Scottish farmer turns Navy helicopter into a holiday home with a difference

If you're bored with more run-of-the-mill places to stay, then how about a night or two in a Sea King helicopter? This one is set to go up for rent after Martyn Steedman, a farmer from Stirling, decided it deserved a second life as holiday accommodation.

He told the Mirror that he had bought the helicopter online in an MoD auction because he had seen the Sea Kings' final flypast over Stirling in January, and decided he couldn't bear to see it hit the scrapheap. He forked out £7,000 for the huge vehicle, and then had to arrange for it to be delivered to his farm.

He already runs a glamping site called Mains Farm Wigwams, and told The Guardian that he had been looking for something unusual that would keep people coming back. He is now dreaming up clever ways to turn it into a holiday home for five people. He plans a dining area in the cockpit, a mini kitchen and even an en-suite shower room.

Bizarre accommodation

If you're looking for somewhere a bit different to stay, however, you don't need to wait for Steedman's conversion, because there are a number of impressively quirky options on the market already. Here are five of our favourites:

1. The Wee Retreat
This a converted toilet block in a stunning position on the Norfolk coast. The derelict toilets were bought by a builder for £104,000, and converted at a cost of £85,000 - as a 30th anniversary present for his wife

2. The Old Station Guesthouse
The former station just outside St Andrews has been converted into a guest house with six en-suite bedrooms. Alternatively, you can stay in one of the two suites fashioned from an old railway carriage in the garden.

3. Tree Sparrow House
This treehouse in Cornwall is two metres from the ground and accessed by a wooden staircase. It features a bedroom and kitchen area - and even has heating and double-glazing.

4. Romany caravan
Canolfan Ceridwen Centre offers workshops, retreats and weddings, but is open for glamping and overnight stays in a variety of unusual accommodation too. In addition to the yurts and the eco pod, you can also stay in a Romany Wagon dating back to the 1890s and offering a king sized bed.

5. Windmill
Long Barrow Windmill is set in its own field, and offers a romantic hideaway for two - four miles from Torbay. The kitchen and living space is on the ground floor, a bedroom is on the first floor, a bathroom on the second, and a lookout at the top.

But what do you think? Do you fancy this kind of quirky accommodation, or would you rather something conventional with room service? Let us know in the comments.