You could imagine you were staying in the cherished home of old and dear friends when you book into Walter and Nuala Sweeney's five-star B&B, a handsome Georgian house filled with antiques and artworks, carriage clocks, curios and crammed bookshelves, and with fine original features.

Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.

The Buchanan family's 16th-century coaching inn offers a warm Yorkshire mix of traditional pub, smart food and modern bedrooms with character. Overlooking the market square, it's a popular locals' spot both for the ales in the fire-warmed bar and snug and the accomplished cooking.

Alluringly re-designed, this Georgian mansion set back from the high street in a smart Huddersfield suburb, is brimming with distinctive spaces in which to sit, drink and dine.

A neo-Gothic fantasy castle in glorious pleasure grounds and parkland, the Cunliffe-Lister family's hotel offers a taste of country-house living, with opulent interiors, spacious bedrooms and suites, estate-to-plate dining and a spa.

There is a clever mix of the traditional and modern at this Victorian coaching inn with contemporary main-house, poolside and spa suites, inventive cooking in the restaurant, and an all-year heated outdoor pool.

In an enchanting village, this coaching inn retains the ambience of a friendly local, with its beamed bar and real ales. But indulgent main-house bedrooms with private patio together with Michelin-starred chef James Mackenzie's spin on classic British dishes, lift it way above the ordinary.

With cool styling and a fun vibe, this Georgian townhouse a five-minute walk from the city walls is home to a child-friendly boutique hotel, abounding in wit and whimsy, with dreamy bedrooms, an interesting bar menu, and creative cooking of local ingredients in the restaurant.

A riverside conversion of a Victorian grammar school and headmaster's house gains an A* for splendid, characterful, boutique-style bedrooms, some with terrace and hot tub, and short, set-price, foodie-pleasing menus.

Against the backdrop of Stag Fell, with glorious views over Wensleydale, this many-gabled stone-built Georgian mansion in peacock-patrolled grounds offers the perfect country-house escape, mixing antiques and original features with modern bathrooms, and giving traditional dishes a contemporary tweak in the fine-dining restaurant.

With views stretching across the Dales, this dark-sky accredited Edwardian country-house hotel has a wide choice of bedrooms, some with a conservatory, as well as an oak-panelled lounge with open fire, and short, appealing menus of local produce in the beamed restaurant.