- Research indicates that 38% of UK consumers want a break from technology, with two in five admitting to excessive online use
- From the Mourne Mountains to Dartmoor, five secluded locations promise a true break from emails and social media
- Choice ranges from wild camping to cosy glamping with hot tubs, showing you can switch off without giving up comfort
Car sharing platform Turo has unveiled the most secluded destinations in the UK where travellers can genuinely step away from digital distractions, as new findings reveal increasing interest in digital detoxing across the country.
Recent data shows that 38% of Britons are feeling overwhelmed by screen time and are eager for a digital detox, with almost half (47%) of people aged 18–34 believing their online habits are more harmful than helpful to their wellbeing*. Additionally, 62% of adults say they ‘hate’ how much time they spend on their phones, and more than two in five (43%) admit they are online for longer than they would like.
With many Brits seeking respite from the ‘always-on’ culture and work emails that follow them on holiday, Turo has identified five spectacular UK destinations where phone signal simply doesn’t exist – or is so patchy that work and social media become gloriously impossible to access. These locations offer everything from wild camping experiences to luxury glamping retreats, proving that disconnecting doesn’t mean discomfort.
Rory Brimmer, Managing Director of car sharing marketplace Turo UK, says: “There’s something liberating about genuinely not being able to check your emails, even if you wanted to. These remote corners of the UK offer more than just stunning landscapes – they offer complete freedom from the digital world that dominates our daily lives.
“The beauty of these destinations is how remote they are, and that means that they are much easier to access by car, which means you need to be intentional about getting there. With Turo, you can choose exactly the right vehicle for your digital detox adventure, whether that’s a rugged 4×4 for tackling Dartmoor’s moorland tracks or a comfortable estate car loaded with glamping gear for the Lake District. The journey itself becomes part of the disconnection process.”
Turo’s Top 5 Digital Detox Destinations
Eskdale Valley, Lake District, England
Best for: Complete wilderness isolation in England’s most remote cottage
Hidden deep in the western Lake District, Eskdale offers some of England’s most remote experiences. The National Trust’s remote cottages in the Eskdale Valley epitomises true disconnection – with no TV, WiFi, or phone signal and only limited electricity, visitors have little choice but to embrace the surrounding nature.
This dolls-house-like cottages sit in one of the Lake District’s quietest valleys, accessible via winding single-track roads. From the doorstep, visitors can walk directly to Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, returning to a warming fire after a day of hiking. The valley’s steep sides and remote location mean mobile phone coverage is virtually non-existent.
For those wanting more space, nearby Skiddaw House – once dubbed England’s most remote house – sits 3.5 miles from the nearest road with no other dwellings in view across 3,000 acres of Skiddaw Forest. The area has no mains electricity, mobile phone signal, TV, or internet, powered only by solar panels and a wood-burning stove.
Digital detox guarantee: Mountain Rescue teams actively warn walkers not to rely on mobile phone coverage in the Lake District, as signal is “exceedingly patchy” throughout the area.
Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland
Best for: Mountain escapes with luxury glamping options
The Mourne Mountains in County Down offer some of Northern Ireland’s most dramatic landscapes, with many valleys and hiking routes experiencing patchy or no mobile signal. The area’s remote glens and high peaks provide the perfect escape from digital distractions.
For those who want to combine disconnection with comfort, several luxury glamping sites in the Mournes offer the best of both worlds. Enniskeen Estate in the Tollymore Valley provides adults-only glamping cabins with private hot tubs, where guests are encouraged to lock their phones away and immerse themselves in nature. The estate’s remote location means signal is virtually non-existent, making digital detox unavoidable.
The area is perfect for hiking, with trails ranging from gentle riverside walks to challenging mountain ascents. After a day exploring, return to the cabin to enjoy stargazing from a wood-fired hot tub – with no notifications to disturb the view of the dark sky above the UNESCO-listed Geopark.
Getting there: The Mournes are approximately 40 minutes from Belfast by car, yet feel a world away. The estate provides detailed directions as GPS can be unreliable in the area.
Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England
Best for: Wild moorland camping without connectivity
Spanning 365 square miles of wild moorland in Devon, Dartmoor National Park offers vast tracts of land where mobile phone coverage is poor or non-existent. The dramatic granite Tors, wetlands and seas of heather create a landscape that feels genuinely remote, despite being accessible from Exeter in just 25 minutes.
Large areas of Dartmoor have been designated as access land since the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, allowing walkers to roam freely across this ancient landscape. The moor’s rugged terrain and isolated location mean phone signal is notoriously unreliable – most networks concentrate on a single mast near Princetown, leaving vast areas of the 954 square kilometre park completely signal-free.
For accommodation, remote cottages on Dartmoor’s edges offer basic amenities without WiFi or reliable phone signal, while wild camping (permitted in designated areas) allows complete immersion in one of England’s last great wildernesses. The area around Yes Tor and High Willhays – Dartmoor’s highest peaks – offers particularly isolated camping with panoramic moorland views.
Weather warning: Dartmoor is notorious for fog that can envelop the landscape at a moment’s notice, so download offline maps before arriving, as navigation apps won’t work in most areas.
Black Mountain & Llanthony Valley, Brecon Beacons, Wales
Best for: Dark Sky luxury with guaranteed disconnection
The Black Mountain makes up the western side of the Brecon Beacons National Park and, despite its gentle gradients, remains a wild and unforgiving place where mobile phone signal is virtually non-existent. The remote Llanthony Valley, designated as a Dark Sky reserve, offers one of the most spectacular signal-free locations in Wales.
This secret Welsh valley, long and lovely and flanked by whale-backed hills, feels thrillingly remote. Once darkness falls in the Llanthony Valley, visitors will very nearly have it all to themselves – perfect for those seeking complete disconnection from the digital world.
For accommodation, the Castaway glamping cabin offers luxury in isolation. Created from two lovingly restored railway carriages, this adults-only retreat has no WiFi, internet or mobile phone signal – a fact celebrated rather than apologised for in guest reviews. Inside, visitors can find a king-sized bed, log burner, and en-suite facilities, with stunning views across the valley from every window.
Getting there: The valley is accessible via winding single-track roads through the eastern Black Mountains, with the nearest towns being Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye. Download offline maps before arriving as GPS becomes unreliable in the valley.
Galloway Forest Park, Scotland
Best for: Dark skies and double disconnection
As Britain’s first Dark Sky Park with Gold Tier status, Galloway Forest offers not just freedom from digital connectivity but also from light pollution. The forest’s camping areas are reached via single-track roads through dense woodland, leading to sites where phone signal is non-existent and the only illumination comes from stars.
The park’s isolation makes it one of the world’s best stargazing locations, with the Milky Way visible on clear nights in spectacular detail. During the day, explore hundreds of miles of trails through Scotland’s largest forest, with only the sounds of nature for company.
Several remote forest campsites offer basic facilities while maintaining the area’s wild character. For more luxury, nearby off-grid cabins provide heating and hot water without WiFi, allowing visitors to enjoy comfort while remaining genuinely disconnected from the digital world.
Stargazing highlight: The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory runs regular events during summer months, though booking ahead is essential as signal-free means visitors can’t just check availability on arrival.
About Turo
Turo is the world’s largest car sharing marketplace, where people can book the perfect car for wherever their going from a vibrant community of trusted hosts across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and France. Flying in from afar or looking for a car down the street, searching for a rugged truck or something smooth and swanky, skip the rental car counter and choose from an extraordinary, totally unique selection of nearby vehicles shared by local hosts. Entrepreneurs can take the wheel of their futures by becoming hosts and building car sharing businesses on Turo, leveraging our established platform to scale their businesses to meet their goals.
With an unwavering mission of putting the world’s 1.5 billion cars to better use, Turo unlocks the hidden value in idle and underutilised assets, empowering anyone to get in the driver’s seat. ‘Find your drive® — Turo.’
To learn more about Turo, please visit www.turo.com.
