silver Tradewind Airstreams and Streamlines, others pint-sized, 1970s British models – are decorated vintage style, with bunting and retro graphic-print fabrics. Sleeps 10. Guests also benefit from access to the gardens and parkland after hours. At five storeys, Ebridge Mill pretty much qualifies as a skyscraper in this rural corner of Norfolk, its upper-floor balconies commanding views across the millpond, water meadows and beautiful Bacton Wood beyond. At the moment there is just one big safari tent (five more are planned for next summer), so for now you’ll have the whole 24-acre site to yourself. It has a marble-clad shower, kitchenette, woodburner, firepit and wood-fired hot tub. Sleeping six in two bunks and two fold-out beds, it also has hanging wicker egg chairs, a composting toilet and a firepit. Swim in a “secret lake” and warm up in the sauna. On a quiet stretch of the Broads, Hippersons Boatyard has four brightly coloured houseboats and two curvy wooden pods – one floating, one on land – that offer a chance to spend days on the water spotting otters, marsh harriers and kingfishers. Walking and bike trails, the seaside at Newcastle and Tollymore Forest Park (a Game of Thrones site) are all within easy reach. Our exclusive collection is ever evolving. Or opt for the Horse Box (pictured), kitted out with reclaimed material and with its own herb garden – and views of the mountains from the bed. Guests could walk the Saxon Shore Way, which runs through the nearby village of Stone-in-Oxney, home to the Ferry Inn. Inside, you’ll find classic quirks from the past including arched gothic windows and a cosy open fire. It stands on its own in a grassy field, surrounded by green and pleasant countryside and surrounding fields. Every year we restore and refurbish holiday cottages, bothies and bunkhouses and campsites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. One of the two surviving properties is now Round House East, a cute, Grade II-listed holiday home with a circular sitting room, a bedroom with a vaulted ceiling, kitchen extension and cottage garden. The 1895 baroque-style tower of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel (formerly the Principal) looms over the city centre. Finding a place to stay in London for four people for £100 a night without staying in a hostel is no easy task. Billed as one of the best-preserved cottages in Northern Ireland, Geaglum is a picture-postcard thatched home with a 1950s-style interior – and a Gypsy caravan in the garden. Inside out cabin, north CornwallSleeps 6 | From £235 a night. Guests are encouraged to switch off devices and enjoy the library of design books and a lack of wifi or TV signal (although there is a DVD player), and cook and eat together in the open-plan space. 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