The ultimate country getaway with Hidden River Cabins

VIVA Ems | 10th January 2018

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

Deep in the heart of the stunning Lake District lies 5 all-wood construction log cabins. Combined with luxurious interior and countryside views, these cabins are the ultimate alternative getaway experience for groups of friends, a couple of love birds or a family getaway.

On this occasion it was my good friend Laura’s aka ‘Miss G’s’ birthday, six friends travelled up to Cumbria from Manchester late Friday afternoon, it took a good two and a half  hours to get there from the city and we arrived down the winding country path just as it got dark, to our majestic private cabin called The Foxglove.

Foxglove Cabin caters for up to 10 people. It’s equipped with 4 bedrooms, 2 double king sized, 2 twin and a double sofa bed. The 2 double bedrooms have large balconies with breath taking views across the river Lyne, the Foxglove veranda and huge hot tub.

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

Yes the hot tub! This had to be one of our favourite features of the cabin, it took our friend Wrong Jon all of 4 minutes after unlocking the front door, to strip off into the steamy bubbles, put the strobe lights on and get the party started!

Each cabin at Hidden River is totally private, nothing is overlooked so you are more than able to relax.

Another favourite Foxglove feature was the traditional wood burner situated in the middle of the open plan living/kitchen area which kept us snug throughout the weekend, plus there’s no need to go out and chop down a tree, as all logs are provided!

Food wise, we all chipped in some cash and ordered a plentiful delivery of food and drinks from Tesco for the weekend. The nearest shops are miles away, so this is advised but it’s a very short walk to the Hidden River Club House Cafe, where resident chef Thomas Towle prepares an exquisite menu of Cumbrian dishes, all cooked with locally scoured produce.

WATCH MAD ABOUT MANCHESTER’S HIDDEN RIVER CABIN VIDEO…

None of the cabins get a mobile phone signal. Literally zero signal, and there is no Wi-Fi in the cabins either. Dun dun duuuuun! With most of the group being in the media industry – how would we survive? How would we go on social media ? How would we call people? How would we check our emails???

In actual fact – it didn’t matter a jot, the lack of phone service is a breath of fresh air!

Instead we entertained ourselves with a talent competition; ‘Miss G’s Rappers Delight’. We dressed up in wigs and other crazy outfits over the weekend, we got creative and did a spot of life drawing, cooked meals together (well, mainly Elspeth actually!) played games such as ‘Have you ever’, various card games, as well as country walks by the river in the day, karaoke, fire spinning by night and stargazing from the hot tub, trying to work out constellations and spot shooting stars.

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

But if you do need to catch up with the outside world there is decent Wi-Fi a mere 3 or so minutes up the path to the Club House, which is open early, through till 10pm – but the Wi-Fi stays on all night and you can sit on the step and use it if you have an urgent need to call home or go on Twitter.

VIVA Verdict: Possibly the best weekend getaway we have reviewed over the 9 years of VIVA travel features. Seriously, we don’t say this lightly.

The team running the cabins were extremely friendly and welcoming, the cabins were stunning, great appliances very clean, and the Lake District views are breath taking.

It was Just a shame we couldn’t stay longer, and had to come back to the real world!

Our Hidden River trip really was the ultimate alternative getaway for a group of good friends looking to spend some quality time together in beautiful surroundings. 10/10

GALLERY PICTURES BY ELSPETH MARY MOORE…

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For more information about the Hidden River Cabins and how to make a booking go to:

www.hiddenrivercabins.co.uk 

INSTAGRAM : @hiddenrivercabins

TWITTER : @rivercabins