Spacious house with a big garden, a swimming pool and all home comforts; the beach and good restaurants are less than 10 minutes away

Peaceful Highland hideaway on a wooded lochside: spy dolphins and otters, stargaze, and soak up the deep silence

Homely furnishings and 17th-century charm at this estate on the Severn, whose owners are mad about horses and give you fine home produce

Come for a sense of complete peace surrounded by country and coast with wonderful interiors to boot – a bolthole for two (plus two)

A warm, inviting boutique hotel in Shrewsbury’s historic centre; potter about the medieval streets, relax in a sun-catching courtyard

Comfortable bolthole for 2–6 in the heart of the city. Shops and restaurants on the doorstep, a short drive from the coast and South Downs

A smartly renovated village pub with rooms welcoming locals, visitors, families and dogs on a Staffordshire country estate

Come for a bright, roomy, uber-green and accessible larch-clad space with garden and pond in pretty countryside

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

A detached 1960s house in a fabulous position with beautiful views over the mountains and plenty of space for walkers and skiers

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

An ancient thatched cottage near Dartmoor with a warming log fire in winter and flowers inside and out in the summer

Float in the infinity pool above the canyon, dine under the stars, revel in the silence, head to the Cavagrande di Cassibile Nature Reserve

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

A nature-filled estate for smart lodge holidays in rural peace with woods and coast to explore, onsite activities and yummy homemade meals

Simple country cottage living on a working organic farm. Bring your hiking boots or bikes, stride out from the door

Wonderful hosts at this traditional, upbeat B&B, where imaginative breakfasts set you up for glorious hikes in Eyri (Snowdonia)

An impressive limestone house on three levels created within the ruins of an ancient village with uninterrupted views of the Vézère valley