Bedecked with hanging baskets, a friendly local on the high street. It is owned by Wadworth, an independent brewer based in Wiltshire. Comfortably furnished bedrooms (quieter at the back) have restful tones and some original features. Real ales at the bar; pub dishes (sausage and mash, pie of the day) are sered in the characterful wood-panelled dining areas.

Close to the Ridgeway path (Europe’s oldest pathway), a small, friendly pub serving cask ales from local and micro breweries, and tasty food. The original well can be viewed through a glass panel in the restaurant floor. Comfortable accommodation is in an annexe; pets are welcome in ground floor rooms. 3 miles N of Marlborough.

Within its own lovely garden and grounds, an immaculate B&B in a Grade II listed house, where arriving guests are greeted with tempting tea-time treats. Part of a working farm, much of the food for breakfast (home-made granola, banana bread, jams and marmalade, fresh fruit salad, honey) comes from just a few steps away. A full English Wiltshire breakfast is cooked on the Aga. Supper trays may be pre-ordered; local pubs and restaurants are nearby. Cookery workshops are held. In a little hamlet, 2 miles from Swindon.

Within the Bowood Estate, a purpose-built country house with adjacent golf facilities and an award-winning spa (infinity swimming pool, gym, rock sauna, crystal steam room, aromatherapy shower and relaxation room, and treatments. The Shelburne Restaurant, Bar & Library have all-day dining and parkland views. Guests receive complimentary access to Bowood House & Gardens (April to October). Chippenham is a 6-mile drive away.

Set in seven acres of beautiful grounds, a historic listed in the Domesday Book, and once owned by Elizabeth I’s Lord Treasurer, Lord Burghley. Rebuilt in 1840, it still features an original fireplace in the galleried hall. Casual dining, snacks and afternoon tea are served in the Restaurant and on the large terrace overlooking the garden. The hotel is in the village of Stanton Saint Quintin, four miles from Chippenham.

Inside a Georgian town house, an elegant bar, restaurant and hotel, overlooking the high street of a charming market town. Some of the ‘high’-dubbed bedrooms retain an antique fireplace and have an eye-catching feature wall. Evening menus in the modern restaurant include European dishes such as chicken and mushroom Stroganoff or king prawn and crayfish risotto. A wide choice of light bites, sharing boards, burgers is available at lunchtime; roasts on Sundays. An enclosed, sunny courtyard has tables, chairs and parasols. Six miles N-E of Swindon town centre.