Treehouses have the ability to stir our inner child like nothing else. It’s a novelty that the UK’s swishest hotels are tapping into with sky-high dens in surrounding woodlands.
Of course, they’re far from the ones of our youth. Expect memory foam mattresses, hot tubs bubbling on wraparound decks, and to-die-for farmshop breakfast hampers — not to mention all the tech trimmings you’d hardly expect to find up in the clouds.
Clamber down from your high-up hideaway for wild swimming, nature treks and, of course, a woodland shuffle to the local pub. Here are the best treehouse stays in the UK.
The Roost and The Den, Wildhive, Callow Hall, Derbyshire
For a county seemingly lacking in good hotels (despite the Peak District’s siren call to walkers), Callow Hall made quite the impression on Londoners when it opened in 2022, mainly for its nature-first attitude, but mostly (really) for its achingly Instagrammable Woodland Hives and treehouses peppered throughout the grounds.
They’re deep in the belly of the forest, where everything seems to slow to the rhythm of the trees. Look up and you’ll see The Roost and The Den: two rustic-luxe wonders on stilts that are on the autumn staycation list of anyone in-the-know. Guests can relish the immense privacy in wraparound wooden terraces, which are decked in comfy outdoor seating. They sleep five, with two bathrooms, Nespresso machines, WiFi – essentially all the lovely perks of a 5* hotel, just without a soul around, save the odd fox.
While anyone would be excused for staying put in this stylish woodland stay for the full weekend, it’s worth coming back down to earth for cycling the Tissington Trail or tucking into the organic fare at Callow Hall’s glass-encased restaurant that, like the treehouses, really draws the outside in.
Book: Treehouses from £614 (excluding breakfast) sleeping up to five. wildhive.uk
The Hillside and Valley Treehouses, The Tawny, Staffordshire
Perched (quite literally) on the edge of the Staffordshire moorlands, up on stilts, the treehouses at The Tawny enjoy some of the best views in the country.
The Hillside Treehouses peer across lakes fringed by a riot of flowers and mottled follies (all the legacy of the estate’s horticulturally astute owner, William Podmore), while the Valley version are elevated above sloping woodland, festooned with lush ferns and pink-flowering bushes.
Decked out with nature-inspired furnishings — expect leaf print cushions and autumnal-hued sofas and curtains — these less-than-humble treehouses also boast a standalone bathtub and some moddish, neo-deco accents. The views really draw you into the surrounding countryside and are best gawped at from the outdoor ‘spa bath’ and shower.
Book: From £420 per night for two people. thetawny.co.uk
Leckie Treehouses, Scotland
The Leckie Estate in Stirlingshire’s pixie-like woodland, wih waterfalls and craggy, heather carpeted hills is a knockout setting for a lofty perch. Four sustainable treetop hideaways sleeping two to five people have been stitched into the oak and sycamore canopy, with luxe touches such as underfloor heating and super king size beds.
Fun, handmade bunks have been fashioned into Wren and Siskin (two beds) - the sort that will make children squeal with joy - while the outdoor copper baths feel suspended in the Scottish wilderness.
A wood burner welcomes cold-cheeked ramblers back to base, after scaling the ancient Leckie brock via steep crags and waterfalls. Evenings here are all about sky-high barbecues using estate bounty from the farm shop.
The eco-credentials of these woodland retreats are commendable — designed to minimise their impact on the environment with air source heat pumps and constructed from estate timber.
Book: From £260 per night for a one-bedroom Treehouse (minimum two-night stay). leckietreehouses.co.uk
The Hide, Pennard Farm, Somerset
With watercolour views of the Mendip Hills (and the Glastonbury campsite below), Pennard Farm sits along the brow of a hillside. Its feasts, souped-up tents and treehouses are captained by husband and wife team, Pippa and Tom. Of these, the Hide feels the closest to your fairytale treehouse, suspended in an ancient oak canopy with a wood-fired twin bathtub and star-studded night’s sky above.
Autumnal afternoons can be spent curled up with a rug and hot cocoa, allowing the valley views through a natural clearing to absorb all that city cortisol.
Sleeping up to four in total, the treehouse boasts a heavenly king size bed. Though the more adventurous can saunter across the wooden bridge to the tree tents where a double or two separated singles sit in a pod-like shape suspended above the forest floor.
It’s more rustic than some, but there is (praise be) a flushing loo, a piping hot outdoor shower and a woodfire to cook your morning sausages over (the indoor gas hob is cheating). Evenings here can be spent feasting (on specific dates only) in Pennard Farm’s newly renovated barn or firing up the pizza oven for an alfresco, sky-high supper.
Book: The Hide from £195, sleeping up to four. pennardhillfarm
The Treehouses, Cowdray, West Sussex
The jury’s out on just how far a treehouse can stretch its bare-boned, rickety ladder definition. With a fully-fledged bootroom, open-plan living space that would make most London flats blush, and wool rug-strewn beds, Cowdray’s treehouses feel worlds away from the sky-high structure with bunk beds that most would envisage.
The elemental concoction of glass and estate timber feels both modern and sympathetic – weaving into the surrounding scenery with architectural flair. Bi-fold glass doors peel back to a Winnie-the-Pooh woodland and a wrap-around viewing deck replete with a Finnish-style, wood-fired tub.
Hunker down (up high) in the cooler months with the abundance of woolly rugs, sheepskins and a log fire. Should cabin fever ever strike (unlikely with the far-reaching views over the polo fields and the iconic Cowdray ruins), the estate is a rural playground of clay pigeon shooting, craft workshops, cycling, or even introductory polo sessions.
Pre-cooked meals and scrumptious breakfast hampers from the estate café can be ordered to the treehouses, though any long stays here should be paired with a jaunt to some of the local vineyards, or a wander along one of the South Downs many hiking trails.
Book: From £350 a night (with two night minimum). cowdray.co.uk
Elmore Court Estate, Gloucestershire
Woven high in the canopy overlooking the rewilding wetlands of Gloucestershire’s Elmore Court Estate are six bespoke treehouses, all of which honour the untouched nature surrounding them in both aesthetics and structural design.
Whether you’re sipping a morning coffee high in the laurel canopy of Sky (four person) while observing rare species from your copper tub, or staying snug beside a flickering wood burner in Wren (two person), a pocket-sized cabin on stilts, the objective here is to reconnect with nature… While taking a few grid-worthy Instagram shots in fluffy robes.
You can forget the rickety ladder, all treehouses are reached via a wide boardwalk that winds through the wood from the parking bay (with EV charging points of course).
The sheltered outdoor kitchenettes are a lovely summer touch, and guarantee no missed hare or swan sighting while flipping the bacon. While all the treehouses are self-catered, Elmore Court’s first-rate home-grown produce is well worth ordering in advance.
Book: Treehouses from £250 per night. rewildthings.com
Chewton Glen, Hampshire
Suspended 35 feet above Chewton Glen’s Enid Blyton-worthy grounds, a series of safari-style tree houses raised a few eyebrows of this New Forest Grand Dame’s loyalists when they first popped up.
Far from rustic, or indeed from the main hotel building’s chintzy charm, these architectural showstoppers have been chiselled into the tree canopy with just about every techy, modern perk imaginable, from plush kitchenettes to EV charge points just outside.
Built on stilts with impressive eco-credentials, the contemporary (cavernous) hideaways are wrapped in wooden private decks and smothered in enough dense greenery to feel incredibly private.
Chewton Glen’s garden-to-table menus, or delectable breakfast hampers can be hoiked up to the treehouses, or guests can be whisked to the country house hotel’s restaurants or Romanesque spa in buggies.
Pooch owners will be pleased to learn that these skyward stays are dog-friendly. While parents scramble to book during the school holidays and half terms, for Chewton Glen’s superb Kid’s Club and outdoorsy, en famille activities (expect duck herding and plenty of tennis), but most of all, for the privacy of a self-catered stay with the five-star service this New Forest Grande Dame is famed for.
Book: Treehouses from £1,350 per night for two people. chewtonglen.com
The Nest Treehouse, Sleepy Owl, Devon
The devil’s in the detail at this cavernous treehouse, in plum position for jaunts to the Devon and Cornish coastline. From underfloor heating to the super king size bed, this treetop stay keeps things elevated in all senses. A particularly fun feature is the ‘treehouse within a treehouse’ with bunk beds for children – the sort of den that will have sprogs charging around the room with unbridled glee.
Guests have a choice of a rather opulent double gold bath a few steps from their bed, or the outdoor tub plonked on the terrace, with bucolic shots of the meadows below.
While all the Sleepy Owl treehouses are designed for a self-catered stay, unfussy pub grub is a brisk ten minute welly stomp away.
In this unsullied corner of the West Country, the magic really starts at dusk, when the sounds of the wild wraps around the treehouse, along with that delicious waft of smoky barbecue and, gradually, the sky lights up with stars as you dip into a gurgling hot tub, red wine in hand.
Book: The Nest Treehouse from £360 per night. canopyandstars.co.uk
