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Stuck for ideas? The best cottages still available to rent for New Year’s Eve

Get set for the turn of the year surrounded by friends and family with a last-minute break in these brilliant hideaways

Sarah Marshall
Tuesday 17 December 2024 16:24 GMT
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Spend a quirky New Year in a house designed by Grayson Perry (Living Architecture/PA)
Spend a quirky New Year in a house designed by Grayson Perry (Living Architecture/PA)

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Deciding what to do for New Year’s Eve is often a stressful and daunting task, especially when there are lots of different needs to please.

Shunning expensive clubs, busy restaurants and freezing outdoor firework displays, many groups of friends and families are opting for getaways in characterful cottages. And remarkably, there’s still some availability at several properties – ranging from remote barns in the Lake District to liveable artworks in Essex.

Be quick to snap up these options before the countdown begins….

Bird How, Lake District

Best for silence and solitude

(National Trust/PA)
(National Trust/PA)

If hosting extended family over the holiday season has driven you Christmas crackers, this off-grid cottage on a remote fell-side will provide some welcome relief. Drive down a rough farm track to reach the converted cow barn in a lesser-known area of the Lake District National Park, where some great hiking trails wind directly from the doorstep. Walk up the steepest road in England, Hardknott Pass, and take an alternative route to reach Scafell Pike. There’s no phone reception, TV signal or bathroom – instead, washing is done in the kitchen and a toilet is located in the basement where cows were once milked.

Four-night stay from £607 (£38pppn, sleeping four); nationaltrust.org.uk

South Shore Lodge, Brownsea Island

Best for childhood adventures

(National Trust/PA)
(National Trust/PA)

Find dainty red squirrels scampering through the woodlands of Dorset’s famous storybook island, cherished by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. Jump on a ferry from Poole Quay to reach the National Trust nature park, where multiple bird species (including oystercatchers, dunlins and spoonbills) come to over-winter. Sleeping overnight in a beachside Victorian conversion, it’s possible to enjoy the magic of the island after all the day visitors have left.

Four-night stay from £935 (£19.50 pppn, sleeping 12); nationaltrust.org.uk

A House for Essex, North Essex

Best for party posers

(Living Architecture/PA)
(Living Architecture/PA)

Any property designed by artist Grayson Perry could hardly be called suburban. This two-bedroom house overlooking the River Stour in the village of Wrabness in North Essex may be on the outskirts of London, but it’s far from being parochial. A golden roof and windows echo pilgrimage chapels and Russian stave churches, while the interior is inspired by the life of Grayson’s fictional Essex everywoman Julie Cope. Handmade tiles and roof sculptures are all original designs by the artist.

From £475 per night (£119pppn, sleeping four). Minimum two-night stay; oneoffplaces.co.uk

Read more: The best hotels in Penzance

The Baobab, Padstow

Best for big family bonding

(Perfect Stays/PA)
(Perfect Stays/PA)

Welcome the new year while watching waves roll in along the Cornish coast. Share family meals around a large dining area, snuggle up by the fire or take a dip in the heated outdoor pool. Promising the privacy of a self-catering stay with the perks of a luxury hotel, properties in the Perfect Stays portfolio include a personalised concierge service with tailored services such as private chefs and wine tastings. Pre-arranged Christmas decorations include a six-foot tree.

Seven-night stay from £7,450 (£76pppn, sleeping 14). Dogs are welcome; perfectstays.co.uk

Read more: The best mini cruises from the UK

The Owl House, Little Massingham, Norfolk

Best for countryside glamour

(Norfolk Hideaways/PA)
(Norfolk Hideaways/PA)

Enjoy the delights of rural living in a home with the services of a top-notch spa. This converted brick and flint barn features a ten-metre indoor temperature-controlled pool with changing area and a sauna. There’s also a tennis court and pétanque lawn within the grounds. Share dinner conversations below a double vaulted timber ceiling with a chandelier made from stag horns or pop out for a pint at the local country pub. Hand-fed breeding deer can often be seen wandering past the house.

Three-night stay from £2,748 (£92pppn, sleeping 10); ruralretreats.co.uk

Beacon Cottage, Sally Point Lighthouse, Devon

Best for dramatic views

(Rural Retreats/PA)
(Rural Retreats/PA)

Keepers would once keep a watchful eye on rough seas from this cliff-edge 19th century lighthouse, located on a headland between Dartmouth and Salcombe. Left empty after it was automated in 1993, it now hosts guests again as an offbeat holiday home. A road leading to the property forms part of the South West Coast Path and several sandy beaches are a short drive away.

Three-night stay from £1,521 (£84.50pppn, sleeping six); ruralretreats.co.uk

Read more: The best UK holiday destinations for families

Head Gardener’s House at Floor’s Castle, The Scottish Borders

Best for botanical beauty

(Crabtree/PA)
(Crabtree/PA)

Wake up in the grounds of a stately estate, passed down through generations for 300 years. The Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe currently occupy Floors Castle, but the Head Gardener’s House is open to guests. Refurbished with fine interiors, two bedrooms overlook the walled garden, while a boot room is convenient for drying outdoor gear and providing a sleeping space for accompanying pet dogs.

Four-night stay from £1,641 (£102.50pppn sleeping four); crabtreeandcrabtree.com

Read more: Best spa hotels in Edinburgh – where to stay for luxury rooms and rejuvenation

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