Elmley Nature Reserve is a beautiful nature reserve. The UK’s only such site offers overnight stays amid wildlife and jaw-dropping views in stunning cabins and cottages sprinkled across its wild and wind-swept expanse. Kick back in a shepherd’s hut, and drink in the sights and sounds of the flat landscape that extends in all directions, seemingly touching the sky. Beyond the glass wall of your hut, the tall grass quivers, and a flash of colour appears – a yellow wagtail emerges from the long grass, peering at your abode before taking off to destinations unknown. Elmley Nature Reserve enjoys an enviable position, with salt marshes, mudflats, and the tidal channels of the Thames estuary set on its east. This cracking 3,300-acre site is the sole family-owned and managed nature reserve in the UK and the only one providing sumptuous overnight stays, where one can have the place all to themselves. The ferry is the only way to reach this wild spot, brimming with empty open spaces, a haunting kind of charm, and the echoing sounds of darting wildlife. There are six well-equipped huts on the reserve, each made of sustainable wood and boasting stunning vistas alongside the luxuries of home, like hot water bottles, kitchenettes, chunky woollen throws and more.