Four fantasy escapes in the UK

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The managers at Atholl Estates, on the outskirts of Dunkeld, already have several self-catering options where small is beautiful across their 145,000 acres. Joining the portfolio this summer are Glen Glack Cabins, five classic one and two-bedroom apartments elevated on stilts overlooking Cally Loch, all the better for leaving the lightest footprints on earth. Most are clad in the (sustainably harvested) larch for which Atholl is famous; all have expansive terraces and contemporary interiors, with fully equipped kitchens, king-size beds, wood-burning fireplaces, and plenty of well-judged tweed touches (along with low-key TVs, for anyone not quite ready to totally switch off). atholl-estates.co.ukfrom £210

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A bit of Australia in Suffolk

Unyoked, the off-grid minicab company founded in Sydney in 2016, lives by its name, with a mandate to provide its guests with high-quality access to unadulterated natural environments (the booking system asks if you’re looking for Calm, Clarity, Creativity or “Nothing specific, I just want a cabin”). After huge success in Australia, it made its UK debut in July last year, taking in North Norfolk, the South Downs National Park and the Black Mountains of Wales. This month it will add three one-bedroom cottages in rural Suffolk.

Isla, Sage and Rocco are an easy train ride from London (to Sudbury, from where it’s a 20 minute taxi ride to the venue). Like much of the Unyoked collection, they are solar powered, with composting toilets. There are forest baths in the surrounding forest, cold water paddling in the creeks within sight, and pizza ovens by fire pits for when a margherita, or some fire-roasted vegetables, is what’s for dinner. unyoked.cofrom £154

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Life by the lake with Japandi cool

The Kabn Company’s business model aligns with that of Atholl Estates, on a smaller scale: two beautifully designed and sustainable off-grid cottages on the shores of Loch Fyne, one hour from Glasgow, two from Edinburgh.

The cabins, separated by 100 m and accessed by a private dirt road, combine Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian rigor; each has an open kitchen-living room (with a small gas hob and pantry stocked with organic oils and spices), an en-suite bedroom (with chemical-free mattresses and toppers), fireplaces, and outdoor ovens. This spring they teamed up with Welsh chef William Hamer, fresh off a stint at Hisa Frankothe much-talked-about culinary destination in Slovenia, offering ‘wild’ cooking classes and dining experiences around the lake. kabncompany.comfrom £235

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Norfolk’s New Cottage Industry

Art dealer Ivor Braka put his name on the hospitality map in 2011 when he opened The Gunton Arms, his Robert Kime-designed room pub, in North Norfolk. He followed it in 2021 with the restoration of The Suffield Armswhich had been closed for nine years and in which, like The Gunton, just a mile away, displays a rotating collection of contemporary art.

To this micro-empire he has just added Suffield Lodge, a cozy four-bedroom cottage within Gunton’s deer park. Once again, the interiors are by Robert Kime, the sloped ceilings and diminutive dimensions warmed by patterned wallpapers, duvets and excess chintz and block-print curtains and knotty sheets. It has been available for booking since last month – Self-catering but can easily be provisioned by The Gunton staff before you arrive if you wish. theguntonarms.esfrom £900 per night, three night minimum stay

@mariahollenbarger