Within the pitch-black depths of a winter night time, we pull off a abandoned lane within the north-west of the Lake District and swerve right into a deeply muddy farm discipline, wheels spinning within the gloop.
Stepping out into the blackness I kick myself for not having my headtorch handy – solely often does drizzly mild from the crescent moon break by way of to light up the define of the Lorton Valley hills above.
It’s the first weekend of January, bitterly chilly, and after many hours of driving cross nation by way of snow, ice and hour-long visitors jams, my pal Charlie and I’ve adopted a location code on the What3Words app to search out an remoted shearing shed. Arriving right here is simply the beginning of the journey. Our lodging, the Hidden Hut, lies in a secret location someplace up on the fell and we should discover it with solely an aerial photograph marked with the path to information us.
House owners John and Hannah Graham normally lead company, however it’s so late I’ve assured them we’re adventurous kinds, comfortable to search out our method.
Are we although? I’m quickly re-evaluating when moist mud, heavy rucksacks and steep sections make powerful work of the problem. Pairs of pink, robotic-looking sheep eyes replicate our torchlight, and as metropolis folks unused to complete darkness, our creeped-out minds fly instantly to Blair Witch.
But with a couple of steers by textual content from John (there may be cellphone sign) the cabin lastly seems and inside it’s a special world – cosy, protected and classy too.
The Hidden Hut is the most recent addition to Hinterlandes, the Grahams’ Lakes-based self-catering assortment, launched in 2018, together with a transformed American faculty bus with sizzling tub and a family-sized black timber cabin. All are self-contained and conveyable, transferring from location to location each 28 days round native farmland that John leases from a pal who owns 200 acres. John additionally based (and just lately bought) the Lakes’ coolest cafe, Merienda, in Keswick, and has a 1958 Airstream, coastal yacht and extra off-grid huts within the pipeline.
In a land of a thousand cabins and glamping pods, it’s the factor of journey and problem that makes the Hidden Hut one thing completely different. Sleeping in such an remoted hilltop place normally requires tenting or roughing it in a bothy, however making the cabin small (7ft x 12ft) and movable will get round constructing laws.
“It’s most likely one of many highest cabins within the UK, at about 1,000ft,” says John. “It’s not for everybody, however for somebody who desires to get proper into the depths of the countryside, it’s very best.”
It’s comfortable too. The Scandi-ish inside is styled with a cutesy quilt, black wood stools, industrial photo voltaic lighting and cabinets of books and video games. There’s a separate composting lavatory and marble bathe and a wood-burning range retaining it sauna-toasty. We heat a tagine we’ve introduced on the hotplate and go to sleep top-to-tail within the double mattress, nestling towards an image window.
I wake with my face pressed towards an unbelievable view, a stressed expanse of hillocks and peaks rolling in direction of the coast. On a close-by hillock, two designer Hay chairs are organized for admiring the uncooked splendour of the sheer-sided peaks round Loweswater and Buttermere to the south.
Morning individuals would have risen earlier than daybreak to mild the range, however we’re not them, so potter across the rapid non-public panorama ready hours for the kettle to boil. It doesn’t. We want we’d introduced a tenting fuel range for fast cuppas and resort to filling flasks at night time for morning and infusing espresso baggage in chilly water. It’s our solely grievance, although the “small hamper with wine and beer” containing two Tunnock’s wafers and one small can of sauvignon blanc is considerably disappointing (the inclusion of oat milk saves it). However these are minor within the grand scheme of the environment.
A brief drive south previous Loweswater and Crummock Water finds us in Buttermere, the place imposing mist-wreathed giants – Kirk Fell, Excessive Stile, Nice Gable, Hay Stacks – which might be immensely satisfying to scale are topped with snow. Given the scant sunlight hours, we go for a shorter run up Whiteless Pike, the place robust winds practically flatten us, ending with an ecstatic dash alongside the grassy lakeside ridge of Low Financial institution because the solar units, gabbling idiotically about how we should change into severe fell runners and may plan a hardcore expedition, maybe to the Arctic.
The overambition of this concept is pulled into focus after we’re mountaineering again up the vertical mud bathtub to the hut later that ink-dark night time.
The hut has an outside pizza oven, and supplies dough elements and passata, so whereas climbing we plot essentially the most environment friendly timing for the duties forward: firing the range, making dough, breaking firewood into tiny items, lighting the oven, brewing espresso for tomorrow.
The route is wetter and muddier, the wind insane, however lastly, sweatily, we attain the hut. It begins to rain. After which it dawns on me. The important thing. We’ve left the goddamn key within the automotive.
Such absentmindedness could be no huge deal elsewhere; right here it means an hour and a half’s hike again down and up once more. One way or the other, we don’t thoughts. We take beer and embrace the fun of being exterior on a wild winter night time, and our personal type of shambolic adventuring.
At 1am, after burning by way of a whole field of matches, succeeding in lighting the oven solely through the use of an emergency foil blanket as a windshield, we sit on the low tree trunk that wraps across the outside desk like a bench, consuming our scrumptious pizza (minus spinach, which blew away). Perhaps we will hack the Arctic in any case.
The following day we appear to solely have time for a quick, invigorating swim in freezing Crummock Water (one thing I comply with reluctantly, letting the Guardian aspect down by sporting a thick wetsuit), and a protracted warm-up in Buttermere’s Croft Home Farm Cafe, earlier than night time falls once more.
However the winter darkness feels joyful now. We hike an hour down the highway with head torches to Loweswater’s Kirkstile Inn, the most effective of Lake District pubs (another route goes over the fell), for an excellent dinner of Loweswater Gold tempura monkfish and nightcaps of salted caramel vodka from the sensible Lakes Distillery. No automobiles cross by and the sky is awfully clear, the celebrities brighter and extra ample than I’ve seen them in years. Blair Witch doesn’t cross my thoughts and the robo-sheep even look pleasant.
Our intention to go fell-running at daybreak earlier than leaving is reneged upon, however we’re armed with chilly espresso and really feel shaken awake by this break, uplifted and fortified, with new targets and positivity. The cabin has been excellent for half-baked adventurers like us, the right combination of problem and luxury. Making such a visit on the very begin of January is a revelation. Christmas and New Yr are left for mud and after I get dwelling, it already appears like spring.
Gemma Bowes was a visitor of Cover and Stars. A keep within the Hinterlandes Hidden Hut prices from £190 per night time sleeping two; Hinterlandes Cabin prices from £155 per night time for 2 adults, two kids; the varsity bus prices from £145 per night time sleeping two