Take a mental holiday this summer and treat your mind to some screen-free solitude with these luxurious but back-to-nature breaks
A chic cabin stay near Petersfield
If you’re prepared to give up your home comforts but not to sacrifice on style, then these
chic cabins in the heart of The Meon Valley are the perfect choice for an off-grid getaway with vintage flair.
The cabins, which have been handcrafted from reclaimed cedarwood and sleep two people, feature beautifully pared-back interior design with soft neutral colours and natural materials, allowing the views to take centre stage.
Each sits in its own field, allowing for total privacy, and is surrounded by 2,500-acres of farmland, meaning you can take a bath in the outdoor tub, safe in the knowledge there’s not a neighbour for miles.
Despite the remoteness, there are some modern comforts - electricity and hot water is powered by solar energy meaning you can make yourself a cuppa without having to start a fire. But with no WiFi for your phone or tablet, you can wake to a serenade of birdsong, lie back in bed and watch wild hares leaping across the field as the sun comes up, then breakfast outside while soaking up views across the valley.
From £150 to £180 per night (two nights minimum), kiphideaways.com
Hanging out up a tree near Andover
Leave all the stresses of adult life behind you and escape to a nostalgic childhood setting among the treetops. Overlooking the award-winning Hampshire vineyard, Black Chalk, the Wild Escape treehouses at Fullerton Farm have been meticulously designed and built using local materials and cutting-edge techniques that minimise the impact on the lovingly tended and unspoilt land they sit within.
Scandanavian in style, the treehouses encourage guests to get back to nature and revel in the simple things; there’s a giant bathtub outside, an abundance of birdlife to listen to and, because you’re positioned six metres up, you’re at a vantage point to take in the very best of the views.
Beyond the vines there are cows and sheep grazing in the fields, deer herds that might go wandering by and, if you’re quiet, you’ll almost certainly see and hear the resident badgers trying to take a nibble on some grapes.
You can spend an entire weekend hidden away in the comfort of the canopy or venture down to solid ground and explore the local area with a vineyard tour, leisurely walk along the River Test, or even a truffle hunt when in season (usually November and December).
From £272.50 per night for two people, wildescapes.com.
A forest escape in Sheet
Set in the heart of the South Downs National Park and surrounded by woodlands, Adhurst Wood is an ecological treasure trove run by Guy and Alison Lubbock.
Featuring a collection of six yurts and a ‘Coppicer’s Cabin’, all set in their own secluded spot within the ancient woodlands, it’s the perfect spot to get close to nature – wild deer roam and have been known to come right up to the sleeping spots.
Like a scene from an Enid Blyton novel, kids and four-legged friends alike can have fun discovering an abundance of hiding spots among the trees and there’s even a stream to dip your toes in. While the kids explore and go on the hunt for the zip wire, there are a range of courses adults can enjoy – from basketry to fly fishing.
This dog-friendly off-grid hideaway is all about getting back to basics – there’s no electricity or WiFi, outdoor kitchens and showers and compost (sometimes shared) toilets. But there are also little luxuries, such as double beds, and one of the yurts and the cabin have roll-top baths. The cabin even has a leather couch, where you can curl up by the indoor woodburner and read your favourite book, under the twinkle of solar powered fairy lights.
Yurts from £187 per night and Coppicer’s Cabin from £272.50 per night (minimum two-night stay). Book through canopyandstars.co.uk, pawsandstay.co.uk or direct at adhurst.co.uk
Down on the farm in Alton
Will and Anna Brock have been hosting guests at Manor Farm, their homestead hideaway in Alton, since 2006 and together with their children, Daisy and Bertie, they farm cattle, sheep and arable crops.
Guests can jump aboard the Brock’s family farm buggy for a tour and to check in on the animals each day (even several times a day during lambing season); hunt for wood in the hedgerow to build a campfire; admire the views across fields of wheat, barley, rapeseed and lavender; and, if the weather turns grey, head under canvas and enjoy a board game or two.
Inside the canvas tents are adorned with candelabras and each has its own en suite facilities, outdoor pizza oven and some have rustic wood-fired hot tubs.
When night falls, it’s all about toasting marshmallows around the campfire and a few rounds of Kumbaya.
From £159 per night, featherdown.co.uk/manor-farm-hampshire-hampshire
A replica chapel near Waterlooville
There are shepherd huts and then there’s St Bride’s shepherd hut at Wallops Wood, in Hambledon, which has been fitted out to look like a chapel. The iron ‘Church in the Woods’ on Bramdean Common, built in 1883, was the inspiration for this tiny glamping house, named after the printers’ church near Fleet Street, where the previous owner worked.
Set in its own little garden, with picket fence and gates connecting it to the meadow beyond, this quirky hideout has gothic-style arched windows and doorways, chapel chairs with bible boxes and a spire.
Little luxuries come in the form of an en suite bathroom with gas-run shower, a woodburning stove and there’s even a small solar panel on the roof providing enough power to charge your small electrical items but who needs that?
Touches like a welcome pack with marshmallows for toasting on the fire, breakfast baskets and doggy treats for four-legged friends, add to the charm.
Prices from £195 for one night (includes 25% discount), £30 per dog (up to two welcome) wallopswoodglamping.co.uk/
