Rhiannon Batten 

Cool cottages … Alpine style

Pining for a Heidi-style hideaway? You don't have to head to Switzerland. These cool UK cottages can fulfil all sorts of high-altitude fantasies
  
  


Cool Cottages: Dale Farm Cabins, North Yorkshire
Dale Farm Cabins, North Yorkshire

For camping with an off-piste twist, these three gingham-curtained cabins offer a mix of simplicity and comfort ...
Photograph: PR
Cool Cottages: Dale Farm Cabins, North Yorkshire
Dale Farm Cabins, North Yorkshire

Set on a working farm outside Hunmanby, in the Wolds, they're a bit like mountain hikers' huts, each spruce little cabin sleeping two with woodburning stoves, a barbecue deck, beds (bring sleeping bags), kettle and basic cutlery and crockery. Shared bathrooms are a short walk away. • 01723 890175, dalefarmholidays.co.uk, from £50 a night
Photograph: PR
Cool Cottages: Alppine, Scottish Borders
Alppine, Scottish Borders

You won't be surprised to learn that the owners of this one-bedroom B&B outside Newcastleton once ran a strudel bar. From rustic wood panelling and brettstuhl chairs to cosy wool and linen furnishings and breakfasts loaded with ham and cheese, the only thing missing from the Alpine fantasy is the lederhosen ...
Photograph: PR
Cool Cottages: Alppine, Scottish Borders
Alppine, Scottish Borders

There's an outdoor hot tub and sauna, and the owners can provide simple suppers. • 01450 860622, alppine.co.uk, doubles from £125 a night B&B
Photograph: PR
Cool Cottages: The Secret Holt, Devon
The Secret Holt, Devon

A woodland cabin for two near Haytor Vale, the Secret Holt is full of quirky details, from cupboard doors made with tin tiles salvaged from the Empire State Building to a 150-year-old carved wooden door. Outside there's a firepit, and a skylight above the bed means you can stargaze from your pillow ...
Photograph: Ben Phillips
Cool Cottages: The Secret Holt, Devon
The Secret Holt, Devon

Order organic food from nearby Riverford (riverford.co.uk), or dine at the Rock Inn (rock-inn.co.uk) five minutes away. • 01637 881183, uniquehomestays.com, from £785 a week
Photograph: Ben Phillips
Cool Cottages: The Chalet, Street, Somerset
The Chalet, Street, Somerset

Looking as though it's been teleported from Saas Fee, this was once a holiday home for Clarke's shoe factory workers. It's now run by the YHA, and from October to March is available as a self-catering property for up to 20 ...
Photograph: Adam Stanford/YHA
Cool Cottages: The Chalet, Street, Somerset
The Chalet, Street, Somerset

Overlooking Glastonbury Tor and surrounded by National Trust land, it's a great base for heading out into the Mendips and, when the waters finally recede, the Somerset Levels. • 0800 0191 700, escape-to.co.uk, from £459 for two nights' exclusive use
Photograph: Adam Stanford/YHA
Cool Cottages: The Chapel, Highlands
The Chapel, Highlands

Forget tasteful but bland cottages: this remote Highlands hideaway shakes things up. Refurbished by designer Suzy Hoodless to look like a 1950s ski cabin, Corrour Estate's former chapel sleeps 10, mostly in rustic bunks. A woodburning stove, reclaimed radiators and an Aga cosy up the pine-clad space. It's about an hour from the Nevis range ski resort. Corrour station, on the West Highland railway line, with a new restaurant (corrour-station-house-restaurant.co.uk), is four miles away. • 01397 732200, corrour.co.uk, from £700 a week
Photograph: PR
 

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