You can call it ‘sortumn’ or (if you really want to abuse the English language) ‘autummer’ but let’s just say it straight: we missed half of the sunny season this year, thanks to lockdown, so our appetite for UK breaks isn’t going to be dampened by falling temperatures or rotting leaves. We’ll be keeping those holiday vibes going for a good few months yet, and these cottages and cabins – which all still had autumn availability at the time of writing – are the places to do it.
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If there is a more autumnal hideaway than this I’ll eat my bobble hat. Hole Cottage is a medieval relic, with timber beams and lattice windows, that stands alone in a woodland clearing. It’s a 15-minute walk to the closest town (and train station) if that palpable history gets too much, and near Hever Castle if you fancy more.
Some Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps four.
A cold plunge pool might be more appropriate for a heatwave than Halloween, but it’s certainly a talking point of this exquisite, tiny, octagonal eighteenth-century folly, located in the basement like you’re in your own personal spa. Warm up in the incredibly ornate bedroom, where the walls are decorated with seashells.
Good Oct, Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps two.
A treehouse with floor-to-ceiling windows in woodland on the edge of the Malvern Hills is the ideal spot to witness the changing of the seasons. There are three at the Rookery Woods, each with carved wooden beds and firepits for chilly evenings. Book the Rook’s View treehouse to spend your afternoons soaking in an outdoor tub.
Good Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec availability. Each sleeps two.
Show 2020 you can’t be beaten by going off-grid, off-season. The Barley Store comes with zero electricity, wi-fi or phone signal. There is a log burner if you need a little extra warmth, and solar lighting for dark evenings, but this place is all about immersing yourself in the green (or rapidly turning orangey-brown) stuff.
Good Oct and Nov availability. Sleeps two.
The owners of this nineteenth-century barn have transformed it into a cosy bolthole, with stained-glass windows and a log burner. Outside there are 70 acres of private farmland to explore, as well as hiking trails to peaks and waterfalls on your stone doorstep. Two other properties sleep four and two if you want to bring a bunch of pals along.
Good Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps two.
Rye might be the perfect place for a classic English autumn break. It’s quaint, olde-worlde and dotted with great, atmospheric pubs. This charming, Grade II-listed cottage is full of vintage treasures and sits right by the historic gate to the town – well positioned for exploring the centre or nearby Camber for a bracing late-season swim.
Some Oct, Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps two.
If true isolation still appeals to you after several months of lockdown, book one of these architect-designed cabins on the shore of Loch Nell in Scotland. They are only accessible by boat, and once you reach your wild new home you’ll have to get to grips with cooking over an open fire or a wood-burning stove. No need to leave – unless you fancy a wild swim or a SUP on the loch – as the owners will deliver provisions to keep you going.
Good Oct, Nov and Dec availability. Each sleeps two.
The beach isn’t just a great place to unwind when the sun is shining. Soak up all that salty sea air later in the year for a proper refreshing and resetting break. Samphire is sat right on the water’s edge on the Blackwater and Colne estuaries, opposite Essex’s Mersea Island. You can wander across the causeway at low tide, explore the waterways by kayak or just sit and watch it all from your light-filled living room.
Good Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps four.
Once home to three pigs, this nineteenth-century farm barn is now a plush holiday home, with cosy interiors and big views of the surrounding countryside. There’s a hot tub and a log burner for getting toasty after bracing hikes along the Cornish coastline and brave paddles on nearby Perranporth beach.
Good Nov and Dec availability. Sleeps two.
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