Yarlington House

A mellow Georgian manor surrounded by parkland. Step inside to find an amazing array of family pieces and log fires merrily burning.

Traditional bedrooms have glorious garden views and proper 50s bathrooms. Come down to platefuls of crispy bacon, local eggs, chipolatas and mushrooms, grape juice from the glasshouse vines – in the kitchen with your relaxed hosts, or in the dining room if you come as a posse of family or friends.

Wander through the grounds – a sunken garden with wisteria and classical statues, pleached limes and rose beds, lily pond, immaculate paths through the walled kitchen garden with neat box hedging. And then beyond, a short woodland walk with shrubs and a 200-year-old Cedar of Lebanon, a Victorian Hollow with many varieties of ferns and a laburnum walk leading down to a bronze statue, a John Downie apple pergola and a dovecote. Carolyn is the plantsman, Charles the designer (look for clues of a Napoleonic theme!).