Get away from it all in 'old' France, where melons taste like melons & hikes start from the door. This rural bolthole is a serious treat

The inn is the hub of this thriving village in 'the blue remembered hills' with great food and super rooms – a Sawday's Community Champion

A chunky log cabin with grass roof, wood-burning hot tub and views of the majestic Eildon Hills, half a mile from pretty Melrose

A 1980s Catalan mas built in a traditional style, with garden and pool, surrounded by olive trees and vineyards near the Spanish border

A grand old Georgian building with a big old welcoming atmosphere, roaring fires, delicious food, ales and wine, warm and calming bedrooms

Character and quirk in this fine old cooperage overlooking the vegetable garden with its own terrace and a shared pool. Walk, cycle, explore

Climb the candle-lit marble staircase to dream between lavender-scented sheets in splendid rooms, some with balcony or terrace

A traditional Welsh cottage in a very pretty, rural setting with the river meandering past, the stunning coastal path and beautiful beaches

Contemporary studio in a classic Cotswold village. Peaceful bolthole for creatives and walkers - with shops, cafes and pubs a stroll away

In château parkland, 10 minutes from Chinon, find books, beams and open spaces for 3 renovated houses, a delight for families

Light-filled gites share a lovely pool, with pétanque, ping-pong and bikes to borrow – bring friends and take all three

Big, beautiful Moorish-style villa for parties of up to 10, near mountains, coast and Granada. The rooftop views are jaw-dropping…

An old sporting lodge in Argyll renovated with sensitivity – fish in the river, gaze at the night skies, climb Ben Udlaidh

Come for big skies, grand walking and hilly cycling. Style and comfort abound in this cottage set on the hillside with views to North Uist

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

An idyllic hotel-restaurant in a postcard-pretty medieval village. Warm interiors, a varied menu of local produce, masses to see and do...

An 1820s farmhouse at the end of a quiet road in the North York Moors National Park, overlooking a forest and surrounded by fields