20 of the best British B&Bs

Jeake’s House
Rye
Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

The Lynch Country House
Somerton
Tucked away on the edge of a little market town 40 minutes’ drive from the Jurassic coast, this late Georgian mansion, topped by a belvedere with viewing deck, is an unusual and special B&B.

New House Farm
Cockermouth
Away from the Lake District’s hot spots, in quiet Lorton Vale north of Buttermere, this whitewashed farmhouse B&B mixes rustic authenticity with modern comforts.

Underleigh House
Hope
With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it’s no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.

Shallowdale House
Ampleforth
Guests are made to feel like old friends at this wisteria-clad, light-filled 1960s house with its peerless views over gardens to the Howardian hills.

Padstow Townhouse
Padstow
Hidden in a back street of Padstow’s old town, these sybaritic B&B suites, created by chef Paul Ainsworth and his wife, are an ideal retreat for foodies.

Number Thirty Eight Clifton
Bristol
‘Our favourite stop-over when travelling to Cornwall’, this twin-bayed Georgian merchant’s house B&B sits atop one of Bristol’s highest hills, with panoramic views.

The Pig in the Wall
Southampton
This little piggy, the babe in the litter of Robin Hutson’s Pig hotels, is set in a crenellated Georgian house and former pub built into the city’s medieval wall.

Duke House
Cambridge
Tucked away in the city centre, within minutes of its historic colleges, this boutique B&B bolt-hole has a modern elegance in keeping with the house’s Victorian age, plus a pretty courtyard.

Craigatin House and Courtyard
Pitlochry
Pheasants wander the enclosed gardens and woodland of this stone-built Victorian house, within easy walking distance of the town.

Lindeth Fell
Bowness-on-Windermere
With rolling gardens, lakeside views, and elegant, spacious interiors, this Edwardian home above Windermere is more country house hotel than B&B.

Blackmore Farm
Cannington
In springtime, wisteria cascades around the door of this 15th-century red sandstone manor house B&B on the Dyer family’s dairy farm.

Austwick Hall
Austwick
With its grandly furnished rooms, extravagant decorative style and sweeping Italianate garden, this Yorkshire Dales country house B&B has the flavour of a stately home.

The Old Rectory
Hastings
Designer Lionel Copley did not compromise on comfort when he transformed Georgian All Saints Rectory on the edge of the Old Town into a beautiful B&B.
From £90 per night