Do you ever have the urge to just drop out of the chaotic whirlwind of civilisation and simply retreat to a quiet cabin in the woods where you can wake up to the sound of birdsong?
Henry David Thoreau built his own cabin near Walden Pond and it gave him the quiet headspace to write some pretty profound things about humanity. But whether you spend your time writing, painting, hiking or simply being – a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere is a tranquil and beautiful place to escape.
Let’s take a look at some amazing cabins that are truly off the beaten track, where you can find adventure and solitude in abundance:
Photo courtesy of LeConte Lodge
Le Conte Lodge, Tennessee – A Hiking-Access Only Retreat in the Mountains.
This rustic cabin is five miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee and it is accessible only by hiking up into the Great Smoky Mountains at an elevation of 6,360 feet. This cabin has no electricity, is lit by kerosene lamps and dates back to before the National Park it is in was even created. When it gets dark there are no streetlights, so you can see an incredible display of stars and the only noises disturbing the quiet are the sounds of nature.
Photo courtesy of Flavio Pesamosca
A Tiny Cabin Perched High on a Mountain in Italy.
When Luca Vuerich was swept away in an avalanche while climbing an icefall in Italy’s Julian Alps, he died from his injuries after being air-lifted to hospital. In his memory, his family and friends built a tiny wooden cabin at the top of the 8,000 foot high mountain peak of Foronon Buinz where climbers could take shelter after ascending.
Photo courtesy of Flavio Pesamosca 
Photo courtesy of Flavio Pesamosca
This minimalist structure is only 16 square meters and the building supplies were delivered by a helicopter. The tiny cabin has a total of 9 bunk beds and it is a free place to sleep for anyone who needs to rest after climbing the mountain.
Mountains and Sea at Cragside Cabin in Wales.
Located on a rocky hillside on the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales, Cragside Cottage is the perfect place to hide away for a hiking holiday. It is surrounded by mountains with no light pollution and no neighbours for miles. Let yourself relax into the quiet pace of the Welsh countryside and spend your days strolling through the forests and mountains and your nights curled up by the fireplace in a woolly blanket.
Photo courtesy of storem
Life is simple in these rustic cabins – each day consists of gathering food, cooking, chopping wood and walking in nature. With no blaring televisions or hypnotic computer screens to distract us, we start to pay attention to the natural rhythms of nature – falling asleep when night falls and waking up with the dawn. Our senses become attuned to things that we normally don’t notice, such as the scent of the air, the wind rustling through the leaves, the sparkle of the sunlight reflecting on a lake.
These are just a few of the most remote off-the-beaten-path cabins where you can escape from the world and relax while surrounded by nature.
Photo courtesy of NatureNerd
