We took the midnight train from Edinburgh and the slow boat across Windermere, stuffed ourselves into cars and set off on road trips with flasks and triangular sandwiches. We sang on coaches that contorted down old roads, full of passengers with foreheads pressed to the glass, fingertips racing raindrops. We longed for great locomotives; all clacking wheels, pressurised pistons, and hissing steam. And what of the bridleways? Those old trails that carried equestrians from the west of the River Thames all through the Chilterns to Buckinghamshire.
There was a time when we revelled in the romance of travel, writing postcards about every hour on those scenic routes. We knew the best places were almost never in the guidebooks; the roadside fruit stand, or the farm cart selling jams and pickles. The gatherings we remember are the ones that had a “getting there” — a snowstorm to drive through, a longest-ever stretch of steel track, or a final backpack'd journey on foot from the dock. A wise man once wrote, “It's not the destination, it's the journey”. For those who care as much about the route as the map pin, these are homes to travel the folkways for.
Carnivàle on the Isle of Wight
Britain’s "no-fly Ibiza", Carnivàle on the Isle of Wight is the home of the creators of Bestival: a could-be private island festival just five minutes from the port in Yarmouth, a 40-minute Wightlink ferry journey from Lymington Pier in the New Forest.
Viola in Somerset
For a luxury take on 'how the bird flies' travel, arrive in style by helicopter to Viola, the Somerset shapeshifter that The Telegraph named one of the best places in Britain to throw a Gatsby-worthy party. Whirlybirds welcome on the lawn.
Nyssa in Norfolk
With a comprehensive network of bridleways and a horse legacy from Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty", Norfolk is for the equines. And where better to stay than Nyssa; a former stable turned bohemian yogic farmhouse close to luxe livery yards.
Hansa in Shropshire
At the end of a wooded track on the 12,000-acre Bradford Estate, Hansa is a storybook cottage that practically mandates nostalgic travel. Arrive by car, then swap the steering wheel for row boat oars and vintage handlebars.
Margot’s Townhouse in Bradford-on-Avon
A metaphor for the modern-day traveller, Margot’s Townhouse brings a bold artistic edge to Bradford-on-Avon, Bath’s small-town sister. Board a train at Paddington Station, alight in the Somerset town, then walk three minutes up the hill.
The Signal Station on the Lizard Peninsula
This one’s worth a swashbuckling journey. Once a beacon of safety for passing ships, The Signal Station is the most southerly stay on the mainland; to bypass the roads, sail into Coverack, drop anchor, then head on two wheels to your destination.
Skyros in County Cork
At the end of the thousand-mile Wild Atlantic Way, amid Star Wars scenery, Skyros is an award-winning home on the Mizen Peninsula. Bike-packers can take the long way, starting in Londonderry and ending in Schull; far, far away.
Feeling inspired? Read our from coast to countryside journal, explore the best places to visit from London, or peruse our full collection of unique holiday homes.
