Is there anybody out there? The world’s most remote homes

The most isolated dwellings in the world

Craving peace and undisturbed solitude? Then you'll love these off-grid abodes. Cut off from civilisation, far from the madding crowd and as secluded as they come, they offer the ultimate respite from hectic modern life. Join us as we take a trip well off the beaten track and explore 10 remote residences situated in the back of beyond, from isolated moorland dwellings in the UK to a remarkable desert home in Spain and lonesome island properties in America, Serbia and Iceland.

The Skiddaw House in Bassenthwaite, England

Skiddaw House in the picturesque Lake District was described by writer Hugh Walpole as “one of the loneliest dwelling places in all the British Isles”. The novelist was so taken with the property's majestic, eerie isolation that he set a gruesome murder scene there in his 1932 novel The Fortress. Located 1,500 feet above sea level and set among the sweeping, treeless Skiddaw forest in the romantically desolate lands known as Back o’Skidda, the foreboding property was built in 1829 as a hunting lodge for George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont.

The Skiddaw House in Bassenthwaite, England

Over the years, the isolated six-bedroom, six-bathroom property has served as a hunting lodge, a shepherd’s dwelling, a field centre for school trips and a ramblers' bothy. More recently, it was reinvented as a rough-and-ready youth hostel, where ramblers bed down in shared rooms for just £28.50 ($35) a night. Accessible only by foot or 4x4, Skiddaw House is completely off-grid, relying on solar power and spring water, and employing wood-burning stoves and sheep's wool insulation to keep out the chill. And you can totally forget about getting a mobile signal or broadband internet in this bunkhouse in the sticks.

The Skiddaw House in Bassenthwaite, England

Cumbrian sheep farmer Gavin Bland bought the property in 2015, subsequently leasing it out on a peppercorn rent to the Youth Hostels Association until 2027. Bland attempted to sell Skiddaw House in 2021 for £1.5 million ($1.8m) but it failed to sell, likely due to the price tag, long hostel lease and other factors such as the home's remoteness. It did, however, become the sixth most-viewed property on Rightmove that year.

The Skiddaw House in Bassenthwaite, England

The house was put up for sale again last November with local agency Mitchell's Land & Property, which described it as “the most remote home in England”. This time, however, Bland threw in a whopping 3,000 acres of land, including the world-famous summit of Skiddaw Mountain, two further peaks and the entire Skiddaw Forest. A buyer was found and the property was snapped up for an undisclosed figure—though, according to The Guardian, the asking price was in the region of £10 million ($12.3m).

The former railway worker's cottage in Ribblehead, England

Found above Ribblehead, in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales, 3 Blea Moor Cottages is among the other contenders for the loneliest and least accessible house in England. Located beside the Settle to Carlisle line, not far from the banks of the River Dee, the house was one of three railway workers' cottages constructed in the 1940s by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The other two properties were demolished years ago, leaving the cottage all alone on the windswept moor. The nearby signal box is still operational, however, making it one of the most isolated in the UK that Network Rail continues to staff.

The former railway worker's cottage in Ribblehead, England

Like Skiddaw House, the property is reached only by foot or 4x4, though a quad bike could also get you there. The nearest parking spot is located a good 20-minute walk from the home. It's also completely off-grid, with no mains gas, electricity or sewage. The cottage was formerly owned by recluse John Myerscough, who was known locally by his nickname Hippo. Something of a hoarder, in 2010 he was ordered by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to remove junk he'd dumped around the property, including two shipping containers, a caravan and a plethora of tyres, wheels and household waste.

The former railway worker's cottage in Ribblehead, England

Evidently resourceful, Myerscough powered the property with a windmill and generator, used Calor gas cylinders and a stove for cooking and heating, and had water transported to the remote property by trailer. The cottage, which is in dire need of modernisation, went on the market last summer with Fisher Hopper at an asking price of £300,000 ($368k), but with interest thin on the ground, the price was recently slashed by £50,000 ($61k) before being taken off the market. According to the listing, the property has the potential to be converted into a “private holiday home; unique AirBnB style experience; bunkhouse or refreshment stop on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge route".

The former railway worker's cottage in Ribblehead, England

Given it's on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge route, though, the buyer will have to contend with a lot of passersby – 200,000 people attempt the challenge every year – so the property isn't for the person who wants to be cut off from humanity. Plus, any plans would be subject to the requisite consents, and since the cottage is located in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this isn't likely to be a walk in the park, if you'll excuse the pun.

La Casa del Desierto in Gorafe, Spain

La Casa del Desierto ("The Desert House") is a collaboration between multinational Guardian Glass, Slovenian architectural firm Ofis Arhitekti, HVAC multinational Transsolar and London-based engineering company Akt II. Built in 2019 and located far from prying eyes in the exceedingly remote Gorafe Desert in Spain's Andalucia region, the all-glass property has achieved the near-impossible given it's made almost completely from glass, and can quite rightfully be described as a miracle.

La Casa del Desierto in Gorafe, Spain

Spanning 215 square feet, the super-isolated see-through abode is the last word in sustainable desert living. According to Juan Imaz of Guardian Glass, the composition of the home's glass walls and roof achieves a high light transmission, blocking 75% of the heat, while at the same time reducing energy loss. This negates the need for air conditioning and heating in a barren, inhospitable place where temperatures range from a bracing -10°C on winter nights to a scorching 45°C during the hottest days of the summer.

La Casa del Desierto in Gorafe, Spain

Accessible only by 4x4, the ultra eco-friendly property is powered by solar panels installed on the roof. Rainwater is collected, channelled to a cistern and filtered to make it drinkable, while waste water is funnelled into a biologically active septic tank, converted into liquid fertiliser and returned to the soil. The house consists of three glazed modules - a bedroom area, a shower space and a rest area—all of which boast stylish minimalist décor.

La Casa del Desierto in Gorafe, Spain

Adding to its green credentials, the property is designed to have a minimal impact on the surrounding environment and can be dismantled leaving virtually no trace. Available to rent for short stays, it provides the perfect place to get away from it all with 360-degree desert vistas and cosy spots from which to stare at the starry night sky. The price per night for two guests starts at $270 (£220), which includes breakfast. La Casa del Desierto can also be hired out for lunch or dinner at a cost of $97 (£79) for two people.

The lighthouse cabin in Lyngstuva, Norway

Located a stone's throw from the Lyngstuva lighthouse in the extreme north of Norway, well within the Arctic Circle, this adorable off-grid tiny house has been called the most remote cabin in the Nordic nation. The dinky hut was built in 1922 reportedly as a shelter for the lighthouse keeper, though Aussie YouTuber Sii of the North & Beyond channel, who has stayed at the property, said it was originally built to store oil.

The lighthouse cabin in Lyngstuva, Norway

Over the decades, the cute hut fell into disrepair. Fortunately, it was rediscovered by two German adventurers in 1986 (according to the Norwegian Routes website) and lovingly restored. However, YouTuber Sii says the tiny home was repaired in 1993 by the two Berliners, who painted it red. What is certain is that the shelter or oil store was repurposed as a cosy cabin brimming with hygge to put up hikers and other travellers.

The lighthouse cabin in Lyngstuva, Norway

The German restorers are said to have imported all the necessary materials for the renovation project from their home country, no doubt at much expense. But instead of hiring out the property at an exorbitant price, they offered it completely free of charge to passing tourists. In fact, you can stay rent-free in the home for as long as you like. According to one traveller who has visited, some people have remained for long periods and written “deep philosophical stories in the guestbook”.

The lighthouse cabin in Lyngstuva, Norway

Guests that pass through tend to leave provisions for other travellers, so the cabin is usually well-stocked, by all accounts. Here's a photo of the interior, which is kitted out with a stove for heating and cooking, a table and chairs, and various useful items such as paraffin lamps, pens, books and a clothesline. The ladder leads up to a loft area for sleeping that must be wonderfully toasty when the stove is blazing, but visitors have to bring their own bedding. This isn't a big ask, however, considering their stay is totally free.

The Buffa di Perrero shelter on Monte Cristallo, Italy

According to The Sun, the world's loneliest house is this dicey-looking shelter embedded on a mountainside deep in northern Italy's Dolomite range. Situated an impressive 9,000 feet above sea level and many miles away from civilisation, the property has baffled people who aren't in the know for decades, as its construction appears impossible. Indeed, you'd be forgiven for assuming pics of the shelter have been Photoshopped.

The Buffa di Perrero shelter on Monte Cristallo, Italy

Seemingly against all odds, the property was built in 1915 during World War I by members of the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry, the Alpini, and named after the heroic leader of the Sixth Regiment's Third Catore Battalion, Colonel Carlo Buffa di Perrero, who died in a blaze of glory the following year. It was used as a barracks for troops fighting the Austro-Hungarian army during the three-year “war of snow and ice”.

The Buffa di Perrero shelter on Monte Cristallo, Italy

Accessible only by rope ladders, cable carts or a ridiculously perilous mountain trail, the soldiers used the construction as a place to rest, store supplies and take shelter during the fighting. It's likely the barracks doubled up as a lookout and a place to stage attacks. In 1972, long after the conflict had ended, the barracks were restored and converted into a shelter for mountaineers.

The Buffa di Perrero shelter on Monte Cristallo, Italy

Over the years, the shelter fell into disrepair. Then, during the exceptionally snowy winter of 2020-21, the roof caved in from the weight of the snowfall, rendering the structure unusable, as you can see from this photo of the damaged interior. Its salvation came last year when members of the Alpini's Sixth Regiment restored the tumbledown structure as part of the commemorations marking the Italian mountain infantry's 150^th anniversary. The Buffa di Perrero shelter has now reopened to mountain climbers and other adventurers brave enough to pay it a visit.

The wood-frame cottage on Duck Ledges Island, USA

Maine is the most rural of America's 50 states, with official statistics suggesting a whopping 50% of its landmass is completely uninhabited. And though it's only the 13^th least densely populated – Alaska is the most sparse in this respect – the Pine Tree State has more than its fair share of wilderness areas where you can lose yourself in nature, with literally nobody else around. Cue this bijou private island in Wohoa Bay off the coast of Addison.

The wood-frame cottage on Duck Ledges Island, USA

The 1.5-acre isle, boasting a characterful clapboard cottage, caused quite the stir when it hit the market last summer via Bold Coast Properties at a bargain asking price of $337,000 (£274k). Owner Billy Milliken, who'd bought the property in 2007, said he would only consider offers from people prepared to spend a night alone there, figuring that anyone willing to do this would, by extension, properly take care of the place and its bountiful wildlife, which includes dolphins, seals and – we're assuming by the name – a lot of ducks.

The wood-frame cottage on Duck Ledges Island, USA

Talking to Insider, Milliken said the island is inhospitable to "man or beast" between the months of October and May because of hazardous storms and would require a special type of owner. The listing even piqued the interest of horror writer Stephen King, who tweeted, “There's a novel here, just waiting to be written.” While only 20 feet from the water's edge, the 540-square-foot cottage, which has just one bedroom, looks like the perfect place to hunker down in perilous weather.

The wood-frame cottage on Duck Ledges Island, USA

Be that as it may, the cottage isn't suitable for long-term living and lacks heating and running water. Also, the only toilet is this outdoor privy, so you'd be taking your life in your hands if you were stuck on the little isle in a fierce storm. This didn't put off New Jersey massage therapist Charlotte Gale, who won over Milliken with her plucky attitude after a short stay on the isle, and said she never felt alone, in spite of its solitude. Gale's offer at the asking price was duly accepted last July and she is now the proud owner of Duck Ledges Island and its charming abode.

The Katshki Pillar hermit cottage in Chiatura, Georgia

Nestled in the western Georgian region of Imereti, the Katskhi Pillar is a sacred natural limestone monolith on top of which stands a church dedicated to Maximus the Confessor, as well as a crypt, wine cellar and cottage. That cottage is one of the loneliest on the planet, and houses three hermit cells. The precarious spot's last resident was devout monk Father Maxime Qavtaradze, who lived in solitude there for two decades.

The Katshki Pillar hermit cottage in Chiatura, Georgia

Before Father Qavtaradze, the 130-foot pillar had been uninhabited since the 1400s. Captured here by Maboroshi Productions for a documentary film, Father Qavtaradze revived the religious tradition of the stylite – a spiritual person who lives on a remote pillar – enduring the elements to get closer to God. The steel ladder back down to ground level takes 20 minutes to traverse, so supplies were winched up using a pulley system. To this day, only men from a religious order are permitted to ascend the pillar via the ladder.

The Katshki Pillar hermit cottage in Chiatura, Georgia

While the pillar is remote and only accessible from the nearest road after a tough 20-minute hike, it's not completely isolated. At the foot of the column lies a monastery where clergymen and troubled young souls seek solace. Father Qavtaradze would travel down once or twice a week to offer guidance, having served time in prison in his youth before finding God, according to an interview given to photographer Amos Chapple in 2013.

The Katshki Pillar hermit cottage in Chiatura, Georgia

For the first two years after he moved to his elevated home, the devout monk slept inside an old fridge to protect himself from the harsh conditions. Then, following the construction of a cottage, he had a humble space to call home. Father Qavtaradze also rebuilt the column's derelict church, restoring it to its former glory with vivid religious tableaux and iconography. The media interest surrounding his solitary life put the pillar on the map however and, according to the BBC, tourists began arriving, spoiling the retreat's peace and tranquillity. For this reason, the holy man descended for good in 2015 and is now the leader of the monastery at the pillar's base.

The Lagangarbh Hut in Glencoe, Scotland

Deep in the Highlands of Scotland on the edge of Glencoe National Nature Reserve sits a wee white house, all alone amid the breathtaking stark beauty of the windward side of the nearby mountain Buachaille Etive Mòr, which lies just to the north. A former crofter's cottage, the Lagangarbh Hut is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and has been occupied and maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) since 1946.

The Lagangarbh Hut in Glencoe, Scotland

The hut's irresistible photogenic appeal has, as you might expect, made it one of the most famous abodes in Scotland. As well as featuring in TV shows and movies, the dwelling often appears on postcards, shortbread tins and the like, and shots of the hut and its heart-stoppingly beautiful surroundings are almost mandatory for calendars depicting the Scottish Highlands. Needless to say, Instagram is awash with dramatic photos of the hut taken from every conceivable angle.

The Lagangarbh Hut in Glencoe, Scotland

Sadly, as revealed in The Herald last November, the hut is becoming a victim of its Instagrammable and bloggable appeal. Since blog The Hidden Thimble featured it last year, the Honorary Custodian of the property, Bernard M Swan, has been swamped with requests from “rude” tourists wishing to stay in the dinky house, despite the blogger mentioning applications to sojourn there are only accepted from mountaineering clubs, hillwalking clubs and individual members of the SMC or British Mountaineering Council (BMC).

The Lagangarbh Hut in Glencoe, Scotland

Visitors are also descending in their droves upon the property, particularly at weekends, to take selfies and pics outside, making Scotland's loneliest house decidedly less lonely. Those who are lucky enough to stay there pay just £24 ($30) plus VAT a night to sleep in a dorm that accommodates 20. But while the interior is pretty cosy, with its wood panel walls and wood-burning stove, it's rather spartan in terms of décor and far less photogenic than the exterior.

The Drina River house in Bajina Bašta, Serbia

Perched precariously on a rock in the narrows of the Drina River on the western border of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this weird and wonderful tiny abode was little known to the outside world until National Geographic featured it as its Photo of the Day on 2 August 2012, garnering the lonesome riverine property global fame. Today, the isolated dwelling draws crowds of tourists who marvel at its unlikely setting and fairytale vibe.

The Drina River house in Bajina Bašta, Serbia

Story has it that the first incarnation of the house was built by a young group of swimmers in the summer of 1968, who bought wooden boards to the rock to fashion a makeshift shelter to shield themselves from the hot sun and have somewhere to rest after taking an invigorating dip in the river. However the planks ended up being washed away by the fast-flowing river, so the following summer teenager Milija Mandić led a group to build a more sturdy structure.

The Drina River house in Bajina Bašta, Serbia

The group of youngsters used boats and kayaks to transport the materials, though the larger pieces were lowered into the water and then caught and pulled out to the rock. Notoriously turbulent, the Drina has claimed six incarnations of the shelter, but as each one was destroyed, a new, more robust structure was constructed in its place. It would appear the locals just couldn't do without their fantastically unique shelter.

The Drina River house in Bajina Bašta, Serbia

These days, the house is the centre of the annual Drina Regatta, but given the property is privately owned, it's out of bounds to visitors courageous enough to tackle the untamable river and swim up to its rocky foundation. Realistically, though, the unusual structure really should only be accessed by boat, as the currents that flow around the rock can challenge the strongest of swimmers, even on days when the river seems still and calm.

The white house on Elliðaey Island, Iceland

Shrouded in mystery, the sole property on the remote island of Elliðaey off the southern coast of Iceland has taken the internet by storm. Dubbed “the world's loneliest house” after a pic of the far-flung locale went viral in 2016, the dwelling has attracted all sorts of conspiracy theories and fanciful rumours. Was the forlorn abode built by a billionaire to escape a zombie apocalypse? Does it belong to famous Icelandic singer Björk or a shady religious cult, as some of the chatter on the internet suggests? Or, more ominously, is it harbouring “a dark truth”?

The white house on Elliðaey Island, Iceland

The truth is far more prosaic. YouTuber Ryan Trahan paid a visit to Elliðaey in 2021 to clear up the confusion, while the ever-trusty Snopes has done its bit to debunk some of the eyebrow-raising claims surrounding the property, fact-checking the many rumours related to the enigmatic white house, which is seemingly as inaccessible as it is remote, judging by this oft-featured photo.

The white house on Elliðaey Island, Iceland

As it turns out, “the world's loneliest house” isn't actually a home in the traditional sense. Rather, it's a lodge that was built in the 1950s by an organisation called the Elliðaey Hunting Association, as a base for puffin-hunting. During his visit there in 2021, Trahan braved the rough Atlantic seas and a treacherous climb up the island's cliff face to spend a night in the lonely lodge as a guest of an intrepid local called Bjarni, who appears to frequent the property.

The white house on Elliðaey Island, Iceland

Strangely enough, the “loneliest house in the world” has had plenty of company over the years. According to the visitor's log, thousands of people have stayed there. And as you can see from this image captured by Trahan, the property sleeps multiple people in this upper-level dorm. The secluded abode isn't even the only dwelling on the island since there's an additional property that predates the lodge located several feet away, though it's now used solely for storage.

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