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

An artist-conservationist of vision and skill, Michael has worked hard and lovingly here: "I always wanted to have my own medieval house." The stairs in Number 4 are fabulously twisty, wonky reclamations ("it's like a wealthy hobbit's house"). Number 2 glories in an elegant 'new' staircase and panelled bedroom from the 17th-century renovation (the floor has a definite tilt). Mike has conjured up a stately colonial bed with crimson drapes and a cameo of Queen Victoria for this room. Not a scrap of 'interior design', not a single clean line or state-of-the-art appliance anywhere, yet it all works. Just settle into the old bones and rest on their age and beauty. The base is the 12th-century town ramparts; the houses are 1400s; there's a medieval bridge at the bottom of the cliff, a brand new theatre on the hill and a super little French town in between. Generous, age-comfy rooms (attics are smaller), contemporary art (Mike also sculpts), an outside terrace each, overlooking the valley and the leggy railway viaduct, glorious countryside, activities galore – what more could you want?