A wonderful guide to 40 hidden locations in Britain. An illustrated gem of secret treasures that promise peace, quiet and contact with Nature, luxuries we have forgotten in our busy, urban daily reality. I promise you, you'll feel more relaxed and rejuvenated just by reading Wild Escapes. And then, be prepared to have a serious case of pure Wanderlust!

Hmmm… A National Trust book (and by the way, they really ought not to be out-sourcing their printing of such to the UAE – just saying), that wants to give us armchair travellers a smidge of the Insta-life. This is designed to be inspiration for us in our quest for the more unusual, remote and basically splendiferous places to stay, from the Scillies to the Scottish Isles, and a peppering of places in between, if you're happy missing out a lot of the English inland. Take Doyden Castle, a fancy cliff-top pile seen by all coastal walkers, whether they recognise it from the first televised Poldark, Doc Martin or anything else. Three night minimum stay, and £500 a night in high season. Yeah, we'll have ten of them.

The book is suitably gorgeous photography, both of the locales and the interiors (although they like the pretentious little detail as opposed to the useful bigger picture, which is on the NT website anyway), with a page of text for each place itemising its offerings, quirks and benefits. Further photos often follow on, with some semblance of info as to what to do given the keys for the night. Sorry, three nights.

This does certainly manage to pack in the intrigue, and many a utube channel could gain for trying their best to budget and book for some of this for the hits. An echt American school bus, just on the Sussex cliffs? Surprisingly available. An NT cottage where the five of you (plus one dog) can wander the site's grounds out of hours, to get the honeyed sense of being lord and lady of the manor in your nostrils? Cushty. A cave dwelling cut into a real cliff-face? Hobbity (although no self-booking, you have to phone them). Heck, you can even stay in a beached trawler boat – here with suspiciously few interior photos (ie none).

Yes, you will know already if you need this, or if you find this mindset anathema. Or if you're like me, pretty much in between – happy to click on this and that and see the bonkers ideas people have about what makes a holidaying base, kind of wishing for some of it to factor in our life, but happy to be away from the midges, camping sheets, and two-mile hikes from the car park to the wifi-free abode of your choice, only to have forgotten the code for the key-box.

Oh, and they're hot on the "don't you dare call it Snowdonia any more!!" shtick.

This book succeeds at sharing inspiration for holidays to tucked-away corners of Britain. The text is evocative, always managing to suggest cozy retreats and time to reconnect with nature. But by and large it feels mostly like an exercise in marketing, with the goal of encouraging people to book these specific properties or camp sites. It's okay as a form of armchair traveling, but it does feel mainly targeted towards potential customers of any of these properties. I will say they are carefully curated and all fairly interesting; it's just that the tone doesn't quite manage to escape a commercial feel.

I enjoyed reading this, lots of new places on my list now to explore!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Looking at feedback I would say for people to open it in Abobe digital editions as it opened straight away and it has so many beautiful pictures of landscapes and places that I've never visited before.

Hi Sorry this was not for me so I did not read it. Sorry it was a mistake on my part.

I do hav to say that i love the cover though. Good luck

Nice collection of places to visit, though I'd have liked the numbers on the map in the front to have a corresponding index at the beginning for easy page reference, rather than then having to go to the alphabetical index to search in the back. Otherwise it's a decent guide.

I had to select this book for review… who wouldn’t want to go exploring in the Wilds of Great Britain. Absolutely glorious photographs on every page… I loved this book with exciting and way-away-from-the-madding-crowds places to stay. This book takes countryside getaways to a new level… and with each getaway comes local activities to do: local hikes, markets and landmarks to look out for. Five Chapters of “get up and go now” holiday spots:
Coast: Who hasn’t dreamed of a lighthouse getaway, complete with an observation room – to cosy up in and watch storms lash the coast or join them for a summer feast on the beach below… basically any time of year is the dream!!! Or a Cornish stone cottage, an Atlantic Coastline Campsite, or stay in the campsite that inspired Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and launched the scouting movement, or even a Cornish Castle. Let’s not even get started on the glorious Welsh and Irish Coastline.
Meadow: The magic of meadows, little islands of wildlife in an ever increasing urban environment. Stay in a converted school bus; or Farr’s Meadow campsite, which has everything from a yurt to a gypsy caravan; a converted windmill in Kent; Stunning cottages and even a house dug out of rock, that has been inhabited for the last 800 years… now that’s history and looks like a real life adventure into the world of Hobbits.
On the Water: One thing about the wild outdoors is waterways that kind of get lost as everyone rushes to the coastline… but as the sport of wild swimming takes off, so these sort of magical adventures become more interesting. Welcome to the Peak District, and cottages where you can literally dive from your deck into the water; a cabin built on a raft in Essex; and a beached boat in Wales; Rose Castle cottage in Cumbria, just beautiful; and Low Wry overlooking the Lake District has some quirky tree tents to rent; And a Wild Boathouse.
Woodlands: And… into the woods…if you ever wanted to stay in a treehouse in the middle of the woods, then this is the chapter for you. A Roundhouse in Sussex that looks straight out of a fairytale; Peach Cottage on a Working Farm, yes please!!! And of course a gorgeous little Cottage on Mount Snowdown. Or stay in a safari-styled domed tent in the rewilded forest of North Yorkshire, packed with wildlife to observe and enjoy. A log cabin or the Faraway Tree House in Cumbria that cries out for a visit from Beatrix Potter, or some woodland elves. And even the tiniest of tin cabins.
Moors, Hills and Fells: This chapter is a hikers dream, packed with places to roam and filled with ancient legends and stories of times gone by. Including the completely remote Bird How in Cumbria, which looks like the wildest stay of them all. There is still more, a cottage on the Inner Hebrides, now that’s a getaway!!! And the Lazy Duck in Inverness-shire… is really a last but definitely not least kind of a getaway.
I really loved this book, a wonderful book for dreaming, packed with glorious photographs and potential adventures… Absolutley loved it.

There wasn't a place in this book I didn't want to visit. It's the perfect book for an armchair traveller or when you want to organise a travel off the beaten track.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Wild Escapes is full of beautiful photography of amazing places spread out across Scotland, England and Wales.
The pages really inspired me from the way each place is described, to the photographs showcasing idyllic escapes in the most picturesque places from the coastal cottages, magIcal meadows, the amazing rock house retreat, the round house and more. I really liked that it also included campsites. I'm based in Australia so being bale to view all these amazing places that I wouldn't have the opportunity to visit made for a wonderful book of discovery. I'd definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to this pre-release.

The book highlights some of the of the more ‘wild’ places to stay across the UK, including - as you would expect from a National Trust book - plenty of National Trust properties.

The book is split in to 5 sections - Coast, Meadows, Water, Woodland, Moors - grouping properties by their surroundings. Each section begins with a page about the type of terrain, and some factors about the environment and damage that is being done - e.g. Microplastics in the ocean, Trees storing carbon, There is a low level map in the front of the book, however I would have found it useful to have a male on each property page showing its location and local terrain/attractions.

For the title page of each property, the author has included some key points - such as perfect for walkers, number of people that the property accommodates, dogs welcome, on a farm, off grid. The author provides a short history of the property or area, and an brief but informative description of the property. I was able to build up a picture in my mind of the property, which was confirmed when I saw photographs later. A ‘on the doorstep’ section details a National Trust site that is worth a visit whilst starting at the property, followed by a selection of photographs highlighting the best bits. I felt that after flicking through the book, many of the pictures started to feel the same - there is only so much a picture of of a window shows, and aerial shots of sites began to feel repetitive.

The author has included addresses and websites for each property in a chapter at the end of the book, however I feel it would have been helpful if a grid reference or postcode for the property was provided on the property page, along with some indication on the general cost to rent the properties.

Sadly this would not open in any format including the Netgalley App where it wasn't even listed. I would have liked to read it.

Unfortunately this was not available to download on the kindle. I imagine because it's illustrated or photographic? I will be looking out for it when it's published as I very much would love to read it.