Craving peace and solitude? Then you'll love these out-of-the-way homes. Cut off from civilisation, far from the madding crowd and as secluded as they come, they offer the ultimate respite from hectic modern life.
From a solo desert home in Nevada, USA, to a modern cabin perched on thousands of acres in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia, click or scroll as we take a trip well off the beaten track and explore remote residences situated in the back of beyond...
When we say this cabin is remote, we're not exaggerating. Nestled on 1,300 acres (526ha) in the valley of Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, the residence couldn't be any more isolated from the modern world.
The extensive mountaintop estate is made up of both sub-alpine and alpine bushland and farmland, with the Thredbo River below. An old blacksmith shed once sat on the land, but the owners decided to create something new.
They wanted to do so mindfully and sustainably, so they retained the shed’s carbon-intensive materials, including bricks and concrete. These materials now provide the structure with thermal mass, keeping it cosy during winter.
The cabin features new materials, too, including sustainably sourced hardwoods, recycled glass and galvanised steel. These natural and raw materials pay tribute to the local environment and were chosen to stand the test of time.
As for the interior, the remote home benefits from a lounge, kitchen, bathroom and king-size bedroom. There’s underfloor heating throughout, as well as an indoor log-burning fireplace.
Yet guests of this stunning Airbnb are likely more interested in the beautiful surrounding landscape. Here, visitors can enjoy fishing, skiing, snowboarding, cycling, hiking and climbing, weather depending.
There’s even an A-frame shed located right next to the cabin, designed for storing adventure equipment.
If you'd rather be in the mountains of Austria, then this secluded alpine hut is sure to appeal.
Positioned at an altitude of 3,937 feet (1,200m) in the Austrian Alps, the property is not only isolated but occupies one of the world's most spectacular spots.
During summer, the cabin offers fantastic hiking opportunities, while in winter the front door opens directly onto a ski slope.
Plus, with no pollution or buildings for miles around, the night sky here is immaculate, providing guests with truly awe-inspiring views of the stars.
Inside, the cosy cabin is rustic and traditional, with simple timber walls, floors and ceilings. Exposed beams, antique furnishings and quaint decorative touches add to its charm.
There's a dining room, a sitting room, a fully equipped kitchen, four bedrooms and one bathroom.
The remote cabin is also self-sufficient and eco-friendly. Hot water comes courtesy of a stove in the kitchen, while local wood can be used to heat the fireplaces.
Electricity is powered by a solar photovoltaic system, which provides energy, even on bad weather days. What’s more, a natural mountain spring supplies the home with fresh drinking water. How's that for off-grid?
Skiddaw House in the picturesque Lake District was described by writer Hugh Walpole as “one of the loneliest dwelling places in all the British Isles”. The novelist was so taken with the property's majestic, eerie isolation that he set a gruesome murder scene there in his 1932 novel, The Fortress.
Located 1,500 feet (457m) above sea level and set among the sweeping, treeless Skiddaw forest in the romantically desolate lands known as Back o’Skidda, the foreboding property was built in 1829 as a hunting lodge for George O'Brien Wyndham, third Earl of Egremont.
Over the years, the isolated six-bedroom, six-bathroom property has served as a hunting lodge, a shepherd’s dwelling, a field centre for school trips and a ramblers' bothy. More recently, it was reinvented as a youth hostel, where ramblers bed down in shared rooms.
Accessible only by foot, bicycle or 4x4, Skiddaw House is completely off-grid, relying on solar power and spring water, and employing wood-burning stoves and sheep's wool insulation to keep out the chill. What's more, you can totally forget about getting a mobile signal or broadband internet in this bunkhouse in the sticks.
Cumbrian sheep farmer, Gavin Bland, bought the property in 2015, subsequently leasing it out on a peppercorn rent to the Youth Hostels Association until 2017.
Bland attempted to sell Skiddaw House in 2021 for £1.5 million ($1.9m) but it failed to sell, likely due to the price tag, long hostel lease and the home's remoteness. It did, however, become the sixth most-viewed property on Rightmove that year.
The house was put up for sale again in November 2023 with local agency Mitchell's Land & Property. They described it as “the most remote home in England”. This time, however, Bland threw in a whopping 3,000 acres (1,214ha) of land, including the world-famous summit of Skiddaw Mountain, two further peaks and the entire Skiddaw Forest.
A buyer was found and the property was snapped up for an undisclosed figure – although, according to the British newspaper The Guardian, the asking price was in the region of £10 million ($13.2m).
La Casa del Desierto (The Desert House) is a collaboration between multinational Guardian Glass, Slovenian architectural firm OFIS Arhitekti, HVAC multinational Transsolar and London-based engineering company, Akt II.
Built in 2019 and located far from prying eyes, in the exceedingly remote Gorafe Desert in Spain's Andalucía region, the property has achieved the near-impossible given it's made almost completely from glass and can quite rightfully be described as a miracle.
Spanning 215 square feet (20sqm), the super-isolated abode is the last word in sustainable desert living. According to Juan Imaz of Guardian Glass, the composition of the home's glass walls and roof achieves a high light transmission, blocking 75% of the heat, while at the same time reducing energy loss.
This negates the need for air conditioning and heating in a barren, inhospitable place where temperatures range from a bracing -10°C (14°F) on winter nights to a scorching 45°C (113°F) during the hottest days of the summer.
Accessible only by 4x4, the ultra eco-friendly property is powered by solar panels installed on the roof. Rainwater is collected, channelled to a cistern and filtered to make it drinkable, while wastewater is funnelled into a biologically active septic tank, converted into liquid fertiliser and returned to the soil.
The house consists of three glazed modules – a bedroom area, a shower space and a rest area – all of which boast stylish minimalist décor.
Adding to its green credentials, the property is designed to have a minimal impact on the surrounding environment and can be dismantled leaving virtually no trace.
Available to rent for short stays, it provides the perfect place to get away from it all with 360-degree desert vistas and cosy spots from which to stare at the starry night sky.
Located a stone's throw from the Lyngstuva lighthouse in the extreme north of Norway, well within the Arctic Circle, this adorable off-grid tiny house has been called the most remote cabin in the Nordic nation.
The dinky hut was built in 1922, reportedly as a shelter for the lighthouse keeper. Although Aussie YouTuber Sii of the North & Beyond channel, who has stayed at the property, claims it was originally built to store oil.
Over the decades, the cute hut fell into disrepair. Fortunately, it was rediscovered by two German adventurers in 1986 – according to the Norwegian Routes website – and lovingly restored.
However, YouTuber Sii says the tiny home was repaired in 1993 by the two Berliners, who painted it red. What is certain is that the shelter or oil store was repurposed as a cosy cabin brimming with hygge to put up hikers and other travellers.
The German restorers are said to have imported all the necessary materials for the renovation project from their home country, no doubt at much expense. But instead of hiring out the property at an exorbitant price, they offered it completely free of charge to passing tourists.
In fact, you can stay rent-free in the home for as long as you like. Some people have remained for long periods and written deeply philosophical stories in the guestbook, no doubt moved by their surroundings.
Guests that pass through tend to leave provisions for other travellers, so the cabin is usually well-stocked, by all accounts. Here's a photo of the interior, which is kitted out with a stove for heating and cooking, a table and chairs, plus various useful items such as paraffin lamps, pens, books and a clothesline.
The ladder leads up to a loft area for sleeping that must be wonderfully toasty when the stove is blazing, but visitors have to bring their own bedding. This isn't a big ask, however, considering their stay is totally free.
According to the British newspaper The Sun, the world's loneliest house is this dicey-looking shelter embedded on a mountainside deep in northern Italy's Dolomite range.
Situated an impressive 9,000 feet (2,743m) above sea level and many miles away from civilisation, the property has baffled people who aren't in the know for decades, as its construction appears impossible. Indeed, you'd be forgiven for assuming pics of the shelter have been produced by AI or Photoshop.
Seemingly against all odds, the property was built in 1915 during World War I. It was crafted by members of the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry, the Alpini, and named after the heroic leader of the Sixth Regiment's Third Catore Battalion, Colonel Carlo Buffa di Perrero, who died in a blaze of glory the following year.
It was used as a barracks for troops fighting the Austro-Hungarian army during the three-year “war of snow and ice”.
Accessible only by rope ladders, cable carts or a ridiculously perilous mountain trail, the soldiers used the construction as a place to rest, store supplies and take shelter during the fighting.
It's likely the barracks doubled up as a lookout and a place to stage attacks. In 1972, long after the conflict had ended, the barracks were restored and converted into a shelter for mountaineers.
Over the years, the shelter fell into disrepair. Then, during the exceptionally snowy winter of 2020-21, the roof caved in from the weight of the snowfall, rendering the structure unusable.
Its salvation came in 2023, when members of the Alpini's Sixth Regiment restored the tumbledown structure as part of the commemorations marking the Italian mountain infantry's 150th anniversary. The Buffa di Perrero shelter has now reopened to mountain climbers and other adventurers brave enough to pay it a visit.
Built in a truly unusual location, the Katskhi Pillar is a sacred limestone monolith in Imereti, Georgia, on top of which stands a church dedicated to Maximus the Confessor, as well as a crypt, wine cellar and cottage.
That cottage is one of the loneliest on the planet and houses three hermit cells. The precarious spot's last resident was devout monk Father Maxime Qavtaradze, who lived in solitude there for two decades.
Before Father Qavtaradze, the 130-foot (39.6m) pillar had been uninhabited since the 1400s. Father Qavtaradze revived the religious tradition of the stylite – a spiritual person who lives on a remote pillar – enduring the elements to get closer to God.
The steel ladder back down to ground level takes 20 minutes to traverse, so supplies were winched up using a pulley system. To this day, only men from a religious order are permitted to ascend the pillar via the ladder.
While the pillar is remote and only accessible from the nearest road after a tough 20-minute hike, it's not completely isolated. At the foot of the column lies a monastery where clergymen and troubled young souls seek solace.
Father Qavtaradze would travel down once or twice a week to offer guidance, having served time in prison in his youth before finding God, according to an interview given to photographer Amos Chapple in 2013.
The devout monk slept inside an old fridge, to protect himself from the harsh conditions for the first two years after he moved to his elevated home. Then, following the construction of a cottage, he had a humble space to call home. Father Qavtaradze also rebuilt the column's derelict church, restoring it to its former glory with vivid religious tableaux and iconography.
The media interest surrounding his solitary life put the pillar on the map however and sadly, tourists began arriving, spoiling the retreat's peace and tranquillity. For this reason, the holy man descended for good in 2015 and is now the monastery leader at the pillar's base.
Deep in the Highlands of Scotland on the edge of Glencoe National Nature Reserve sits a wee white house, all alone amid the breathtaking stark beauty of the windward side of the nearby mountain Buachaille Etive Mòr, which lies just to the north.
The National Trust for Scotland owns a former crofter's cottage, the Lagangarbh Hutand, which has been occupied and maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) since 1946.
The hut's irresistible photogenic appeal has, as you might expect, made it one of the most famous abodes in Scotland. As well as featuring in TV shows and movies, the dwelling often appears on postcards and even shortbread tins.
Shots of the hut and its heart-stoppingly beautiful surroundings are almost mandatory for calendars depicting the Scottish Highlands. Needless to say, Instagram is awash with dramatic photos of the hut taken from every conceivable angle.
Sadly, the hut is becoming a victim of its Instagrammable and bloggable appeal.
Since the blog The Hidden Thimble featured it in 2023, the Honorary Custodian of the property, Bernard M Swan, has reportedly been swamped with requests from “rude” tourists wishing to stay in the dinky house, despite the blogger mentioning applications to sojourn there are only accepted from mountaineering clubs, hillwalking clubs and individual members of the SMC or British Mountaineering Council (BMC).
Visitors are also descending in their droves upon the property, particularly at weekends, to take selfies and pics outside, making Scotland's loneliest house decidedly less lonely.
The interior is pretty cosy, with wood panel walls and a wood-burning stove. However, it's rather spartan in terms of décor and far less photogenic than the exterior.
Perched precariously on a rock in the narrows of the Drina River, on the western border of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this weird and wonderful tiny abode was little known to the outside world until the global exploration magazine National Geographic featured it as its Photo of the Day on 2 August 2012.
The lonesome riverine property soon shot to global fame. Today, the isolated dwelling draws crowds of tourists who marvel at its unlikely setting and fairytale vibe.
The story has it that the first incarnation of the house was built by a young group of swimmers in the summer of 1968, who bought wooden boards to the rock to fashion a makeshift shelter to shield themselves from the hot sun. They apparently wanted somewhere to rest after taking an invigorating dip in the river.
However, the planks ended up being washed away by the fast-flowing river, so the following summer, teenager Milija Mandić led a group to build a more sturdy structure.
The group of youngsters used boats and kayaks to transport the materials, though the larger pieces were lowered into the water, then caught and pulled out to the rock.
Notoriously turbulent, the Drina has claimed six incarnations of the shelter, but as each one was destroyed, a new, more robust structure was constructed in its place. It would appear the locals just couldn't do without their fantastically unique shelter.
These days, the house is the centre of the annual Drina Regatta, but given the property is privately owned, it's out of bounds to visitors courageous enough to tackle the untamable river and swim up to its rocky foundation.
Realistically, though, the unusual structure really should only be accessed by boat, as the currents that flow around the rock can challenge the strongest of swimmers, even on days when the river seems still and calm.
Shrouded in mystery, the sole property on the remote island of Elliðaey, off the southern coast of Iceland, has taken the internet by storm. Dubbed “the world's loneliest house” after a pic of the far-flung locale went viral in 2016, the dwelling has attracted all sorts of conspiracy theories and fanciful rumours. Was the forlorn abode built by a billionaire to escape a zombie apocalypse?
Does it belong to the famous Icelandic singer Björk or a shady religious cult, as some of the chatter on the internet suggests? Or, more ominously, is it harbouring “a dark truth”?
The truth is far more prosaic. The myth-busting website Snopes has done its bit to debunk some of the eyebrow-raising claims surrounding the property, too, fact-checking the many rumours related to the enigmatic white house, which is seemingly as inaccessible as it is remote, judging by this photo.
As it turns out, “the world's loneliest house” isn't actually a home in the traditional sense. Rather, it's a lodge that was built in the 1950s by an organisation called the Elliðaey Hunting Association, as a base for puffin-hunting.
During his visit there in 2021, Trahan braved the rough Atlantic seas and a treacherous climb up the island's cliff face to spend a night in the lonely lodge as a guest of an intrepid local called Bjarni, who appears to frequent the property.
Strangely enough, the “loneliest house in the world” has had plenty of company over the years. According to the visitor's log, thousands of people have stayed there. The property sleeps multiple people in an upper-level dorm.
The secluded abode isn't even the only dwelling on the island, since there's an additional property that predates the lodge located several feet away, though it's now used solely for storage.
This little house is hidden in the middle of nowhere, on 80 acres (32ha) of land, some 20 miles (32km) from the boundaries of Death Valley National Park.
With nothing but nature for miles around, the modern cabin provides unobstructed views of desert plains and mountain peaks.
Known as Death Valley House, the property was designed by Peter Strzebniok of the architectural firm Nottoscale and completed in 2011. Since then, it has been the location for numerous TV commercials and car advertisements, and was even publicised in the American newspaper, The New York Times.
And it's really no wonder! With its bold, rust-coloured façade, the residence certainly stands out. Yet it's wonderfully integrated with its arid environment.
The building sits on a concrete plinth, elevating it off the ground and giving the appearance that it's floating. As well as protecting the desert itself, the plinth also ensures the home stays above the flash-flood water level.
Plus, passive cooling, such as cross and stack ventilation, shading and building orientation were used to ensure the interior remains at a comfortable temperature, even during the height of summer.
Inside, there are 1,200 square feet (111sqm) of space, with a living room, dining area, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office and a utility room.
The lounge extends onto a spacious deck, thanks to large sliding doors, further connecting any lucky occupants with the rural scenery outside.
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