Dorset

Foodies and sociable souls will enjoy this lively B&B in a pretty honey-coloured stone cottage with a garden and a very friendly owner

A nicely priced inn on Shaftesbury's high street with a warm contemporary style and some excellent food – fine local walking waits

Dorset unfurls all around you: walk the coast path, hunt for fossils, gaze at Durdle Door, explore Weymouth from this sea-facing pub

A lovely old stone house, set in a walled garden and overlooking the swimming pool on an ancient estate with gardens open to the public

Comfortable, traditional, accessible and in the grounds of an old rectory with meadows and the river Frome nearby for summer dips

An old stone farmhouse with plenty of room for a large group, a terrace with hot tub and lawns and access to a shared pool and tennis court

A Georgian townhouse in the heart of historic Sherborne with friendly staff, delicious breakfasts, walled garden and spoiling mini spa

A smartly-refurbished coaching inn sitting near the river Frome run with an emphasis on fair trade, sustainability and excellent local food

Fresh sea air, drowsy afternoons and nights of warmth and company against the backdrop of the sea in this big old house on Lyme Bay

You have your own entrance to a private wing with a garden and an elegant sitting room. Bedrooms are beautiful and breakfast scrumptious

Once a pub, now a friendly home, with all you need for a market town break. Park the car (or leave at home) – everything is on the doorstep

A tranquil and tucked-away feel for this terraced cottage with private patio, communal garden and plenty of room for six

An unusual, quirky old building attached to a Georgian farmhouse with a little terrace area for super views over iconic Colmer's Hill

Enfolded in gentle Dorset hills and surrounded by trees, a perfect wooden hut for 2 near beaches, River Cottage HQ and many beautiful walks

An 18th-century listed cottage in a pretty terrace with a private courtyard garden and pond, just a short walk from the high street

Wooded, lakeside retreat for 1 or 2 – big windows, huge terrace, wood-burner, wide screen. The Jurassic coast a cross-country walk away

Such lovely views from this light-filled flat, built in the 19th century – curl up with a book and gaze out to sea

Two lovely old cottages, part of the 1700 stable block on the St Giles estate, with 5,000 acres to roam, for walkers and peace seekers