Dorset unfurls all around you: walk the coast path, hunt for fossils, gaze at Durdle Door, explore Weymouth from this sea-facing pub

Inside, a grand cathedral ceiling, outside, wisteria-covered terrace and pretty pool. Atlantic sands, Cognac and La Rochelle are in reach

The central part of a much larger building in a 17th-century hamlet with bright, spacious rooms, shared pool and glorious private gardens

This 300-year-old Cotswold pub, the hub of picture-book Sapperton from which there are glorious walks, is a superb place to eat and stay

Choose the atmospheric early Georgian house or the garden bedrooms, all have views, Paul's welcome is genuine and his dinners delicious

Serious art, lovely lighting, great sound system and a fat wood-burner belting out the heat at this super place for families or friends

A sweet bolthole around a courtyard on a smallholding, extremely comfortable, bright and spacious inside and with a communal garden

Gather family or friends and fall in love with this gorgeous house, beautiful garden, glimmering Ullswater and stunning countryside

Big house with bags of character and easy access to beaches, cafés and cobbled streets, coastal paths and hidden coves

Good old-fashioned hospitality in a quiet Highlands cottage ringed by roses and roe deer. Forest and coastal walks, shortbread and tea

An incredible living museum, dedicated to the history of Sicily and the arts. Stay in the main house or in a cottage in the fecund garden

Wend your way down steep paths to Durgan beach, explore the magic of Charles’s wonderful garden and feast on Caroline’s super breakfasts

Unwind in glorious Northumberland with beaches, proper dunes, ancient castles and two cosy cottages with open fires, sea views and gardens

A lovely old stone cottage in a group round a pretty courtyard, with your own private patio and seating area, on the Pink Granite Coast

Lots of creativity and quirk at this cabin near the Cotswolds - like a funky New York loft, filled with light and interesting art

A pretty little cottage in a holiday hamlet surrounded by fields, just a stone's throw from the coast and Binic for happy escapes

A hop to Montpellier, but deep in the countryside: a romantic pad, with Moroccan rugs, ochre-limed walls and bikes to ride into the country