The Staycation Edition Part Two: Our Pick of Self-Catering Homes

Join our travel editors as they lift the lid on some of their
favourite UK self-catering stays, from twee Cotswolds cottages to
Pembrokeshire houseboats. No longer just a crash pad for laying
your head, this is the kind of accommodation at the forefront of
the staycation stampede. Expect design-driven bothies in the
Highlands, the South Downs’ most swanky stately homes and Norfolk
cottages that have been given extensive makeovers.


We’ll also be joined by one half of the dynamic duo behind the
award-winning Brownber Hall, arguably the plushest pad in the
country. After upping sticks and moving from Hackney to Cumbria,
Peter and Amanda Jaques-Walker opened Brownber Hall to rave
reviews. Then the pandemic hit and they pivoted from running a
boutique hotel to a self-catering bolthole. Peter shares their
journey with us, his top Lake District picks – including a
secluded wild-swimming spot – and introduces their new property,
Brownber House.


We’d love to know where you’re going next and how you think the
travel landscape might change as lockdown restrictions ease. Send
your voice notes to fleur@suitcasemag.com or drop us a DM on
Instagram @indiadowley and @fleur_rm. For a daily dose of travel
inspiration, check in with us at suitcasemag.com. 


Links and notes from the episode 


Peter Jaques-Walkers top Lake District tips:


Pendragon Castle with its River Eden swimming spot next door


The Black Swan for grub


Black Bull for Japan-meets-Cumbria food 


The bothy India waxed lyrical about?


Inverlonan, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Fleur’s glamping pick:

Glen Dye, Kincardineshire, Scotland


The glass-fronted homes hidden in the Scottish Highlands:


57 Nord


Croft 103


That dreamy Pembrokeshire houseboat…


Pembrokeshire Houseboat, Kip Hideaways


The most elaborate folly with Notebook-worthy boating lake:

The Walled Gardens, Bath


Fleur’s heading to this Cotswolds barn with her family in tow:


Bibury Farm Barns


… and India to this Pinterest-worthy darling in Norfolk:


Eden Hall


The showstopper of the episode:


Cadence, Petworth, West Sussex


Our pick of self-catering booking platforms:

Canopy & Stars for treehouses, airstreams and other quirky
accommodation 


Airbnb Plus (obvs)


Living Architecture for Grand Design-worthy properties


Fish & Pips for all-out countryside party mansions