THE STUMPY HOBBIT

Discover guilt-free, gorgeous green holiday options with Nicola K Smith

MILL VALLEY

10 THE STUMPY HOBBIT, CORNWALL

Handcrafted from reclaimed wood, this cosy off-grid cabin – built around a living ash tree – generates its own solar light and is heated by fire. There is a compost loo, pizza oven, BBQ, wood-fired showers and bath, and an outside covered kitchen. Enjoy nearby walks beside the River Allen, bike rides along the Camel Trail and local pubs. The cabin is ideal for two adults, but has space for an extra adult, child or baby. Prices from £100 per night. canopyandstars.co.uk

11 BIRCH ECO COTTAGE, COUNTY DOWN

On an organic smallholding in the County Down hills, Birch Cottage is flanked by woodland on one side and the Mourne Mountains on the other, and is powered by solar and wind power, as well as a cosy woodburning stove. With a Green Tourism Gold Award, it sleeps two people in a super-king-size bed – with views. Prices from £400 for a week. lackancottage.co.uk

12 EAGLE BRAE, HIGHLAND

On a hillside in the Scottish Highlands sit 10 beautifully handmade log cabins cut from giant cedar wood, each with their own micro-hydro scheme providing energy, while water is sourced from a sustainable underground supply. Each cabin has a balcony overlooking the glen from where guests can also spy visiting wild deer. Cabins sleep two to six people and prices start at £1,434 per week. eaglebrae.co.uk

13 OWL HOUSE, MERSEYSIDE

Winner of George Clarke’s ‘Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year’ competition in 2015, this ingenious and character-filled timber-framed Owl House is made from cob and recycled bottles and has a living grass roof, as well as sweeping views over sand dunes out to the Irish Sea. Guests sleep in the adjacent bungalow but can spend the day in this light-filled wooden sanctuary. The bungalow sleeps two, is just 10 minutes’ walk from a train station and costs from £98 per night. airbnb.co.uk

14 WELSUMMER CAMPING, KENT

This family-run campsite in the garden of England has the environment at its heart, embracing organic growing, renewable energy sources and the planting of native trees. Guests can pitch their own tents or rent a kitted-out tent or wooden cabin, and sit by the firepit as the sun sinks. Prices start at £20 per night to pitch a small tent, and £70 for an erected bell tent. welsummercamping.com

15 NETHERGILL FARM, YORKSHIRE

Nearly 30,000 trees have been planted in just 10 years on this upland eco-farm on Yorkshire’s Dales Way, winner of a Green Tourism Gold Award. Guests cosy up in the barn’s converted haylofts with views over moorland, woodland and fell, while a biomass boiler and solar panels provide heat, hot water and electricity. There are two haylofts, each sleeping four; prices start at £476 per week. nethergill.co.uk

16 LIVING ROOM TREEHOUSES, POWYS

Nestled in a valley in the Welsh mountains, eight miles from the market town of Machynlleth, are six beautifully designed off-grid treehouses that blend seamlessly into the woodland. Redolent of cosy loft apartments, each has a wood-burning stove – that also heats the spring-water shower – Swedish compost toilet and even a kitchen, while light is provided by lanterns and candles. Prices start at £379 for two or £399 for a family (treehouses sleep two adults and two children) for a two-night stay. living-room.co