Lodge holidays and cabin holidays
Love lodges? Us too. Much as we enjoy traditional canvas camping - it's certainly far easier to pack your home into the car boot - wooden walls and glamorous getaways are very much our bag too. We don't think it's lazy at all to arrive at a campsite or holiday park with your home away from home already there for you - the word we'd use is probably 'ingenious'.
Lodges have grown more and more in popularity since they were mainly only available as log cabins in Scotland, and the facilities in many of them rival the best ski chalets, with iPod docking stations, plasma TVs, central heating and double glazing. As they're sturdy and heated, they can be hired at any time of the year including Christmas and the New Year - see our open all year lodge and pod parks here. There's no problem with cooking in the bigger lodges either as many of them come fully kitted out with kitchen kit - although if you can't be bothered self-catering we have plenty of lodge parks with a restaurant or café on site, and you can also check the 'Local Attractions' tab of your listing to see Good Pub Guide pubs within an easy lurch.
We've loads of options for lodge holidays and camping holidays around the UK and Ireland, from a camping pod including bedding and bathrobes in Warwickshire to a log cabin on an organic smallholding in Pembrokeshire: use our tips for the best lodge lowdown:
- Get away from it all by looking for a lodge in a remote location - such as forest lodges, lodges in wild camping sites or lodge parks listed as peaceful - use one or more of the 'Themes' filters on the left to find the location you want. Einon Valley Camping Pods in Ceredigion, for example, is listed as in a remote location, in a walkers' paradise, peaceful, in a wildlife haven and with spectacular scenery: it's open all year round and has family camping pods from £20 a night sleeping up to six.
- On a budget? Lodge and log cabin holidays are often surprisingly cheap, especially when there are a few of you sharing one pitch price. To find wallet-friendly sites, go to the main lodges page, add your dates on the left, then select 'Price (low to high)' from the drop-down bar on the right. Or search for our lodge sites listed as budget/backpacker - a four-berth camping hut at Woodland Park Camping Huts in Shropshire starts from £35 a night.
- While we wouldn't blame you for a second for staying lodged in your lodge on holiday, you can also look for lodge parks according to the leisure on site and nearby - such as lodge parks with fishing or an indoor pool on site, or with golf, horse-riding, watersports or climbing nearby.
- No to being active? We also have lodge parks with a hot tub, bar or clubhouse on site or a play area for the kids.
We could go on - lodge parks with free wifi or a farmers' market nearby, anyone? - but we'll settle for sharing some of our top UK lodge and log cabin parks:
- Tamar Lakes Campsite: A peaceful site near Bude in Cornwall, with two fishing lakes, watersports, and pedalos, canoes, dinghies and surf skis for hire; there's a café, children's playground and vistor centre on site too. Tamar Lakes is open all year round and has camping pods for hire from £45 a night. Tolroy Manor Holiday Park and Killigart Manor Holiday Park are also family lodge parks based in Cornwall and are open from March until the end of October/beginning of November. Or there's the 1850s Tanglewood Cottage sleeping up to eight at Falmouth's Retanna Holiday Park, with an Aga stove, two lounges and a summer house, and a two-bedroom static sleeping up to six. Retanna is open from March to November.
- Lee Wick Cottages and Camping: Based at St Osyth in Essex, Lee Wick is on a farm that still produces spuds and is on the edge of Essex Wildlife Trust Colne Point Nature Reserve. The Mega Pod Glamping Pod sleeps up to four and has an iPod /iPhone dock with DAB radio, kitchen area and its own loo and shower. It's open all year round.
- Sychpwll Centre: Pick from The Crow's Nest one-bedroom apartment at this Powys site, or book 'The Cabin' on the edge of the camping field, sleeping up to two and with central heating, a fully equipped kitchen, shower room, lounge and private veranda and garden.
- Oakcliff Holiday Park: This family holiday park at Dawlish Sands in Devon is 600 yards from the beach and local nature reserve, and is a David Bellamy Conservation Award Gold winner. It has lodges sleeping up to four or six, with guests also able to use the facilities at neighbouring Lady's Mile Holiday Park for free - Oakcliff is open all year and Lady's Mile is open from March to November.
Still stuck for inspiration? Find lodge holidays and log cabin breaks by area:
