There is a relaxed, timeless ambience at this grown-up 19th-century country house (Relais & Château), but things have moved on apace, with fine dining now at the very heart of the operation.

There is a touch of the baronial about this pink sandstone Tudor-style 19th-century mansion, a country house, country sports hotel, its public rooms adorned with shooting trophies.

'An extremely relaxing weekend' is on offer at Wendy and Jim Sarton's characterful timber-frame manor house in deepest Constable country, where residential art courses are a big draw.

Wildlife spotters are in their element at this 18th-century lodge in 'a beautiful setting' on the shores of Loch Sunart.

You could be in rural France as you take a forest drive to this creeper-covered stone inn 'scenically situated in rolling fields in the Longleat estate', with tables and umbrellas under pollarded limes.

Solitary Nephin, Ireland's highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

Ducks glide on a pond and guests take tea in front of this beautifully proportioned Queen Anne-style mansion in a hamlet between the Cotswolds and the Mendip hills.

'A stylish stay in the Peak District, Wildhive's ethos is to get back to nature without foregoing creature comforts,' our inspector writes.

'A fun take on a gallery crossed with an old boozer, and a good-value one at that', this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park is an 'anything-but-traditional' pub-with-rooms, say inspectors.

'There is a timeless elegance to Raymond Blanc's gorgeous country house hotel, where English–French relations reach a deliciously stylish entente cordiale,' say Guide insiders.

With its indulgent bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining, attentive staff and guaranteed privacy, many look to Gilpin as the ultimate in Lakeland luxury.

As you drive through landscaped parkland to find this country-house hotel overlooking a lake and 16th-century dovecote, you might wonder if you have arrived in the Loire valley.

A former hunting lodge for the Earls of Gainsborough, the latest in the upmarket Signet Collection was a work in progress when our inspector called, with 'a spa, hairdresser's, café and farm shop still to open'.

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, this hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

Free-roaming ponies and donkeys wander past the garden gates of this Arts and Crafts-style single-storey house in the magical surroundings of the New Forest.

'An enchanting destination' is how readers describe Olga Polizzi's Regency hunting lodge, which stands by the River Tamar in an Elysian landscape designed by Humphry Repton.

Everything is peachy at this apricot-hued Georgian country house in the Vale of Belvoir, at the end of a long avenue of lime trees, transformed from a family home into a delightful, idiosyncratic and much-loved hotel.

In a chocolate-box village, this luxury hotel doesn't stint on the traditional country-house luxuries, drapes, stripes, florals, sofas and chandeliers, antiques, and paintings

With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent experience.