10 of the quirkiest family stays in Britain

Ace any family break by staying somewhere that looks like it’s popped out of a storybook. Even if you’ve only got a few days, the UK has some out-there accommodation that makes for an unforgettable trip, whether you’re tiger spotting, sleeping in a castle prison or a space-age geo-tent, and it doesn’t have to break the bank.

1. Living Room Treehouses, Machynlleth, Powys, Wales

Add a touch of whimsy to your week by staying at one of the treehouses dotted across the UK’s thickets. Among the loveliest are the Living Room Treehouses near Machynlleth, Powys, Wales. These have no electricity, so you can go entirely off-grid: they’re lit by lanterns, lamps and tea lights and warmed by wood burners. The six ‘Living Room’ treehouses are perched 30 feet above the ground, merging perfectly with ancient forest, with spiral staircases leading up to the sculptural, beautifully decorated cabins.

living-room.co; sleeps 4-5, £399 for 2 nights

2. Catanger Farm, Northamptonshire

On Catanger Farm in idyllic pastoral Northamptonshire countryside, you can bed down in either a Gypsy Caravan or a shepherd’s hut, each with a wood-burner. What could make this even more memorable fun for the family? Llamas! There’s a herd wandering picturesquely about, and you can take the llamas trekking, leading them along bridleways and footpaths across the countryside.

llamatrekking.co.uk; sleeps 4, £120 night

3. Osea Island, Essex

Rent your own private island off the Essex coast: Osea Island is only accessible during low tide, over a causeway that dates to Roman times. The island has 550 acres of gardens, orchards, meadows and saltmarsh as well as deserted beaches. Accommodation here has a coolly luxurious Hamptons beach-house vibe, and ranges from snug village cottages to an Edwardian Manor house and 400-year-old farm house with low ceilings  and creaking floorboards. There’s a pool, pool tables and more.

oseaisland.co.uk; from £245 for a 2-person cottage to £2500 for a 20-person Manor House, min 2 nights

4. Seabank, Selsey, Kent

Stay in 19th-century train carriages on the seafront at Selsey: this is train accommodation with a difference: you’re not going anywhere, and you’re bang on the seafront. With two snug bunk rooms, a log burner, and comfortable double bedrooms, this has a retro beach hut décor and lots of vintage charm. There are wonderful sea views and outdoor tables for al-fresco meals overlooking the pebble beach.

seabankselsey.com; sleeps 8 plus a cot £250-300, min 2 nights or one week in July & August

5. House in the Clouds, Suffolk

Set in an acre of grounds in Suffolk countryside, the top-heavy House in the Clouds looks fantastically fictional. It was originally a water tower, disguised as a house, and from a distance it appears as if a red-walled house has lodged in the trees. Converted into an extraordinary holiday let, it has five double rooms plus a sofa bed, with great nooks and crannies for hide and seek, a pool table, tennis, and boules.

houseintheclouds.co.uk; sleeps 10-12, £570-835 per night, min 2 nights, week in Jul & Aug

6. St Briavels Castle, Forest of Dean

You don’t have to break the bank to stay in a castle: the Grade I-listed Norman St Briavels Castle is a youth hostel housed in a magnificent 800-year-old fortification, complete with craggy stone walls and hulking medieval fireplaces, set in the fairy-tale woodlands of the Forest of Dean. Choose from among its “character” rooms, including the prison, with 16th and 17th-century graffiti, and the throne-adorned State Apartment.

yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-st-briavels-castle; 3/6-person room £90/130

7. Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

Warwick Castle looks as a proper castle should: mammoth battlements, turrets,  towers and vast grey arrow-slitted curtain walls. Here families can live the medieval dream, with accommodation in magnificent heraldry-decorated bell tents with four-poster beds, and you can practise sword-fighting and feast like kings in the magnificent banqueting room.  

warwickcastlebreaks.com; sleeps 4 plus a cot; from £250 for 2 nights

8. Dome Garden, Forest of Dean

Feel as if you’ve wandered into the future in the rural countryside with a stay at the Dome Garden’s magical igloo-esque eco-lodge tents near Bristol in the thick woodlands of the Forest of Dean. One of the most spectacular lodges has an elevated flying bed, close to the ceiling windows. The surroundings are glorious, with trees, rope-swings, outdoor ovens, and hot tubs.

domegarden.co.uk; sleeps 4 plus a cot, from £393 for a 4-night midweek stay

9. Balancing Barn, Suffolk

The Balancing Barn is one of Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture properties, an extraordinary place on the edge of a nature reserve close to the Suffolk coast.  The barn juts out over the landscape as if ready to tip like a seesaw, with a swing suspended from beneath, and jaw-dropping countryside views from the windows. Open-plan and coolly designer inside (with a wood burner, natch), outside  there’s a fire pit and plenty of space to roam.

living-architecture.co.uk; sleeps 8, long weekend from £1355, mid-week from £900

10. Tiger Lodge, Port Lympne, Kent

You don’t have to go long haul to enjoy an incredible safari. Toddle along to Port Lympne Safari Park in Kent and you can stay in its sumptuous safari Tiger Lodge, where floor-to-ceiling viewing windows allow you to observe the park’s prowling tigers, while Wolf Lodge has views over the wolf-pack area. Other quirky choices include Giraffe Manor (opening in late 2019) a 15th-century thatched and beamed mansion where giraffes wander around the grounds.

aspinallfoundation.org; Sleeps 4 Tiger/wolf lodge from £1000/400 per night; read a full review of Tiger Lodge