Vast rooms, thick stone walls and ancient flagged floors skilfully modernised to create comfort, surrounded by romantic château gardens

Remote three-bedroom cottage in Northumberland National Park, with far-reaching views over hills and valleys and walks in all directions

A destination B&B. Hunker down in thoroughly spoiling surroundings with delightful owners near St Jean de Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne

An enviable hideaway on a cobbled street high on a hill, with stunning views next to Galileo's house, the Villa Bardini and gardens

What a setting! Gentle terraces, gardens, meadows and jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc - just metres from Courmayeur

A thoughtfully renovated cottage in a small hamlet with garden, courtyard and pool. The peace is palpable but you're near to bustling Tusson

Picturesque cottage in the grounds of a grand manor, lovingly and creatively restored by its welcoming English owner

Beautiful Noto is 4 miles from the Ionian Sea, and this creative renovation, with lush garden, stands above the throng. Heaven in Sicily

Gorgeous scenic views from this relaxed and friendly B&B tucked in a tiny hamlet in the Dordogne near Bergerac

A cheery farmhouse conversion for groups outside a village in a non-touristy part of Italy, close to scenic trails and medieval villages

Stay in the grounds of a 19th-century château turned family home, where 500-year-old oak trees shade a glorious garden

A new-build in local stone with vast windows gazing out at the meeting place of three beautiful lochs, surrounded by 12 acres of croft land

Traditional accommodation and organic food; handy for Bari but set peacefully in the countryside near Toritto, famed for its almonds

Quirky townhouse on the edge of the Peak District, with country walks from the door, plus shops, cinema, heritage centre, bistros and pubs

A small, rural cottage high in the wooded hills with long views, your own private pool, utter peace and quiet and a superb restaurant nearby

Restored stone barn on a farm in the Lake District National Park, with views of fields and woods and an excellent pub nearby

Historic village inn with wonderful cooking and a Provençal-style courtyard garden; drive to the Jurassic Coast in half an hour

Come for wide open countryside criss-crossed by a myriad of footpaths and this very comfortable, stylish and roomy retreat