October is a time of recalibration. As the heat and hurry of summer dissolve, our landscapes unfurl into a blaze of copper and rust, leaves turn crisp and a soft-edged mist gathers in valleys and fens. It's a season of unmistakable richness. Hedgerows are laden with glistening berries for foraging hands, raised beds offer up a tangle of squash for nourishing bowls of autumn risotto, and the satisfying thwack of conkers echoes through forested paths.
With the turning of the clocks comes the joy of a slower pace: switching off the morning alarm, hunkering down in rollneck jumpers and savouring the season with your family. With forest trails and coastal paths on their doorstep and every comfort thoughtfully considered – from boot rooms stocked with pairs in all sizes and cinema dens, to heated pools, saunas and crackling hearths – here is our edit of the five best homes in the UK to book for your October half term holiday.
The Hop Store, Ledbury
- Standout features: Sheltered hot tub, fire pit, private playground, heated garden room, giant Jenga and resident donkeys
- What we love: A rare opportunity to stay on one of the UK’s last operational hop farms
- Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Encircled by 150 acres of hop yards, rolling meadows and heritage apple orchard, in its bucolic position on the Cotswolds border, The Hop Store places families at the heart of autumn’s harvest rituals. Children are invited to explore the farm’s abundant trails, sway in the swings beneath a leafy canopy and perhaps take a tractor ride, whilst adults can sample the estate’s award-winning sparkling cider and hop-spiked cheeses. Following afternoon walks across the nearby Malvern Hills, you might visit resident donkeys Herby and Teddy, slip into the restorative warmth of the outdoor hot tub, or hunker down by the fire pit with a bowl of warm apple crumble.
Ember, Wiltshire
- Standout features: Heated indoor swimming pool, hot tub, gym, cinema room, games room and private playground with trampoline, climbing frame and football goals
- What we love: This historic home marries opportunities for play with wellness facilities to rival a private spa
- Sleeps: Up to 18 guests
Rekindled from a flicker of its former flame into a glowing sleeps-18 retreat, Ember is a historic 19th-century Wiltshire rectory transformed with contemporary comforts. True to its name, this is a home that radiates warmth in cooler months – from its heated indoor pool and candlelit dining hall, to its biomass heating system and freestanding slipper baths. An itinerary for an October day might include games on the dew-kissed lawn (or an indoor table tennis tournament should the weather take a turn for the wetter), curling up with a well-thumbed book in the cosy garden room, and gathering in the cinema snug as evening falls. For a family day out, perhaps a pumpkin trail at Longleat Estate, just a 10-minute drive away.
Winterfell, Windermere
- Standout features: Outdoor fire pit, Beatrix Potter-esque grounds and rolling views
- What we love: Book lovers can lose themselves in landscapes said to have inspired our most cherished writers, epicureans can indulge in regional dining and hikers can scale England's highest peak
- Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Cumbria's UNESCO World Heritage landscape comes into its own in autumn as the Lake District transforms into a tapestry of amber, gold and russet. With its secluded setting, Beatrix Potter-esque walled gardens and six generous en suite double bedrooms, Winterfell is perfect for multi-generational gatherings in the October holidays. Picture mornings overlooking mist-cloaked hills, sharing breakfasts of locally reared Cumberland sausage with crusty bread, before setting off to scale Scafell Pike, stroll Windermere’s lapping shorelines or sail in the crisp autumn air. Return as dusk settles for fireside stories and toasted homemade marshmallows in the glowing embers of the outdoor firepit.
The Hatch, Crantock
- Standout features: Outdoor hot tub, cinema loft, games room with table tennis and a home office.
- What we love: There's room for the whole family including two dogs
- Sleeps: Up to 9 guests (+ 1 in trundle bed on prior request)
At The Hatch, a Cornish cob cottage just moments from the golden dunes of Crantock, autumnal days are spent traversing the South West Coast Path with your dog in tow, dipping into cosy cafes along the way for cream-topped hot chocolate and surfing the Atlantic swells that roll into the north coast in autumn. Whilst the surrounding landscape invites adventure in abundance, all generations can be entertained comfortably within its walls. Think boardgames by firelight and suppers of just-landed turbot with sea beet in the country kitchen. In the games room, you can strike up a ping pong competition before retreating to the cinema loft for a screening of Bedknobs and Broomsticks or Labyrinth. A greenery-wrapped garden orangery and home office offer quiet to those seeking creative retreat, followed by a well-earned soak in the hot tub.
Hiraeth, Pembrokeshire
- Standout features: Wood-fired sauna and hot tub, outdoor rolltop bath, river hammock and acres of woodland to roam
- What we love: The layout offers flexibility for two households travelling together
- Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (8 adults and 4 children)
Nestled into Pembrokeshire’s Nevern Valley, Hiraeth offers the perfect setup for those seeking both togetherness and privacy from their October half term getaway (across its convivial family cottage and gabled bothy for two). Inside, generous hosting spaces are balanced with pockets designed for restorative quiet. You might while away an afternoon piecing together a puzzle around the central kitchen island, before sinking into velveteen sofas as the woodburner roars. Within the ancient sessile oak woodland that cocoons the clearing, nooks and streams play host to stoats, kingfishers and watersliding otters, whilst the sauna, hammock, outdoor rolltop bath and wood-fired hot tub bring a Scandinavian edge to nature bathing.
Feeling inspired? If you're looking to build an adventurous itinerary, peruse our edit of the best of the UK's one-day hikes, explore our homes made for hosting or browse the full homestays collection.
