Wild Pear Shepherd’s Hut, Devon
This wooden, wagon-shaped rental takes its name from the nearby secluded cove of Wild Pear Beach – said to be popular with naturists. The hut, and its sister Copperas, each sit in private clifftop sections of Lydford Farm, above the north Devon coast, between Ilfracombe and Combe Martin. There are several other sandy coves within walking distance, including Broadsands, and at the foot of the hill is the natural harbour of Watermouth Bay. The small hut has one double bed, en suite bathroom, kitchenette, woodburner and firepit barbecue outside. Berrynarbor is the closest village, with a community-run shop, and there are several pubs within a 15-minute walk. Nearby, there’s also plenty of hiking, biking, kayaking and more along the South West Coast Path and in Exmoor national park.
• Sleeps two, from £56 a night (minimum two-night stay), classicglamping.co.uk
Ty Cwch Beach House, Cwmtydu, Pembrokeshire
Made from repurposed shipping containers, the remote Ty Cwch Beach House makes a great base for exploring the Ceredigion coast. It includes three separate sleeping cabins (each for up to four people), with two shared bathrooms, a kitchen-living space downstairs and a deck for barbecues. It’s right on the coastal path and next to sandy Cwmtydu beach, which has a cafe. Various equipment is available onsite and local adventure instructors can be booked through the property, for guided hiking, cycling, coasteering, kayaking and surfing. New Quay, a 15-minute drive away, has several restaurants, pubs and fishing and wildlife boat trips from the harbour.
• From £120 a night per cabin (sleeps up to four), or from £260 a night for the whole property (sleeps 12), glampingly.co.uk
Whitstable Fisherman’s Huts, Kent
These 150-year-old fisherman’s huts on Whitstable seafront have been home to yachtsman, blacksmiths, antiques dealers and seafaring families over the years. The 14 two-storey huts reopened last year as converted holiday rentals, with compact interiors, including kitchenettes, and traditional exteriors with black panelling and green shutters. The smallest sleeps two adults and the largest four adults and two children, all with breakfast included (served in the Hotel Continental, a 10-minute walk away). The huts are just metres from the beach and a few minutes’s walk from independent shops, cafes and restaurants, including the Whitstable Oyster Company.
• From £85 B&B, whitstablefishermanshuts.com
Hillrise Cottage, Cley, Norfolk
The upper floors of this brick-and-flint cottage look over Cley salt marshes to the north Norfolk coast, from Wells-next-the-Sea in the west to Cromer in the east. It sleeps eight in four bedrooms (three doubles and one bunk), and includes a cosy living area with a woodburner, and seating in the split-level garden. The coastline is varied: the nearest beach is shingle, less than 20 minutes away on foot. It’s a good place to start a windswept walk to Blakeney Point for seal-spotting on the nature reserve. Cley next the Sea, a 10-minute walk the other way, has two pubs, a smokehouse, deli, bookshop, gallery and the famous Cley windmill, which serves a seasonal Norfolk tasting menu (£32pp, booking advised).
• From £127 a night, norfolkcottages.co.uk
Star & Garter apartments, Falmouth, Cornwall
The waterfront Star & Garter, on Falmouth High Street, has added a third apartment above the pub. As with the other two – which opened in 2017 – it also has a sea view, though Starboard has two bedrooms rather than one. All have smart but comfy living spaces and small kitchens, and come with a welcome hamper of fresh bread and cakes from the local bakery. It’s a 20-minute walk from the sandy beaches of Gyllingvase and Swanpool, and close to where the passenger ferry sails across the Fal estuary to the town of St Mawes and the Roseland peninsula. The pub serves locally-caught fish, and meats cured and smoked on site, and has live blues on a Monday and a bottomless brunch on a Saturday.
• On bedroom apartment from £120, two bedroom from £221, two-night minimum, book at i-escape.com
Walden Lodge, Vale of Glamorgan
The decked porch and large windows of this new wooden cabin are designed around views that look out to the Glamorgan coast and Somerset’s Quantock Hills. Inside, there are two bedrooms (one double, one bunk), a woodburner in the living area, local art, stripped-back Scandi-style decor, and a firepit outside. It’s on 7½ acres at Tresilian Wood, and part of the Hide at St Donats, which has several other lodges, along with the Pavilion, serving breakfast, drinks and local cheese platters in summer. The National Cycle Route 88, Dunraven Bay for surfing, and walking routes around the Jurassic coast cliffs are close by.
• From £130 a night, canopyandstars.co.uk
2 Anchor Cottage, Walberswick, Suffolk
This cottage is new to rent from this summer and has wild marshlands, sand and pebble beach, and a crabbing bridge nearby. It sleeps six in three bedrooms, with one double in the separate summer house outside. There’s also a large lounge with a woodburner and a sauna in the garden. Two pubs are a few minutes’ walk away: The Anchor, for West Mersea oysters and woodfired pizza, and The Bell, for seafood and local brews. The Black Dog deli and the Parish Tearoom are also close by. A short ferry ride over the River Blyth takes you to Southwold, for shops, cafes and fish and chips on the pier.
• From £93 a night, suffolk-secrets.co.uk
Calder Cottage, Embleton, Northumberland
Miles of dunes and beaches are just a few minutes away from Calder Cottage, close to Embleton Bay. There are views from the kitchen across the fields to the sea and the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle. Inside, there’s one double room, and art exhibition posters on the walls, including from shows by American sculptor Alexander Calder. The village pub, the Blue Bell Inn, with a pizzeria attached, is opposite the cottage – a good option after a day exploring further along the coast, round the harbour villages of Low Newton-by-the-Sea or Beadnell Bay for watersports.
• From £120 a night (minimum three nights), crabtreeandcrabtree.com
Puffin Tiny House, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides
Small and remote, this new retreat is five minutes on foot from the silver shores of Northton and Scarista. Seabird murals cover the ceiling and interior walls, echoing the surrounding wildlife-rich coastal region, which includes seals, porpoises, otters and eagles. The driftwood-edged bolthole sleeps two, with a small en suite, kitchen-diner and garden. Nearby, there’s Hobbit house-esque Temple Cafe for homemade cake, and the Anchorage on Leverburgh pier for scallops and lobster.
• From £90 a night, oneoffplaces.co.uk
Fortune houseboat, Bembridge, Isle of Wight
You can’t get much closer to the coast than a houseboat. Fortune is a new eight-berth vessel moored close to Bembridge. The nautical blue-and-grey theme of the exterior continues inside, with a light-filled open-plan living space leading to a terrace and, on the lower deck, four bedrooms with porthole windows. The village has several shops including a fishmonger, a bakery and farm shop, plus cafes and pubs, such as The Pilot Boat Inn and The Crab and Lobster. The main beach at Bembridge is pebble and shell, with sand at low tide. Further up the coast, there’s bucket-and-spade-friendly beaches at Appley in Ryde and Sandown Bay.
• From £171 a night (minimum seven-night stay, sleeps eight), classic.co.uk
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