A magical stay at the real-life Hagrid’s Hut
Have you ever wished you could stay overnight in the wizarding world?
Ever dreamt about cosying up with warm blankets and hot cups of cocoa by the fire in Hagrid’s Hut?
OF COURSE YOU HAVE.
Good news muggles!
You can actually stay in a real life Hagrid’s Hut in England.
This is one of the most unique stays you could possibly book as a Harry Potter fan. The opportunity to spend a few night’s at Hagrid’s Hut? Worth all the galleons in Gringott’s!
Welcome to the Ground Keepers Cottage ✨🛖🗝
The cottage itself is comprised of three joined circular rooms perhaps only slightly bigger than what we’d imagine as Hagrid’s place!
The cottage even includes medieval-esque turrets and beautiful stained-glass windows, which matches perfectly with the one from the Harry Potter films.
Of course, you’ll find it lit by glowing lanterns, big pumpkins and a surprising guest appearance from the Weasley’s blue Ford Anglia!
Where is Hagrid’s Hut located?
You can find this real-life replica of Hagrid’s Hut located in North Yorkshire at the North Shire cottages.
The North Shire is just a short distance away from Whitby or Middlesbrough (see end of post for things to do in Whitby). For those traveling from the south of England, it’s a bit of a drive up, but I promise it is well worth it.
When booking on their website, it’s actually called the Ground Keepers Cottage.
The Ground Keepers Cottage
The Main Room
Oh my gosh, stepping inside this cottage is like a dream come true. It truly feels like you’ve walked straight onto a film set and you’d expect Hagrid to come bustling through the door at any moment.
The wooden build is completely unique, showcasing how absolutely brilliant this stay is, from the arched doors to the ceiling beams.
In the living room, the “main circular room” of the cottage you’ll find plenty of wizarding world knick knacks as decor, from endless gamekeeper keys through to empty bird cages and a variety of pots and pans in all shapes and sizes.
It truly does feel like you’ve entered a magical home.
The Bedrooms
Much like Hagrid’s place, the cottage isn’t exactly small, but it’s bigger than you would think.
There is one main bedroom that has a double bed and a bunk bed. In the living room, a sofa can turn into a sofa bed.
It was actually perfect amounts of space for the two of us, but you could easily travel with another couple, a group of friends or as a family with kids.
The Kitchen
You won’t find any rock cakes or misshapen birthday cakes here.
However the kitchen is completely functional. There’s a combination oven/microwave (with instructions by the way, which is helpful for those of us not used to using them), a kettle, toaster and fridge along with all utensils provided.
There’s no food on site, so you do need to go shopping ahead of time or pop out when you get there.
We decided to spend both nights firmly in. Which meant one day of cooking a cozy pie and mash and the other day indulging in an all day cheeseboard feast.
The Ministry of Magic Bathroom
OK so you don’t actually have to step into the toilet to travel into the Ministry of Magic.
The bathroom at the cottage is decked out in the same ministry tiles that we are so familiar with from the films.
And the double-lined copper bathtub is the perfect place to sink into on a cold day. It has a shower head as well, so this is a shower/tub situation. Or excellent for people like me, who love skipping hair wash days.
Side note: be careful with the tub handle because Joe broke it clean off when we visited, we felt awful! I’m sure it’s been replaced since…!
Things to do at Hagrid’s Hut
Of course, a stay at Hagrid’s Hut wouldn’t be complete without the Harry Potter films!
We binge watched them while we were there, you’ll find them all on DVD so you can pop in whichever one you want!
We filled our time by watching the films, reading, making loads of epic cheeseboards, pouring big glasses of wine and cosying up by the fire.
And obviously, take a million photographs.
I really can’t explain how much fun we had and luckily I had the best travel pal of all who always understands the assignment when it comes to matching outfits and dressing up.
For Harry Potter fans, the chance to experience something like this is truly once in a lifetime, so have no shame in taking a ton of photos and videos to remember it.
How much does it cost to stay at Hagrid’s Hut?
Despite Hagrid’s humble lifestyle… staying at the Ground Keepers Cottage isn’t necessarily the cheapest of stays. But it is unique and kind of once in a lifetime, so I think it’s very much worth the splurge.
Stays at the cottage are only available for 2+ nights and the costs start at £595 for two nights.
Though occasionally they offer last minute one night stays on their Facebook page, so be sure to take a look if you’re local or going to be in the area already.
I’d definitely recommend staying for at least 2-3 nights in the cottage to make the most of it.
It is also well worth booking this months in advance.
The Ground Keeper’s Cottage is their most popular destination so it sells up quite quickly. I booked our stay months out from when we were set to visit.
And actually it ended up getting rescheduled due to Covid so it was another year until we actually got there!
A few things worth mentioning…
Check in is from 3:30pm, so don’t plan on arriving super early. It’s not like a hotel, so you won’t have a place to hang until it’s ready. 3:30pm or later is perfect! And check out is at 11am on the day you’re leaving.
Don’t worry about your car, there is plenty of space for parking, but it is a short walk from the car park to the cottage.
But definitely do remember to bring your own towels as they will not be provided for your stay. I’d recommend bringing severals as well as dish towels for drying dishes (there is a drying rack, but I find I like having extra hand towels as well).
And while you’ll love staying at the Ground Keepers Cottage, there are actually so many other amazing places you can stay on the site.
You’ll find the Shire House, Hogwarts Dorm Rooms, which looks like the Gryffindor dormitory and a few other spots too.
Channelling Malfoy Manor vibes, they actually have peacocks on the property as well as some chickens. Care of Magical Creatures anyone?!
Also the peacocks will absolutely come up to you and hang out nearby, proudly posing for photos and videos.
Last but not least there are so many fun places along the way to North Yorkshire, make sure to stop off at Goathland Station where they filmed Hogsmeade Station in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Words might be our most inexhaustible source of magic… but spending a few days at Hagrid’s Hut felt pretty magical to me. ✨🛖🗝
Kelly xoxo