Many woodland owners build a cabin. As long as this isn’t a permanent dwelling there is often no problem with neighbours or planners. It can be used as a storeroom, a shelter from the rain or a place to stay overnight. In some regions of the UK, such as central Scotland, these structures have been positively encouraged by authorities and lobbied for by enthusiasts, such as those running the 1,000 huts campaign: https://thousandhuts.org/

The position of your cabin

When siting your cabin there are many considerations: you may want a good view from a big window but not an unsightly view of the cabin itself - an eyesore on the landscape is unlikely to make you popular with neighbours and will encourage authorities to question its legitimacy. You may like being near a stream or you may want to avoid a spot near water because it risks too many unwelcome visits from mosquitoes. Even when you have established your location you may well want to camouflage your cabin or at least make it discreet - perhaps by painting it dark green or by planting climbers to grow over it.

Most people build their own cabin but it is possible to buy ready-made woodland huts or portable shepherd’s huts. Another approach, if access is good enough, is to buy a shipping container and convert and camouflage that. These typically cost about £2,000 new but are much cheaper second-hand. They have the advantage of being secure and, should you change your mind, they can easily be removed or relocated.

Off-grid living

How you use your cabin will also be seasonal - in the winter you might want to hunker down inside but in the summer when it’s warmer you can use the space in front as an outdoors retreat - it can be a spot for outdoor cooking, for chopping wood or just sitting and contemplating life.

Most cabins are off-grid in not having power or water or sewerage but you might want to put in a solar panel and a battery so that you have a light in the evenings. For lots of cabin-owners being off-grid is a big part of the attraction - getting away from it all, from screens and being closer to nature. 

Security and protection

Cabin owners protect their cabins very differently.  Some just close the door, lock it, and hope for the best while others protect their cabin by putting shutters over the windows - usually wooden and sometimes even metal.  Much depends on how exposed your woodland is to unwanted intrusion.

Headaches can come from vandalism or planners and in both cases a “good neighbour policy” is recommended - so that neighbours don’t feel threatened and understand what you are trying to do. Good neighbours are often willing to keep an eye on your cabin when you are not there and they will be supportive if the planners ever challenge the existence of your cabin.

Handled thoughtfully, your woodland cabin will be a little slice of paradise — not a headache.