Bring boots, maps, your dog and an appetite for high places and deep comfort in this restored farm conversion

A very special restored Augustinian monastery, sitting in the Monti Rognosi Nature Reserve and radiating a timeless charm

Three gîtes in the Dordogne with panoramic countryside views and a swimming pool – book individually or together for a group holiday

After a bountiful breakfast of Loch Fyne kippers and homemade scones, head for Oban, gateway to the isles. Return to a dram by the fire

Grade II-listed country hotel with lovely gardens and an excellent restaurant, a short walk from Ambleside and the top of Lake Windermere

One of England's oldest coaching inns, full of history and wonky floors, on a Surrey market town's high street

A pub with rooms in the epicentre of London on trendy Westbourne Grove, a ten-minute stroll from Notting Hill

Immaculate apartments with private patios and well-equipped kitchens share oleander-bright gardens and a chlorine-free pool

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

Come to be thoroughly cosseted and nurtured in this ancient Presbytery surrounded by rolling countryside with views of the Dordogne river

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

Gracious hosts, a mix of 17th-century style and contemporary design with comfort in spades, just minutes from the Rialto Bridge and market

A magical chateau set in the forested hills of Burgundy with lovely rooms, peaceful walks, home cooking and a merry welcome

Superb, all-organic agriturismo built of straw bales and offering wonderful home-grown natural food, a delightful family, great walking

A bright, light newly built annexe flat adjoining a farmhouse and sitting on a hill looking out over a lake and fields beyond to the village

A converted 18th-century chapel in the heart of Bruton with an all-day restaurant, in-house bakery, wine store and south-facing terrace

In a hamlet in the Loire countryside is a friendly estate with a family-sized gite, a shared saltwater pool and heaps of old-world charm

One of the loveliest houses in a very lovely village. Pretty rooms have parquet floors and white walls, the food is a delight