Barry's blog posts

Relax in your own self contained ‘home from home’ in winter wonderland surroundings.

Click here to view our log cabin holidays. 

The crackle of logs burning in the stove

It has taken me an absolute age to write this blog because I can’t quite find the right words to describe the feeling of returning to a warm winter cabin after an active day spent engaged in winter’s Nordic activities. The deep snow serves to deaden noise so very often the only sound you’ll hear from outside is the wind and, on calm nights, it is almost eerily quiet beyond the doors of your wooden enclave. Inside, you get a sort of “Homestead on the Range” sensation which is enhanced by the crackle of logs burning in the stove and the creaking of the broad timbers from which the cabin is constructed.

Log cabins nestled amidst the snowy forests of Finnish Lapland

Your ‘home from home’ in a winter wonderland

Staying in a log cabin offers an escape from the everyday and the chance to relax in your own self-contained ‘home from home’ in winter wonderland surroundings. You can relax in front of a log fire, unwind in a private sauna, prepare some cocoa before bed and gaze out at your delightful snowy surroundings as you think about the experiences you have had during the day.

We offer a comprehensive range of holidays and tailor-made options that allow you to experience different styles of log cabin in a plethora of different destinations, whether you want a log cabin holiday in Europe of further afield. We feature cosy traditional cabins, more modern winter cottages with all mod cons and some spectacular locations across Lapland and into Canada.

A real joy of staying in one of our cabins or cottages is that you do not have to worry about self-catering, as all meals are included in a restaurant nearby; effectively you get your own space with all of the convenience of being in a hotel. 

Continued from TIME TO MAN-UP (PART 1)

Option 1:  Go directly from the sauna into an icy plunge pool

It feels like being overcome by a panic attack

Believe it or not, this is the easy option!

From the comfort of a warm sauna........

(Image: Visit Finland)

Rush from the warmth of the sauna and submerse your body in the icy waters of a purpose built plunge pool – essentially, a big hole in the ice! The secret is to just go for it, hesitation can often result in failure and a dash back to the sauna's toasty sanctuary.

Time for my Fellow Northumbrian to "Man-Up"

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recent program on ITV called The Land of the Midnight Sun featuring Alexander Armstrong but felt little empathy for his winter swim in the Norwegian Sea near Tromsø.

Tromsø’s position on Norway’s west coast means that thanks to the Gulf Stream it is generally warmer than other towns and cities located at similar latitudes. As Armstrong stripped down to just his swimming trunks, the temperature was -4°C and as he strode purposefully into the icy, grey waters the sea temperature was an admittedly chilly -1°C (the salt content means that sea water has a lower freezing point than fresh). That’s pretty cold by anybody’s standards but compared to what goes on elsewhere in Northern Scandinavia, this was a walk in the park on a balmy late summer evening.