Information for those seeking small log cabins

Channel your inner explorer this year by opting to book small log cabins over traditional cottages and lodges. These diminutive stays mean being alone, secluded and downright cosy in the midst of wild nature. You can pick bohemian camping pods or moss-caked shepherds’ shacks, with destinations beckoning all across the British Isles and beyond.

What to expect from small cabins

So, you’re thinking about booking a pint-sized shack for that next escape to the country? Before you go off-piste and get the bolthole you love, consider these 3 features to ensure they are the right sort of stay.

A compact stay

Small log cabins are rarely spacious affairs, just as the name suggests. Preferring authentic looks and traditional design over high square metre counts, they will often be made up of just a bedroom that’s wedged between 2 wooden walls. The upshot is that they are eminently cosy and compact, without many frills but with plenty of character.

A rural location

Being so modest in terms of size means that small log cabins can tuck themselves into a landscape with ease. They often don’t require the same permits as fully-fledged homes, which means you’ll also find them in protected reserves and national parks. That could mean anywhere from the windy fells of the Lake District to the snow-plumed valleys of the Austrian Tyrol.

Shared amenities

It’s also quite common to find tiny log cabins clustered together in their own holiday park. The bonus of doing that is that it’s possible to provide communal facilities like bathrooms, showers and barbecue pits, without having to extend each shack on its own.

The wild Scottish Highlands

Where to find small log cabins in the UK

Settle in the deep glens of Highland or along the salt-sprayed coast of the West Country, just by choosing a log cabin in one of these popular British landscapes.

Scotland has small log cabins

You might find you wake to visions of reflective Loch Ness up by the peaks around Inverness or the silhouetted outline of grand Ben Nevis if you pick a little timber-built bolthole in the Highlands of Scotland. In fact, the sheer remoteness of some of the tiny log cabins north of the border mean they are among the most secluded in all of Britain.

The Lake District has enchanting log cabins

Many a log cabin in the Lake District National Park opens its doors right onto the glistening waters of Lake Windermere. They’ll keep you cosy and snug when the winter brings ice to the shores, and get you right into the middle of Romantic country for summertime hikes to Orrest Head or Rydal.

Small log cabins in Devonshire and Cornwall

The 2 south-western counties of Devon and Cornwall combine to offer small log cabins right by the sea. Even if you have to go a little inland to the moors and the old slate hills, you’re usually never too far from a wave-splashed beach, such as Polzeath, or a fish-scented harbourside like Padstow in these parts.

What sort of travels suit tiny log cabins?

The tiny log cabin certainly isn’t for everyone, though there is a real array of different types of traveller that these compact shacks will tempt. Some ideas are listed below.

Romantic jaunts for 2

Who needs an ensuite bathroom and 50 square metres to get cosy with their loved one? In fact, the smaller size of these stays can often nurture a snug and warm atmosphere, particularly as the wind howls on the Scottish hills outside, or snow falls between the French Alps in the distance.

A weekend in nature

Because they tend to be casual, low-maintenance stays with no minimum booking limit, small cabins really lend themselves to travellers who are keen on a quick 2-day escape from the city. Just think – you can dash out of the office on Friday afternoon and be kicking back with a sundowner while watching the tors of the Peak District fade into the twilight, just a couple of hours later.

Intrepid adventures

The rustic locations of tiny log cabins mean that they are a fine choice of accommodation for outdoorsy types. In the Yorkshire Dales, for example, they can fringe the edge of the wiggling Pennine Way, while America’s log cabins sit near the famous Appalachian Trail, for rambling odysseys along the Blue Ridge and beyond.