In the Welsh Marches, down winding lanes, a delightful refurbished hop pickers' house - romantic bolthole for 2. Friendly owners, too

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

At the end of the unpaved road, surrounded by oaks, chestnuts and pines, a wonderful surprise for families and children who love to explore

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani

Hike the Wild Boar Fells, get cosy at home with books, games and DVDs, and meet the farm’s hens, cows and sheep

Come down to the Meon Valley and be (very gently) nudged towards a better way of living - a Sawday's Community Champion

You're beautifully looked after in this gorgeous Tuscan house. Come for Alpine walks, historic trails and wild nature all around

A converted 19th-century church in the Northumberland National Park with beautiful stained-glass windows and a restored tower

Four family-friendly self-catering casitas and an original cortijo in wildlife-rich acres near the sandy Costa de la Luz

A niftily converted barn with high vaulted ceiling sitting on a hill with wonderful views over a newly-created lake and the Stour Valley

Ideal for families: pool, tennis and golf at the hotel with beach and yachting nearby. Comfortable bedrooms and a terrace for outdoor dining

A pretty stone single-storey house, now renovated beautifully into a comfortable hideaway with wonderful views to woodland and river

A converted old granary next to a traditional Welsh longhouse in a deeply rural setting for unfussy nature lovers

A babbling brook, the sound of birdsong and centuries of history steeped into the walls of this medieval barn, plus a heated indoor pool

A cottage in a conservation village with logs in the burner, sloe gin on the table, and a good dining pub you can walk to

An ancient coaching inn opposite the church in the prettiest village – just the ticket for weary travellers who deserve nurturing

Very private and comfortable rooms with their own entrances at this generous B&B with glorious gardens and views to the Black Mountains