ONE of the UK’s loneliest holiday cottages has gone on the market – and the new owner is warned their summer breaks won’t be especially luxurious.
The stunning three-bed property above remote Mansands Beach in Devon is available for £550,000, and comes with some fantastic perks.
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It boasts world-class views of the sea, as well as a surprising amount of inside space for its small size.
But the home is almost entirely off the grid – and the owner will face a trip outside every time they need to use the toilet.
For those looking to escape the rigours of the modern world, the former coastguard cottage offers the ultimate retreat.
There’s no mains water or electricity, and the property can only be accessed by a four-wheel drive car.
The home is supplied by a rainwater harvesting system, meaning an eco-friendly ‘gravity shower’ has been installed, although there’s also access to a spring-fed well.
Those looking forward to a pint after a day of hauling in water by bucket are warned the nearest pub is more than four-and-a-half miles away by road.
Perhaps most challenging of all is the sawdust toilet, a composting loo that can also be found at Glastonbury Festival.
The cottage is one of three built in the early 19th century by Napoleonic prisoners of war on the site between Kingswear and Brixham.
STUNNING VIEWS
They were initially created so coastguards could monitor would-be tobacco smugglers.
All feature spectacular panoramic views of the National Trust-owned beach and share access to a private cove below.
The properties were used by the coastguard until the 1950s.
Agents from The Coastal House say the property currently on the market will give the new owner their own “private oasis”.
“The beach is owned by the National Trust and very idyllic,” they say.
“To access the beach usually needs a 4×4. It’s a good 15-minute walk from the car park so that deters a lot of people, which means it’s not overcrowded.
“The cottages also have access to their own private cove which is just below them. There are some steps leading down to it when the tide is out. It’s just a beautiful place.
‘A PRIVATE OASIS’
“You can enjoy your own private oasis, listening to the waves crashing and retreat from the stresses of everyday life. This is a very rare opportunity.”
The property has an entrance hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms, a shower room and a rear porch.
The reception rooms have multi-fuel burners to provide heating, while the kitchen has a gas cooker and gas lamps.
Outside, visitors will find two stone-built store rooms, the sawdust toilet and a wildflower garden.
One of the most isolated homes in England went on the market last year.
Skiddaw House in the Lake District, available for £1.5million, has no road, mains electricity, phone signal or internet.
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Those who go for a viewing will either have to walk or drive more than three miles cross country just to get to the front door.
Set in 3.45 acres, the six-bedroom pad is 1,550ft up a mountain and surrounded by other peaks — with no other building in sight.
Owned by a farmer, it is billed as the “ultimate, off-grid, escape from it all bolt-hole”.
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