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Viva la Villa
April 2009 - Marie Claire

Cabin Fever
4th April 2009 - Urban Life

Cabin Fever
4th April 2009 - Urban Life

Mark Burrow samples the serenity of the Yorkshire countryside in one Natural Retreats' modern rural lodges.

The thought of building a city centre apartment in the middle of a field isn't an idea that would occur to most of us. But as wacky as it sounds, that's exactly what Natural Retreats have done with the first of their countryside bolthole complexes on the outskirts of scenic Richmond, in North Yorkshire.

'Complex' doesn't do it justice though. As our car bounced down the uneven dirt track that led from a winding B-road into what appeared to be little more than a farmer's field, I'd worried about exactly where we were going. But as the trail rounds towards the hillside you've just descended, a dozen or so modern wooden lodges come into view. Barely close enough to one another to call them neighbouring and each one cloaked in floor-to-ceiling glass to give maximum appreciation of their surroundings, each Natural Retreats residences is a contemporary little haven of peace, tranquillity and rather surprisingly, modernity.

Inside they are state of the art, with high-spec kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, and a spacious open plan lounge complete with flatscreen TV (powered by renewable energy) and a rustic log-burner. It's like someone has stolen a penthouse from Manchester city centre, then panicked about how they were going to sell it on and just dumped it in the first meadow they came across.

It's a real sanctuary away from the bustle of city life, without compromising on your home comforts. There's an abundance of great walking and cycling country and the nearby market town of Richmond has great pubs and restaurants (or takeaways if you can't bear to leave the log burner). But the main attraction is rural tranquillity by the tractor load.

Apparently, NR are thinking of selling a handful of these little pockets of heaven, so if weekend serenity is what you seek, you could do a lot worse.

Prices at Natural Retreats start from £30 per person per night, based on six sharing (minimum stay of two nights). Includes linen, towels, toiletries, logs for your wood burner and a welcome hamper.

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