[Lifestle] Natural lines of Succession: six luxury retreats in the UK

[[~OMAR~]]

 

Mountain views and mounting tension underscore the fifth episode of the final series of Succession, set in Norway. The entire dysfunctional clan of Roys and courtiers descend on what appears at first sight to be a kind of Center Parcs for billionaires – but is, in fact, the Juvet Landscape Hotel, on the Atlantic coast between Bergen and Trondheim.

 

Shiv quips, “Which way to Chairman Matsson’s re-education camp?” before the inevitable sauna, axe-throwing, archery and cringey disco kick in. Outside the transparent sweat bath, Karl jokes that the men in (birthday) suits are “hanging in the window like peking duck”.

 

The minimalist Juvet will be familiar from the 2014 sci-fi movie Ex Machina and is clearly inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s famous Edith Farnsworth House near Chicago. Kendall is not impressed, calling his brother to complain about how small his room is. Though after the ride to the restaurant at the top of Nesaksla via the Romsdalen cable car, Swedish billionaire Matsson defends it all by saying: “People kind of think it’s cool.” Though, as usual with Succession, none of the bored super rich characters seems even remotely excited by the luscious locations they always reach by gas-guzzling private jet.

 

Juvet’s picture windows are all about communing with nature, which is all the rage now, from a British version in Sussex to a beach hut in Devon for £450 a night and 1 Hotels bringing plants and green walls into the rooms – its first British outpost opens in London this summer. But unless you’ve got a media mogul’s offshore bank account, you’d be better off in one of these more affordable options, where you can immerse yourself in nature with surroundscape views of the British countryside.

 

The Treehouses at Leckie, near Stirling

 

Louisa and Simon Dickson have won plaudits for their treehouses at Lanrick, and opened this sister outpost last monthat Leckie near Stirling. With easy access from Edinburgh and Glasgow, it’s simple to get here but you can also escape the rat race in one of the four hideaways perched atop oak and sycamore trees. Outdoor copper baths, wood-burning stoves and underfloor heating offer indulgence – though crags and waterfalls are within easy striking distance. Other nearby attractions include Stirling Castle and the Falkirk Wheel – that marvel of canal engineering that Scots-born Logan Roy might have cracked a smile over. You’re not far from the V&A Dundee, which featured in an earlier series of Succession.

 

 

Stargazers will love the chance to experience dark skies above Northern Ireland at Sperrinview Glamping. Each of the pods arrayed around the site comes with a kitchenette and a shower room, plus a viewing window that allows guests to feel at one with the dramatic landscape. Each is painted a different colour. After you’ve been up all night with the telescope and the Milky Way, you might spend the day exploring Beaghmore Stone Circles and cycling in Davagh Forest or walking the Sperrin area of outstanding natural beauty.
 

 

[https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/may/02/natural-lines-of-succession-six-luxury-retreats-in-the-uk]