“Home is where the heart is”, the familiar idiom goes; and it takes only a slight slip of the tongue to find ourselves facing the treacle-warm glow of the hearth.
As morning walks turn crisp and hedgerow leaves curl with a kiss of frost at their edges, fire’s elemental allure intensifies. After a day spent stomping through woodland, picture returning home to an open hearth, striking a match to coax a flame and cosying up for an evening of uninterrupted reading as the logs begin to crackle. These are the soulful rituals of an autumn or winter break: cold fingers and toes gently warming, the scent of whisky and lemon rising from hot toddies and conversation meandering as time slips by in the hypnotic dance of flames.
Across our collection, there’s an abundance of homes with fireplaces to gather around, from a RIBA-award-winning treehouse with a statement suspended fireplace to a mountain cottage whose living space wraps around an original inglenook hearth. Here’s our edit of six homes to settle into, fireside, for the ’ber season.
Northlight, Isle of Skye
On the Isle of Skye’s Uiginish peninsula, Northlight is an oasis of calm within the area’s wild elements. Slip into the crystalline waters of Loch Dunvegan, then sink into a leather armchair beside the crackling woodburner with a dram of Talisker in hand as the famed Hebridean light dances across the landscape. Shades of stone, gorse and rust carry the warm, autumnal tones of the outdoors into this restored 19th-century home, whilst a sauna, sits perched between house and shore, if you'd like to sink deeper into the elemental warmth to be found here.
Verte, Devon
Set within Devon’s Chevithorne Barton estate, Verte is a RIBA-award-winning treehouse that fans from the hillside towards a natural pond, its larch cladding sourced from the surrounding land. At the centre of the soaring living space, a statement circular fireplace hangs dramatically from the ceiling, crackling with comfort in brisker months. As days close shorter and the hoot of owls echoes between the trees, wraparound windows make you feel as if suspended within the dappled canopy.
Awen, Eryri (Snowdonia)
Cradled between Yr Wyddfa and Y Garn, featured in The Times’ edit of autumn’s cosiest cottage breaks, Awen is a restful mountain retreat for four immersed in the splendour of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. Once a woollen mill powered by the flowing waters of the Afon Gwyrfai, this sensitively restored cottage gathers around an original inglenook, fitted with a woodburner and crafted from slate quarried in Trawsfynydd, restored to draw people close as it has for centuries. Welsh blankets drape the sofas, sheepskin rugs soften floors and antiques bring a sense of story, whilst a second woodburner in the kitchen lends warmth to evenings sharing bowls of foraged cep risotto.
The Knapp, The Cotswolds
In Gloucestershire’s Slad Valley, The Knapp immerses you in the pastoral landscapes immortalised in the works of local writer Laurie Lee. Inside, stone hearths warm both the snug and living room, setting the scene for long evenings spent sinking into marshmallow-soft sofas, novel in hand, as flames dance. Time-worn beams stretch overhead, whilst hand-painted ceramics, folk furniture and artworks carry stories of the family's heritage and bear the handmade mark of the local artists' community. Follow the valley’s footpaths to The Woolpack, Lee’s former local, for a glass of cider before returning to its storybook embrace.
The Milk Wood, Pembrokeshire
Deep in Pembrokeshire’s Nevern Valley, The Milk Wood is a gathering of four dwellings in a clearing amongst ancient sessile oaks. Once home to dairy folk and foresters, a sensitive renovation has brought a Scandinavian lightness to its country roots: warm timber meets softly curved walls, burgundy cabinetry adds richness and sumptuous velvet sofas invite afternoons cosied up together beside the fire. Gather the family for rounds of rummy fuelled by plates of Welsh cakes whilst the river babbles on by. Outside, hot tubs, open-air baths and a sauna provide plenty of opportunity for forest bathing with added restorative warmth.
Kober, Cornwall
With its soaring vaulted ceilings, railway sleeper panelling, saloon-inspired games lounge and rustic-luxe furnishings, Kober brings a touch of “mountaincore” aesthetic to the Atlantic shores of Cornwall's tidal Camel Estuary. Uncork a bottle of award-winning Blanc de Noirs from neighbouring Trevibban Mill vineyard beside the dual-aspect fireplace, which brings chalet-like warmth to long suppers on one side and evenings curled up on the sofas on the other. Nearby Padstow makes this an especially tempting base in the run-up to Christmas. Return from festive fayre excursions and coastal wanderings with supper provisions, then thaw in the indoor sauna or cedarwood hot tub.
Feeling inspired? Peruse our full collection of cottages with fireplaces, or cosy cabins, for autumn stays.
