Stylish barn in the Slaughters – footpaths from the door, idyllic Cotswolds villages to explore. Head home for garden drinks and barbecues

Light-filled house full of modern art and antique finds with stunning gardens and a pool. The best of Provence is on your doorstep

An historic, moated manor house dating from the 16th-century, fully restored and with all mod cons, including an indoor heated pool

A wonderful place to stay whether you enjoy golf or not, with big skies, sea views, sumptuous bedrooms, delicious food and attentive staff

A stylish timber frame eco build, clad with recycled steel and with an upstairs living space to make the most of the glorious sunsets

A romantic creekside cottage down a web of narrow lanes in a tumbling green valley – mess about on the water to your heart’s content

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

A fortified castle in parkland, built mostly in the 1300s on the Montbazens plateau, near to the stunning Averyon gorges

This stately-looking former manor house set back from the road in acres of gardens serves very good food and has rustic-chic bedrooms

Come for a delightful sojourn in this old baronial villa with historic winery, gorgeous guest rooms, a wellness area and infinity pool

Come for a big gathering of friends or family and take the whole house plus an extra cottage in the pretty gardens – swim in the pool, relax

An elegant medieval manor in the Loire with spiral stone staircases, mullioned windows, jaunty turrets and a fairytale suite just for you

Food grown, foraged and prepared with care, a carefully curated wine list, roaring fires and very comfortable bedrooms to sink into

Step into a place full of life, colour, texture and clever design surrounded by beautiful gardens and lakes

Laze in the pool, nibble olives from the market, gaze over Provence. Inside, English meets classic French. Fabulous for families

An elegant Burgundian townhouse with pool on the fringe of Morvan National Park in Côte d'Or. Dijon, with Beaune and Chablis an easy drive

Two villas on opposite shores of a big lily-covered lake, fed with natural spring water from the Ticino river and surrounded by gardens

A great base from which to explore beautiful Pembrokeshire - walk by the coast, take to the hills, check out ancient St Davids