If you want to reach Shank Wood log cabin, the key is to keep going: to the very top of England; deep into the woods; right to the edge of a river. As we drove through pockmarked fields, and down bumpy dirt tracks, steeling ourselves for a steep, muddy descent, I began to realise just how isolated our home for the next few days would be.
The cabin, with its moss-covered roof and walls made from stacked sitka spruce logs, could have been lifted straight from the pages of a children’s book. Perched above the River Lyne, in Shank Wood ancient woodlands in the very north of Cumbria, it lived up to its billing on the website as “the real secluded log cabin experience”.
With no television and no phone signal, we had no option but to disconnect from everyday life and instead appreciate the world around us. Full disclosure: I am not very good at relaxing. I often fall asleep with my phone still in my hand. In the morning, I’m woken by the news on the radio. When I go on holiday, I typically try to squeeze in more sights, bars and restaurants than seems necessary. And, although I love being outdoors, I am not very good at camping. The idea of immersing myself in nature has always appealed, but the tent part of the deal has always put me off.
So this was a revelation. The only cabin in the wood, it was built with exactly this in mind: to reconnect visitors with the natural rhythms of the world. A bathroom pod, solar power and outdoor kitchen with running water and barbecue provide a softer gateway to the great outdoors for those of us who can’t quite embrace life under canvas.
Rob Carr, a dairy farmer from Carlisle, wanted to open up this untouched corner of England to the world when he built both the Shank Wood cabin and, later, the more accessible Hidden River cabins, which lie just under two miles away, closer to civilisation.
On our first night it rained, but rather than put a dampener on things, it only served to make me feel more connected with the world around me. I sat in the hot tub, listening to the sound of the swollen river rushing past, and watching tiny bats flit through the trees overhead while raindrops fell on my head.
The rain lashed relentlessly on to the wooden roof, but it felt calming to be in the cabin, warmed by a log burner, lit by its flickering flames. It was not dissimilar to one of the artificial sleep sounds I play to drown out the noise of city living, and it helped me drift off.
In the morning, we woke to birdsong, and sunlight slowly filtering through the window of the mezzanine level where we slept. I crept outside, hoping to catch sight of the red deer or otters that are often seen nearby. Shafts of sunlight pierced through the oak, ash, birch, sycamore and alder and danced on the fast-flowing tea-brown river.
While I could have happily never left the cabin, there is plenty to see and do within easy reach. Around half an hour’s drive away is Birdoswald Roman Fort and the longest continuous stretch of Hadrian’s Wall. Another 15 minutes west of Shank Wood takes you to Gretna Green, where wedding ceremonies are still held in the Famous Blacksmiths Shop where young runaway couples first married in 1754.
We went for lunch at the Hidden River Cafe, which lies close to the six larger log cabins at the Hidden River site. Bathed in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass doors, we settled on to a bench looking out on the patio that gives way to rolling green fields. Sipping steaming mugs of coffee and refuelling on delicious plates of chilli squid, battered haddock and homemade chips, we were almost tempted to book another table for dinner.
But neither the drive up those rugged roads, nor the half-hour walk along the riverbank, felt advisable in darkness. Also, we couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on another cosy night in our wilderness bolthole.
So, by the time night fell we were back in the hot tub, catching glimpses of bright stars through gaps in the low blanket of cloud, the rush of the river our now-familiar background music.
Later, as we settled into bed, hours earlier than we normally manage at home, my partner turned to me and said: “This is the most relaxed I’ve felt in years.”
Shank Wood log cabin (fishinghideaway) sleeps up to four, from £420 for two nights
