If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

Lovely views from this converted farmhouse in peaceful Lot countryside, with terrace, sheltered pool and nine acres of grounds to explore

Choose between airy bedrooms up an elegant stair, or magnificent rooms at garden-level with private terraces. Find sweetness and warmth

Countryside and seaside all in one go – what could be more inspiring? Lovely Louisa lives down the road, on hand if you need her

The views are breathtaking over forest and field from this lovely barn conversion on a working farm, for special gatherings

Come for an exceptionally inviting 17th-century inn, a chocolate-box Cotswold village, excellent local food and ales, very comfortable rooms

A proper old-fashioned inn dating from the 1600s with beamed ceilings, low doorways and winding staircases up to comfortable bedrooms

An impressive limestone house on three levels created within the ruins of an ancient village with uninterrupted views of the Vézère valley

On the doorstop, Dovedale, Buxton, Chatsworth House... Come home to snooker, books, logs, a patio with views and masses of lovely space

It's steeped in history and a joy to visit. Explore the vast pistes of Les Portes du Soleil... return to log fires and house-party dinners

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

You’re wrapped in parkland here and close to the coast, gardens and war memorials. A treat of a stop-over for foodies

Converted stables in the grounds of a manor house in a peaceful village just outside Banbury with lovely walking in the Cherwell Valley

A handsome little château perched on the edge of a verdant valley, with wonderful views, lots of space and a rambling garden

Step through a door in an old wooden gate to discover a courtyard garden on the edge of town close to golden sands

A light larch-clad space for lovers, or a retreat for walkers and writers in pretty Orford, once a medieval sea port but now on the river

A lovely old house, remote, peaceful. Nature lovers and birdwatchers will relish staying in one of the most biodiverse areas in Europe