Once a lofty edifice for music recitals, now an original place to stay - with stained-glass windows, a bed on a stage and wild gardens

You’ll find Norfolk ales, French wines and a hint of eccentricity at this old-school inn, where local food and comfy beds keep you smiling

A cool pub with smart rooms, English ales and Thai-inspired food. Farringdon tube is round the corner and you can walk to the Barbican

Hear the rooting of wild boar and the odd splash of the pool. For those who love fresh air, great food, and the sweet hills of Umbria

An adorable little 1800s cottage with a garden – simple, unpretentious and filled with the owner's colourful art on walls and lampshades

Like staying in a family home, only with Henri III furniture and rolling green views. Energetic hosts cook, farm, hunt, chat over champagne

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

Fabulous bakes and hot waffles at breakfast, green fields all around and Normandy steeped in history. Great for foodies and historians

In the heart of the East Sussex countryside, a fun community inn, with rustic-historic bedrooms, scrumptious food, and a great welcome for dogs

Lovely big room in its own wing of a Victorian farmhouse. A peaceful spot with views across fields and an elegant drawing room

Sweep along the gravel drive through lawns and specimen trees to this elegant manor house with 17th-century roots

Unwind here in the rolling hills with the river bustling along, your own secluded garden and an unpretentious cottage full of character

A very grand façade for this handsome Charente village house with a beautiful, peaceful garden, creamy stone walls and olive trees

A treat in any season, a place to stir your soul, yield to nature and learn how to play again - with a pretty fine roost to come home to

Rustic charm meets modern comfort in peaceful Devon hideaway set in acres of wild meadows and ancient orchards, with glorious swimming pool

Serene retreat in the French countryside with elegant interiors and impeccable hosting from the lovely Anne-Laure

An 18th-century cottage for four on a working sheep farm: walk the Pentland Hills, get the bus to Edinburgh for culture

Escape to mountains, sea and sky, simple rooms and lovely food. Walk, swim, read, write, nurture your soul