A traditional farmhouse B&B with just two bedrooms as well as self-catering cottages, Thistleyhaugh is in the capable hands of the Nelless family's second-generation of hosts. Their 720-acre organic farm, reached by country lanes, feels remote yet is only two miles from the main road and makes the perfect base from which to explore the Northumbrian countryside. In autumn, the Georgian farmhouse's beautiful Virginia creeper-covered walls glow like a beacon, a harbinger of the warm hospitality that is offered within. 'One of the best stays I have had in a B&B or hotel,' reports a reader, who had a 'large, elegant bedroom with very comfortable bed'. Pick between Mary Room, with its king-size American four-poster bed and natural palette, or Rose Room, with Nina Campbell wallpaper and velvets, a roll-top bath and king-size bed. Both are large, have antique furniture and views over the garden. Tea trays come with homemade shortbread biscuits. Guests can relax in the lounge in front of a roaring fire. In the morning, breakfast is served in the light, appealing breakfast room; it includes fresh orange juice and a range of cooked items. Prices don't change throughout the year; you can get a discount on bookings of several nights. (Deborah Loveluck)