In my second article about the ever-popular ‘staycation,’ I’m looking at some of the most unusual, reasonably priced holiday accommodation you can find in the UK. Whether it’s a railway carriage, a safari tent, or a floating pod, there are countless opportunities to go somewhere a little different this summer.
1.) Sleeperzzz, The Highlands, Scotland
Image via quirkyaccom.com
If you’re anything like me, you do an awful lot of travelling by train as a student, so much, in fact, that it sometimes feels like you could sleep there. Well, If it’s a trip to Scotland you fancy, you’re in luck. You can stay in some converted first class train carriages beside a working railway station in the secluded village of Rogart in the Highlands. The carriages are named after scottish whiskies, and have a shared kitchen, dining room, living area, toilets and showers. If you’re not sold yet, just look at the prices: they start at £17 per adult per night.
2. Ling Safari Tents, Worcestershire
Okay, so this one is a little bit more expensive, but it was far too exciting not to include. You can go and stay in a luxurious safari tent on a farm opposite the West Midlands Safari Park, and, according to their website, you can actually ‘hear the lions roar’ from the tent. For £100 a night (for two people in the Bell Tent) you get a double bed, decking, an open plan lounge, kitchen and woodburning stove, but it’s primarily a slightly surreal opportunity to pretend you’re on an African safari in Worcester.
3.) The ‘Eye-Pod’, near Abersoch, Wales
Image via quirkyaccom.com
I’ll admit it, I was primarily attracted to this one because of the pun in the name of it, but the Eye-Pod itself looks pretty exciting for amateur star-enthusiasts too. The Eye-Pod is a totally unique spherical cabin with an optional star-gazing dome (you can cover it when you want to sleep), which is Tardis-like and much bigger on the inside than it looks. Located on a campsite near the gorgeous coastal village of Abersoch, this cabin is located in an adults only field, so you should have a lovely, relaxing evening. Oh, and it also comes with ‘dimmer switches to add ambience’; one for you and the significant other, perhaps. Prices start from £90 per night.
4.) The Shepherd’s Hut, Bilsdale, North Yorkshire
Image via quirkyaccom.com
If you’re a fan of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights or particularly fond of lambing – and who isn’t fond of seeing lots of lambs? – The Shepherd’s Hut in Bilsdale might be the one for you. You’ll be staying on a working farm in the North Yorkshire Moors, and it’ll give you an insight into a totally different way of life. These shepherds’ huts were a familiar sight in rural England during the Victorian era, but now have mostly been converted into accommodation. If you come in April, you’ll get to see the lambing on the farm too. Stay here for £60 for two people for one night, and £50 for subsequent nights.
5.) Haven Pod, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Image via quirkyaccom.com
‘Now this is all very well’, I hear you say, ‘but where are the water-based places to stay? There must be something where I get to float on water as I sleep?’ Well, I’ve got just the place for you. The Haven Pod in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is an eco-friendly, floating pod which sleeps 4 people located within the Neyland Yacht Haven marina. Come here if only for the breathtaking views of the national park across the water from your private deck. You’ll pay £60 per night in the summer.
So, whether you want somewhere a little unusual to stay, or something completely off-the-wall, I can guarantee that there will be a quirky staycation to suit you in the UK. Personally, I’ve got my eye on the floating pod.
At last the road map has finally been set out for the end of all the
restrictions that we’ve been living under this past year. If you’ve not
seen it already June 21st has been set as the date when all
COVID_19 restrictions will be lifted. Howeve
As all students know, throughout the semester you can become increasingly
preoccupied with meeting all your deadlines, applying for jobs,
volunteering, working, and socialising. You can be easily consumed with all
your responsibilities and often forget to
Groceries are the second-largest expense on the student spending list just
after the rent. However, there are a few things which you can do to limit
your food spending. Cooking on a budget doesn’t mean eating less or more
boring. It’s the opposite! It’s al
Moving to university is never an easy step, but students this year have had
it worse than ever with two national lockdowns and many limiting
restrictions. You might have found it difficult to meet people, stop
feeling home-sick, or actualise your universit
Staying motivated during the winter lockdown is a challenge for us all.
Although lockdown is testing in any season, it’s easy to feel sluggish and
like you’d rather sit on the sofa when the nights are drawing in at 5pm.
You’ve probably had days when you ju
The Government has recently announced a support package of £50 million for
students who have been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic. This is an
addition to the £20 million that was announced in December of 2020.
For many university students the January assignments have finally been
submitted and semester one has come to an end. Whether you’ve already
started your second semester, or whether you don’t start back again until
next week, it’s always good to take some
Health and wellbeing have been spotlight topics for the last few years, and
rightly so! We are all aware of the importance of being kind to others,
checking in our friends, and how it’s OK to ask for help if you need it!
Our mental health and well-being ar
Both in student and professional lives we lead one’s general success or
lack thereof is often boiled down to a calculation of little victories and
failures. We compare ourselves to our peers, we quantify our performance—be
it through per cents on our essay
If you’re a student on a budget, you probably already know that it’s a
challenge to make your student loan stretch until the end of the semester –
and that’s before you’ve considered Christmas. Perhaps you’ve saved some of
your money during lockdown as you
Exams are a daunting part of the university experience for any student.
This year the introduction of online learning and assessments has left many
students apprehensive for the upcoming examinat
The long-awaited Christmas break is finally here. With the extra pressures
on students this year, to adapt to online learning and to complete their
assignments under the additional strain of the pandemic, many students will
likely be looking forward to som
Mental health…it’s a complicated topic. Knowing what it is is important,
and how yours might change and what to do is useful for maintaining the
happiest version of yourself. So what is mental health, how is it affected,
and what can we do?
Carbon Neutral is a term we hear a lot these days. From UK pledges to be
it, to companies telling us it’s what we should aim for. It seems such a
large concept, achieved by mass effort towards a common goal, but what
actually is it, and how can the single
As the new academic term is underway, many students have moved away from
home and relocated to embark on their studies at university. While you may
feel that moving away to a new city is a big step outside of your comfort
zone, it’s simply just the next chapt
With most UK universities beginning their Autumn terms somewhere near the
end of September, it’s time to start thinking about heading back to class.
Over the summer break, it’s easy to get out of your old routines, and with
the added factor of the coronavi
IQ student accommodations is a great place to find your next place whilst
studying, but with so many flexible choices, it can be hard to work out
what’s best for you! So which are the five best properties on
Let’s face it: freshers’ is probably the moment you look forward to the
most when it comes to starting university. After all the chore of packing
your life away into boxes and swotting for exams, meeting new people and
letting loose in pub crawls or club n
Living with your family is often hard enough but going away to university
is a whole new kettle of fish. You’ve more than likely never met the people
you’re going to be living with, and there’s no guarantee that they’re going
to be clean and tidy, and even
As the new academic year draws nearer and nearer, both new and returning
students are beginning to prepare for the return to university. Looking
towards September, there are many things students can do to make sure that
they’re ready to return. Whether you’re comin
As many recent graduates begin to enter the job market, many individuals
may find themselves facing the dauting prospect of an online interview. Due
to the COVID_19 restrictions, and the surge of online video technologies,
such as Zoom, many companies have
Our research shows that some students think that finding accommodation is
more stressful than finding a University place through clearing. Things are
likely to be a little different this year, so here are our top tips for
finding accommodation during clear
This year Accommodation For Students are working with a number of leading
student accommodation operators as part of our 2020 clearing campaign. Each
partner provides high quality student accommodation and is working closely
with our team to respond quickl
Ugh bills. Do I want to check my bank account…nope I really don’t want to.
Saving on bills is a proper issue, but I don’t want to save on my bills at
the expense of the environment! So here’s a few ways you can do both!
For many students, the return to the pub has been long awaited. Three
months after the initial lockdown began, Boris Johnson gave the go ahead
for pubs and restaurants to re-open their doors to the public on 4 th July. This announcement marks the thir
Bread? Check. Milk? Check. Drinks for club night? Check.
These are some of the typical items on a student weekly shopping list.
Other popular features are cheese, pasta (can’t forget the pasta) mince,
fruit and veg. Budgeting is something drilled into us
The development of the coronavirus pandemic was as rapid as it was
confusing: everyone thought it was an overreaction to a virus ‘less deadly
than the flu’, but it managed to quickly mutate into a serious crisis that
threatened our well-established student life. Du
It is important to take some precautions when you are using Accommodation
for Students, particularly if you are trying to book a room in a property
without viewing it.
Accommodation for Students has been around since 2000 and during this time
Over the past few months, the world has changed in ways previously
unimaginable. With the job market taking a plunge, and uncertainty becoming
all too familiar, many individuals are choosing to use their extra time
indoors to enhance their CV and career prosp
Universities, as independent institutions have complete governance over how
they structure their courses and which platforms they use to deliver
sessions. However, with the global pandemic changing the way society
operates, universities must take decisions
After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic this March, many UK
Universities underwent rapid contingency measures to swiftly convert
teaching from the traditional face-to-face lecture style, to online or
virtual platforms. While in March, this online co
The unprecedented national outbreak of the coronavirus has changed the
platforms for viewing accommodation. While, previously students were able
to preview their potential accommodation choices at University open days,
such large events, for the foreseeabl
Since the national outbreak of the corona virus, many UK Universities have
taken the decision to deliver the summer term online, encouraging students
to leave campus and return home. When this was announced in March, many
students and lecturers assumed tha
Over the last few weeks Accommodation for Students has been taking feedback
from students and the landlords that advertise properties on our website.
It is clear that both students and landlords have been hit by the current
crisis and in some cases are str
What does the future hold for the holidaymakers and travellers of post-brexit Britain?
With yet another parliamentary rejection, we are no closer to finding out. All that can be said is that, at this point, it’s anyone’s guess.
Will you be able to travel visa-free?
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