COME back, Enid Blyton! It’s fun and fashionable for families to go romping in the countryside again.

Providing they can stay in luxury log cabins with sauna, steam rooms and hot tubs!

Ironically it was often-criticised timeshare– such as Langdale in the Lake District – which put luxury timber lodges into Britain’s countryside back in the 1980s.

Now there’s a solution for those who fear damaging the environment by jetting around the globe. Just load up the car and check into a lodge for the ultimate in “eco-holidays”.

Leading the new wave in the Yorkshire Dales near Richmond is Natural Retreats.

It aims to be the first UK company with lodges in or alongside all 14 National Parks within five years. It is adding nine units, making a total of 19 in the Dales, with schemes under way in Snowdonia and Lakeland.

With lavish brochures printed on 100% recycled paper Natural Retreats promises “the chance to enjoy nature at its most amazing in environmentally friendly luxury”. Its three- bedroomed lodges have glass wall frontages, stylish fittings and furnishings, and state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms.

Two-night minimum stays in the Yorkshire Dales start at £325 per residence, with five nights in midsummer from £880, including food hamper on arrival, logs, linen (towels) and VAT. But the site is closed until July.

Other important ‘green’ design features include the use of organic paints on interior walls, built-in recycling bins for glass, tins and paper and the use of local Yorkshire stone. A nature conservation plan will enhance surrounding flora.

INFORMATION: Natural Retreats on 01612 422 970 and www.naturalretreats.com