A traditional country house experience with plenty of space for big family get-togethers, on a very old estate with fascinating gardens

A dog-friendly hotel with traditional bedrooms, excellent breakfasts & a cool bar set on a peaceful side street, minutes from the centre

A well-equipped cottage with a big beautiful garden and murmuring brook. Come for peace, wildlife, a welcome cocktail, and grand walking

A family-run 1700s thatched Inn in a rural hamlet with super food, a grand team to look after you and picnic benches in a pretty garden

Remote barn in the middle of Northumberland National Park with views for miles, wonderful walking trails and clear starry skies

A medieval monastery, stunningly revived, in untouristy, car-free Pisciotta. Sip greco on the terrace; scramble through olives to the sea

Gorgeous small hotel perfectly placed for the magical Dales - stylish bedrooms, open fires, lovely staff and pretty gardens all wait

Château apartments with a heated pool, parkland and a menagerie - Gold Beach and the British Normandy Memorial are on the doorstep

In pretty Vernon, a peaceful and comfortably large townhouse with roses rambling around the door

One of five cottages on the Wern Estate, all comfort and charm, with a garden for kids, rockpools at Black Rock Sands and a mountain railway

On the site of an old sawmill in the mountains of the Jura, a guesthouse of warmth and charm - with table d'hôtes, a pool and a spa

Pippa tells you where to find wild flowers, babbling brooks and butterflies... and hike, bike and swim. Magic for families

A privately-owned cottage, full of interesting things, on tranquil farmland within the NT Stackpole Estate a 20-minute walk to the coast

If houses could smile, this 1850 townhouse would be beaming - grand for groups, with four terraces, two living rooms and a plunge pool

A bit like staying with friends in a smart country house, but not having to help - an elegant refuge near Bradford-on-Avon

Wildflower beds, 1,350 acres to roam, and all of Norfolk to discover. Then it’s back to 4 chic boltholes with pool, steam room and jacuzzi

A light and airy barn conversion, very comfortable and rural, sitting on a hill with views to the south overlooking the Stour valley

A great little inn, hugely popular, with stylish bedrooms, lovely food, happy staff and a winning position on the river Wyre