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August 2009 - Easy Living Magazine

The Top Ten UK Retreats
August 2009 - Harper's Bazaar

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August 2009 - Easy Living Magazine

reakfast left at your front door, breathtaking views, a chilled bottle of champagne in the fridge and some to make your bed every day sounds like heaven? Welcome to the new breed of luxe self-catering cottages.

The Eco Cabins

Natural Retreats, Yorkshire

Scattered around a blissfully quiet 45-acre corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, you'll find what could be the UK's most glamorous holiday park, a set of 19 glass-fronted wood cabins, which, despite their impressive eco-credentials (think solar panels and recycled insulation), fell indulgent and luxurious a bit like a state-of-the-art penthouse transported into the countryside. Each has three snug, minimalist bedrooms, tucked up with crisp Egyptian cotton and accompanying slate-covered en-suite bathrooms (fed by spring water). The hi-spec open-plan kitchens come with a huge hamper of organic and local gourmet treats (wine, coffee, Taylors of Harrogate tea, eggs, milk and a tasty hunk of Wensleydale).

But the star of the show is the view, framed by enormous floor-to-ceiling windows fronting the lounge and opening out onto a sunny decked dining area. The sight of the rolling hills should be enough to tempt you away from your log fire and flatscreen TV into the wilds of the Yorkshire moors, along the coast-to-coast path which passes nearby, or for a less strenuous potter around historic Richmond a few miles away.

Natural retreats is looking to take its eco-meets-luxury concept to places like Dartmoor, Snowdonia and the New Forest, so it's worth checking for updates of new openings it aims to have 14 set up by 2011.

Well Stocked? 4.5/5

We loved the hamper of local goodies and the great selection of board games (Monopoly, Scrabble and Cluedo, all in mint, no-pieces-missing condition). A daily cleaning service kept everything looking spick and span, and the wood pile was constantly topped up. The only drawback was the lack of DVDs and CDs, for which half a point must be deducted!

The Bottom Line

Two nights in a three-bedroom lodge costs from £360, seven nights from £770, including hamper, linen, towels and logs. Call 0161 242 2970; naturalretreats.com.

Price per person per night: from £18 based on six sharing.

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The Top Ten UK Retreats
August 2009 - Harper's Bazaar

Bazaar rounds up the hottest paces to stay in Britain, from Highlands eco-luxury to Dartmoor boutique charm and Lancashire seaside glamour

Best for Eco-Travellers

Natural Retreats, Yorkshire

What with the colonies of rabbits, and the pheasants, badgers, deer, kestrels and sheep, you don't exactly feel alone at Natural Retreats, in the Yorkshire Dales. But the eco-cabins have been planted with such care on the hillside overlooking Swaledale, amid rangy gorse, hawthorn and elder, that you don't exactly feel crowded, either particularly if you opt for one of the more remote residences, higher up the hill.

The dozen or so wooden cabins genuinely work towards sustainability, but mercifully, they do so without sacrificing comfort or luxury. The walls are insulates with recycled paper, the roofs have been covered with turf and plants to keep in the heat, the electricity supply is from 100 per cent renewable sources, and the water comes from natural springs in the wooded hillside nearby. But unless you're actually interested in all things eco, you need never notice.

In other respects, the fittings and furnishings are five-star gloriously comfortable beds, well-equipped kitchens (with Ecover washing-up liquid, naturally), luxurious ensuite bathrooms and a flatscreen TV, DVD and CD player. There's also a lavish welcome hamper, crammed with organic food and wine, mostly sourced from the local area.

Here you can take pleasure in the simple things; sitting on your deck looking across the spectacular valley to a soundtrack of birdsong, and, in the evenings, snuggling up by the wood-burning stove to watch the twilight gradually dimming through vast floor-to-ceiling- windows.

When not exploring the neighbouring woods and fields (the cabins are set in 54 acres of stunning countryside), stroll beside the fast-flowing River Swale into the nearby Georgian town of Richmond, which has elegant shops, a beautifully preserved 18th-century theatre, and an 11th century castle.

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