Photograph to comeCortijada Los Gázquez
Almería · Sleeps 1 or more
A wholly off-grid farmhouse retreat in the Sierra María-Los Vélez natural park, run on sun, wind and wood.
€
- Off-grid
- Solar-powered
- Dark skies
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Photographs by Mallinson's Woodland Retreat, used with permission.
- RIBA South West Small Project of the Year
Mallinson's Woodland Retreat
Thorncombe, Dorset, England
The only place in Britain to sleep in a RIBA award-winning treehouse.
Why we love it
The only place in Britain where you can sleep in a RIBA award-winning treehouse — and there are three of them. The Woodsman's Treehouse won RIBA South West Small Project of the Year and featured on Grand Designs House of the Year; siblings Dazzle and Pinwheel took their own RIBA awards in 2023. Each is a handcrafted nest for two in ancient West Dorset woodland, with its own wood-fired hot tub, sauna and pizza oven, ten miles from the Jurassic Coast. Book direct.
Best for: once-in-a-lifetime romantic escapes
Worth knowing
- Adults only — the minimum age in the woods is 18 — and no dogs, because of the wildlife and the livestock.
- Two nights minimum midweek and three at weekends, with changeovers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only.
- There is no wifi (it was dropped for being slow and for breaking every time it rained), and it is a five-minute walk downhill from the car park with everything you have brought.
The practicalities
- Check in
- Self check-in from 4pm
- Check out
- By 10am
- Wifi
- None
- Phone signal
- Good
- Bring
- Food, drink and toiletries
- Clothes for walking down on arrival and for sitting outside in the evenings
- Included
- All bed linen and towels
- Shampoo, body wash and conditioner
- Starter logs, kindling and firelighters
- Olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar and flour
Getting there
- Nearest station
- Axminster
- Without a car
- Difficult, but possible
- what3words
- ///emerald.newlywed.gathers
Satnav may not take you to the car park; postcode TA20 4NL. Park along the hedge, then walk through the small gate on the left and follow the footpath down into the top of the woods rather than the vehicular track across the meadow — it is a five-minute walk downhill from there. Axminster has hourly services from Waterloo, and it is essential to prebook a taxi.
What is around it
Pubs
- The Tytherleigh Arms · 2.2 miles
Places to eat
- Brassica, Beaminster · 10 miles — Small and excellent, specialising in fresh local produce.
- Tierra Kitchen, Lyme Regis · 10 miles — Popular vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.
Shops
- Thorncombe Village Shop · 2.2 miles
- Tytherleigh Farm Shop · 2.2 miles
- Millers Farm Shop, Kilmington · 6 miles
Beaches
- Charmouth · 10 miles — World famous for its fossils.
Days out
- Forde Abbey · 3 miles — A three-mile drive or a two-mile walk.
Who runs it
Guy Mallinson
The founder trained as a cabinetmaker at Parnham House and took an MA in furniture design at the Royal College of Art, running a Fulham workshop of sixteen cabinetmakers before moving back to West Dorset to bring up his family in the countryside. He is managing the business as usual through 2026; a sale agreed in early 2026 hands management to Cedar Hollow from December 2026.
Where it is
Checked August 2026 · We re-verify prices and opening every quarter.
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