Seven Shipping Containers in the UK (or Not Far From It)
Practical, eco-friendly and architecturally mind-boggling, the humble shipping-container conversion has taken off in recent years. From a luxe hideaway in Devon to a wobbly number in County Donegal, we’ve pulled together a handful of our favourite units around the UK and beyond.
23 February, 2021
Nobody
can quite pinpoint when it happened or why, but at some
point over the past few years, shipping containers stopped being
mere vessels and became the foundations of our social lives; places
to clink glasses with friends, sweat out the subsequent hangover
and bed down for the night.
Yes, the humble shipping container’s most surprising volte-face
is its transcendence into the realm of luxe accommodation. Okay, a
shipping container might be lacking in spa facilities, under-floor
heating or any other number of bougie add-ons that you’d find in a
five-star hotel, but in 2021 it doesn’t get more fashionable than
an eco-friendly cabin located slap-bang (or near enough) in the
middle of nowhere.
To save you the trouble, we’ve pulled together a handful of our
favourite shipping-container conversions in the UK. Book them now,
or we might just beat you to it…
Seven shipping containers perfect for a close-to-home
staycation
Frank the Shipping Container
County Donegal, Ireland
Sleeps: Two
Best for: Design-savvy introverts
Named after the late Frank Lloyd Wright, this shipping container puts the structural
cantilevers made famous by its namesake architect to the test. In
fact, if you jump while standing at the waterside end of this
hovering unit, you’ll actually notice it wobble slightly. Be not
afraid. This unit, situated on a private coastal lake in Traighenna
Bay on the Wild Atlantic Way, is a nature-lover’s wet dream. As you
might expect from the name, it’s furnished rather exquisitely,
too.
Cargo Cabin
Flintshire, Wales
Sleeps: Two
Best for: Animal whisperers and wannabe farmers
This cabin is about as fugu as it gets. It’s situated on a working sheep and
dairy farm, but along with the cattle and sheep you’ll have
chickens, pheasants and a coy Shetland pony called Alma for
neighbours too. From this container, you can reach Moel Famau, the
highest hill in the Clwydian Range, the banks of the River Dee and,
with a car, Snowdonia. Spend your days getting in touch with nature
in all of its mucky, messy glory before sitting out on your terrace
(or in the outdoor bathtub, perhaps) as an embroidered veil of
stars emerges overhead.
Barefoot Rusty
Porthleven, Cornwall
Sleeps: Four
Best for: Brave of heart beach bums
Charming or just plain grim? We’re not sure where we stand on
the name of this container, though after a couple of nights
spent shacking up here, we suspect you’ll fall head over heels.
Barefoot Rusty presides over seven acres of rolling meadows in an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, not far from Cornwall’s Lizard
Peninsula. In summer, it gets booked up by Cornish surfers eager to
catch waves at nearby Porthleven and Mullion. Head here in autumn
for windswept strolls along Loe Bar and coffee-fuelled rambles
around the perfectly pocket-sized villages which are staggered
along the seaside.
Huxham Hideaway
Huxham, Devon
Sleeps: Two
Best for: Bookish types with a penchant for fluffy, white
robes
Three words: handcrafted reading chair. The moment we saw this
chair, we knew we had to spill the beans. Perched atop a sleepy,
private meadow looking out over the East Devon countryside, it’s a
dreamy spot from which to crack on with that self-imposed reading
list. Huxham Hideaway comes with a king-size bed
footed by floor-to-ceiling windows, a Pinterest-perfect kitchen and
all of the white fluffy paraphernalia you’d find in a spa hotel.
Feeling peckish after hiking the Exe estuary? The hosts can kit you
out with a hamper of hyper-local produce too, should you so
wish.
Shakas House
St. Ives, Cornwall
Sleeps: Four
Best for: Greedy gallery gannets
Don’t be fooled by the tumbling greenery that surrounds this
cosy metal shack; it might look like it’s
submerged in wilderness, but the thrum of St Ives is just a couple
of miles away. The open-plan kitchen-lounge is kept cosy by a
green, wood-burning ceramic stove and scored by retractable doors
which open out onto a dining terrace. Spend the days pootling
around the galleries and ceramics studios of St Ives, before
cooking up a storm and snuggling down for long evenings by the
fireside.
Ty Cwch
Ceredigion, Wales
Sleeps: Between four and 12
Best for: Outdoorsy travellers who’ve “done” Scotland
Safe to say, Cardigan Bay is having a moment. This sweeping
inlet, home to Hiut Denim Co. and Fforest, is
the place to go for outdoorsy types keen to explore what Wales has
to offer. Built using upcycled materials and designed to be as
low-energy as possible, Ty
Cwch is an exercise in eco-friendly architecture and has the
awards to prove it. Pack your boots; we’re walking the Wales Coast
Path – a route which traces the coast through secluded woodlands
and vast, open countryside.
The Lake
Bodmin, Cornwall
Sleeps: Two
Best for: Loved-up, less-is-more romantics
Delicately positioned on the verge of a flooded quarry and
surrounded by a tangle of walking trails which take you from
roaring Cornish coastlines to somnolent old villages, this container is ideal for those looking to
take some time out. It’s off-grid in the truest sense of the term.
Solar panels power the lighting and electricity sockets, and food
is kept cold by way of a sub-aquatic cool box. This container comes
with a steaming-hot outdoor shower for those brave few who fancy
taking a mid-autumn dip in the lake, and an elegant rowboat for
those who’d rather stay on the right side of the water. It’s a
recognised Dark Sky Landscape too, so prepare for some serious
night-time skyscapes.
