Why have an average shed full of cobwebs and lawnmowers, when you could design your own escapist retreat?

Britain's annual Shed of the Year competition celebrates the most weird and wonderful of garden dens across our fair isles.

This year's shortlisted entries cover everything from a tree-top "Pirate Retreat" complete with parrots, lanterns and an electrical drawbridge, to a wonky blue and yellow "Cliffhanger" abode situated 50 feet from the cliff edge in Norfolk.

There's also a spectacular lake-side "Eco Dome" with a seven-metre aluminium roof that houses a woodwork workshop, an office and a gym.

And there's "The Pixie Cabin", a Hansel and Gretel-type miniature house balanced on a trailer.

Not to mention the former hen house in Scotland that's been converted into a Wild West themed gin joint (including a velour-clad piano bar).

Finalists can be voted for at amazingsheds.co.uk and they'll appear in the Channel 4 show Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year later this summer. Come take a look at a few incredible designs - and grab some inspiration for your own shed conversion - below:

Escape to the garden; grab some inspiration with these mind-blowing shed designs