Come for the glorious Northumbrian countryside and a neat-as-a-pin cottage with much comfort and a private garden near to the coast

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

A 16th-century characterful gem right on the harbourside, serving excellent food at reasonable prices and with pleasant bedrooms

Good food draws the crowds at this smart bar & restaurant with rooms in a quiet village sandwiched between Cornwall’s north and south coasts

Come for sumptuous bedrooms, fine dining, colourful gardens and charming staff at this smart hotel and restaurant

A comfy cottage for two in the quiet, leafy outskirts of Aix with easy access to the city and a kind, attentive owner nearby

Walk, ride, bike or canoe, climb a mountain, head for Hay, then return to a comfortable bar, warm bedrooms and delicious food

Rambling casitas in a mountain hamlet, with a rustic bar, big shared pool and golf course, surrounded by birds, bougainvillea and views

Gorgeous thatched gîte in a stunning clifftop location with wonderful views across to Mont Saint Michel and the island of Tombelaine

Breakfasts with sausages from home-reared rare breed pigs, a big log fire and relaxed friendly hosts. Acres of garden and woodland paths

Stables turned into bright, comfortable holiday homes in countryside near Battle - for couples and families, whose dogs are very welcome too

An elegant house with ancient roots and a shimmering pool – explore the Charente countryside, drive to lovely Angoulême

An 18th-century stone cottage sitting in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. Nature-lovers and walkers will be well pleased and so will their dog

Glorious Elizabethan manor house lovingly furnished with exceptional art and antiques by its welcoming owners

Grade II-listed country hotel with lovely gardens and an excellent restaurant, a short walk from Ambleside and the top of Lake Windermere

Superbly comfortable house with beamed rooms, lovely views, club-like morning room, antiques, terrace, pool, fitness centre and lily pond

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural yet you can walk to the village pub for supper

A Victorian house on a 5000 acre estate, snazzily renovated and tucked down a track with a private lake, in the quieter part of Cumbria