The hug is real: in one of the coziest cottages in the Lake District, on the doorstep of the beautiful countryside

One of the best things about the dreary, colder months of the year, you’ll agree, is walking past a cozy house at night and peering in through open curtains – the mood lifts when you imagine what it might be like to to live there.

Little Nut Cottage in the tiny Lake District town of Elterwater is an excellent candidate for such a winter window wish.

Peek through the living room window and witness a hygge wonderland – a soft L-shaped sofa, a wood stove, a basket of logs, an armchair, a wooden beam and the fattest cushions scattered here and there.

Book a stay like I did with Oliver’s Travels and you’ll find that the slate-topped Little Nut Cottage (listed as “The Little Cottage” on Oliver’s Travels) lives up to its promise – it’s charmingly cozy once inside. And from top to bottom.

Some of Britain’s most striking countryside is right on the cottage’s doorstep, reveals Ted

The cottage has a ‘welcoming farmhouse kitchen’ which is ‘equipped with all modern conveniences’

Beautiful detail: an embroidered pillow with a cute owl

It turns out that getting out of this L-shaped sofa is almost impossible, thanks in part to those perfectly plump cushions.

And the kitchen next door is invitingly ‘farmhouse’ and fully equipped, with a special mention for the ingenious folding compartment under the sink for storing tea towels and the like.

Upstairs are two beautiful luxury ensuite bedrooms, one made up as a twin when we visited, one with a four poster bed.

There are fabric headboards, fabric blinds, cushions embroidered with cute animal figures – and bags of small animal toys – and the bathroom for the double bedroom includes a freestanding bath. Both are equipped with walk-in rain showers.

Ted describes the comfortable couch in the living room as extremely difficult to get up from

Upstairs in the house are two “luxury” bedrooms. In the photo, the four-poster bed is a double bed

Dreamy sleeping place: The luxurious bedrooms are equipped with fabric headboards and fabric blinds

The double bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with a roll top bath (above)

Below we discover that even the pantry is cozy.

I say pantry – this one has delusions of grandeur.

Housed in a separate annex – separated from the main house by a walkway – it has its own rustic kitchen cupboards, sink, padded sofa and boot warmers, as well as a washing machine and tumble dryer.

Stairs at the back lead to a garden and hot tub – but during our rowdy November visit we remain locked inside.

Then there’s the location – it’s incredible, with some of the most striking scenery in Britain on your doorstep. It is a world of windswept cliffs, dramatic valleys, rushing rivers, dreamy lakes, chocolate villages, lost ruins and lost cell phone signals.

A few miles to the east is Ambleside and Lake Windermere, just north to idyllic Grasmere and to the west the magnificent Langdale Pikes with England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, just beyond.

And let’s not forget the welcoming Britannia Inn next door, which offers local ales and feed, including top-shelf fish and chips, for a happy crowd.

The cottage proves to be a good base for my boyfriend and I when attempting to scale some of Britain’s most outrageous climbs, such as the Wrynose Pass about five miles away.

Little Nut’s hygge feng shui contributes significantly to recovery – mentally and physically.

And every day it’s an effort to go – because the hug is real.

The cottage has a lovely garden and hot tub, but Ted can’t use it during his hectic November visit

The cabin’s utility room (top left and right) has delusions of grandeur. As well as a washing machine and dryer, it has its own country kitchen cupboards, a sink, an upholstered bench and drawer heaters.

The slate-clad Little Nut Cottage is in Elterwater (above), just beyond the Langdale Pikes

The Langdale Pikes cut a fine figure in any weather. This photo was taken near Blea Tarn summit