Stylish apartment overlooking a vibrant market in the old city, with restaurants and historic attractions in easy walking distance

A large handsome 1800s manor, now a peaceful haven for free-range families and creative types on the edge of vibrant Richelieu in the Loire

Friendly owners settle you in to this cool, creatively styled barn. Perfect for groups & families with big pool & garden

In château parkland, 10 minutes from Chinon, find books, beams and open spaces for 3 renovated houses, a delight for families

An enchanting Belle Epoque villa with a terraced garden and superb views across palm trees and vines to Mont Saint-Michel

It's not often you get an entire hamlet to yourselves but here it is – 10 traditional stone houses with big communal spaces in rural bliss

Perfect for families - a glorious farmhouse surrounded by lavender fields. Rooms are huge and children can roam free in the vast gardens

Spacious bolthole for two with long sea views: explore the wilds of the Scottish Isles, watch plenty of wildlife from big windows

Once a lofty edifice for music recitals, now an original place to stay - with stained-glass windows, a bed on a stage and wild gardens

A cosy, beautifully refurbished flat in a Georgian house bang in the middle of the unspoilt town with its pretty streets and houses

A big, rambling inn – welcoming and unpretentious with deep sofas, eclectic artwork, tasty food and exceedingly comfortable bedrooms

Come for the space and silence, the birds and the beach; soak up the wild vistas, warm yourself by the fire pit under star-filled skies

A seamless blend of ancient and modern in this architect-designed villa with infinity pool and veranda for admiring the wonderful views

Come down to the Meon Valley and be (very gently) nudged towards a better way of living - a Sawday's Community Champion

This fine old Dordogne house is run by well-travelled owners, has superb views and is a luscious mix of old charm and contemporary design

A lovely old house and rambling garden in a medieval village with a monumental château, 12th-century church and a good local restaurant

Friendly inn in the middle of Sedbergh. Lots of bedrooms to choose from, suntrap picnic area, walks in the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep

Come for super ridgeway walks and explore charming towns and villages from this pretty 18th-century cottage in the Chalke Valley