Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

Not a modern house or a roaring road in sight! Just a clutch of pretty golden cottages, a medieval church and fields of fat sheep – a West Country bubble of peace. Sarah, a local girl, bought two honey-coloured cottages, joined at the hip behind a pretty lawn, from old Mrs Best: she lives in one, you have the other. And you get masses for the price. There's a classic cottagey beamed sitting room with an inglenook wood-burner and piles of logs, games, well-thumbed Penguins, sofas to bounce on... it's a big, homely space for families or couples. The hub is a light airy kitchen where you pull up a pew at an eight-seater table; or swing open a stable door to the south-facing courtyard for al fresco meals and run-around space for the kids. For a first night or treat, order Sarah's home-cooked pies and crumbles: delicious. There are three modest beamed bedrooms upstairs (two with an original elm wall), a roll top tub in one of the bathrooms, a granny room and shower downstairs. You can stroll to the pub, cycle to a shop, drive to National Trust houses, Sherborne, Glastonbury, the coast... all without leaving the peace.