Lodge and gardens – superbly designed, immaculate, fresh, eco friendly – rest in unspoilt Picardy. Anglo-French hosts take turns to cook

Your very own love nest: frolic in the outdoor rolltop, hunker by the wood-burner, bask in the gardens... near Lakes and Dales

Traditional beamed cottage, tucked in the hills, with views to distant beaches plus colourful gardens and a pool

Small and elegant family-run hotel with airy bedrooms, plenty of private spaces and a bus to take you to the centre of bustling Avignon

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

Comfortable and colourful villa, very much a family home, with glorious views, infinity pool and lovely gardens, just 3 minutes from town

A converted farmhouse set in a large mature garden, well located for exploring the delights of the Lot et Garonne south of the Dordogne

A large, light-filled house sitting very much on its own in the middle of the peaceful Eden Valley with masses of space inside and out

Come for the utter silence and the rare beauty of this far north-westerly landscape, teeming with wildlife. An antidote to city life

Hilltop château on the edge of a small village half an hour from Saint-Émilion, with a lovely garden, a swimming pool and two lakes

A delightful home-from-home village house with large gardens and walks from the door – perfect for families

Grand Scottish home with stunning views & a tea-and-shortbread welcome. Historic castles, local festivals, golf, East Lothian beaches abound

Come for an exceptionally inviting 17th-century inn, a chocolate-box Cotswold village, excellent local food and ales, very comfortable rooms

Fresh, inviting bedrooms with leafy garden views and a pretty church next door. Moffat's spectacular Grey Mare's Tail waterfall nearby

A magical Scottish Baronial-style house with stunning valley views; stroll to good restaurants, explore the spectacular Borders

A large cob and stone Devon farmhouse in a sheltered dip near to Rosemoor and the coast, with valley views over the garden and pond

A vine-clad stone house hideaway for lovers, walkers, artists and hermits with a sweet veranda overlooking woodland down to the river

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