Slow Stays | The Hütte | Canopy & Stars (ad/pr stay)
Ad / pr stay
If you know me, you know I love an off-grid cabin in the middle of nowhere - so Hinterlandes in the north-west Lake District has been on my radar for a couple of years. This past weekend, thanks to Canopy & Stars (one of my go-to’s for finding cosy hideaways in remote destinations) I had the chance to run away to Hinterlande’s smallest and cosiest cabin, The Hütte.
The Hütte is located in the same small woodland as three other cabins, yet it felt completely secluded, accessed by a private woodland scramble just a couple of minutes uphill from where we parked the car. Along with the very nicely designed A-frame cabin, there is a good-sized deck for sitting out beneath the trees, a table which can be used as an outdoor kitchen, complete with pizza oven, and a wonderful wood-fired tin bath that my boyfriend and I completely fell in love with (so much so that we’re now trying to work out how to replicate it in our own garden). Inside, the cabin is very snug but is a good size for a solo-traveller or a couple who don’t mind getting cosy. We managed to negotiate the small space even with our small dog getting beneath our feet, but we did do most of our cooking outdoors. You have everything you need for a short stay: a comfy bed/sofa beneath the picture window, a small worksurface with a portable two-ring hob, a sink, a woodburning stove and a simple bathroom with compost loo and shower (and beautiful green tiles!). A bottle of fizz and basic cooking ingredients for the pizza oven (which we sadly didn’t get round to using) was left for us. There’s also a good selection of games and books, if you want to completely switch off and leave tech at home.
We arrived to dreary weather on the Friday evening, but still managed to cook up a storm outside while keeping an eye on the fire for the hot tub. If you’re not used to woof-fired hot tubs/baths, they take a while to heat up - we made a teepee under the cover with a couple of branches we found on the ground to help it to heat up a little faster. Then followed a memorable incident where we stupidly locked ourselves outside very late at night, in our swimwear with very little else. A word of warning - always use a doorstop when it’s windy and there’s a Yale lock on the door. Thankfully, the very lovely owner of Hinterlandes came to rescue us, so we didn’t have to keep the fire stoked all night!
The next day, after breakfast, we headed to Ennerdale Water for a short walk. I loved this lake - it felt really remote and the landscape reminded me of the West Coast of America somehow. Following a stop at the local grocery store (there’s a great small shop just five minutes from the cabin, and Cockermouth is only 15 minutes away for stocking up on wine and other essentials) we headed back to The Hütte to get the fire going again. We spent a few hours snuggled up on the sofa, turning the cabin into a bit of a sauna with the woodburner roaring while we read our books. Following another delicious dinner, it was time to get back into the hot tub for a final soak (with triple measures in place so we didn’t lock ourselves out again).
Annoyingly, our plans for a ‘big’ walk up a mountain and a quick dip for me on the Sunday were thwarted by a storm. It felt like we were in the middle of a very soggy and windy cloud, so we decided to head to Lingholm Kitchen on Derwentwater for a final brunch (delicious!) before driving home. Our stay has definitely whet my appetite for this area of the Lakes though, and I’d love to return in the warmer months to explore more of the surrounding area and enjoy a few swims in a couple of spots I now have bookmarked (including Crummock Water, just a 20 minute walk from the cabin).
I’d definitely stay at Hinterlandes again, although I would like to try out one of the other cabins next time. The Hütte is very cosy and snug, but if I was staying with a friend rather than my partner, I would prefer Hansel or Gretel which have slightly more floor space and a separate bedroom. The Larch Cabin is larger still, with a dining area. But if you’re looking for a romantic hideaway (and would prefer a tin bath to a more traditional wood-fired hot tub - it’s up there with my favourite hot tubs I’ve soaked in!) then I highly recommend The Hütte.
The Hütte is available through Canopy & Stars. Click here to find out more and book a stay.
