Remote and peaceful.
Cragg Barn, in cumbria, is a traditional camping barn. Its camping – but indoors. That means its warm and clean and dry. You need to bring camping stuff for cooking and sleeping but obviously not a tent!
The camping barns network was set up by the YHA as accommodation in remote spots for walkers and cyclists. Although no longer part of the YHA, they still exist as part of the Independent Hostels network and they still maintain that function. In fact, the ‘remote spot’ detail is precisely why they’re valuable. That ‘indoor camping’ tag will put some people off, but maybe they’re the sort of people we want to take a break from by getting ourselves to distant corners of the British Isles!
Let’s take Cragg Barn for example. Its sits on a small isthmus between Buttermere and Crummock Water There are sharp purple mountains on all four sides. You can walk, from the door, high into the Buttermere fells. Tough lakeland sheep tug at the grasses right outside. Think of the clear, unspoilt night skies; the dewy mornings; the quiet, quiet, quiet.