P

op on your wellies, grab your fishing gear and fire up the barbecue, because a trip to this hideaway is a real return to nature.

Located just a stone’s throw from the River Lyne in Cumbria, the Shank Wood eco cabin is as back-to-basics as it gets. Solidly built out of sitka spruce from nearby Kielder Forest, there are cosy little beds and space for four people – along with a wood-burning stove and solar-powered lighting.

Okay, so there’s a peat toilet and no running water, but who needs all that when you’ve a 140-acre wood on your doorstep?

When it comes to cooking, you could always bring your own steaks for the barbie but we believe that’s cheating. Surrounding the cabin are lots of crisp, clean pools where delicious sea trout and wild brown trout like to sit – making ripe pickings for a delicious dinner.

But it’s not compulsory; you could always spend your day on the porch with a good book instead – or strolling through the woodland trails, which are carpeted with bluebells in summer.

Keep an eye out for kingfishers flitting about by the water…