Ship-owner Allan Hughes chose the perfect site for this handsome Lutyens-style Edwardian country house, on high ground, with panoramic views across Exmoor to the coast, the approach awash with daffodils in springtime.

A Victorian lido, restored and remodelled with spa, poolside bar and Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, now has five chic rooms in a Georgian townhouse just moments away.

A former sports bar and one-time Berni Inn, this handsome pub has been splendidly renovated in Art Deco style for Young’s, recapturing its 1920s glory days, when it housed a cocktail bar.

An Edwardian hunting lodge, this welcoming, opulent B&B is a perfect base from which to explore Exmoor.

In a village close to Bath, one of England's oldest inns offers characterful rooms and above-average pub fare.

Serving cider since 1851, this honey-stone village pub has been attracting attention since a lockdown makeover by enthusiastic new owners. Contemporary-chic bedrooms have good fabrics, a Roberts radio, posh toiletries, views over gently rolling countryside.

Trained chefs Caroline Gardiner and Alan Lucas have transformed this former village inn into a restaurant offering sustainably sourced menus of beautifully presented food with rustic-chic bedrooms and lodges, making it the perfect place for a country retreat.

In a medieval village overlooked by a red sandstone castle, the one-time guest house for Cleeve Abbey is now a dog-friendly hotel with an onsite hair and beauty salon, a stunning historic bar and 28 bedrooms, some with contemporary furnishings, some with an antique four-poster.

At the centre of a glorious, honeyed-stone Georgian crescent, two adjoining mansions are home to an elegant yet family-friendly hotel with an air of opulence, elegant bedrooms, fine dining in Montagu's Muse restaurant, an oasis garden and charming spa.

With a menu of bistro classics, this little restaurant has a real French vibe along with pristine bedrooms upstairs and above the sister bar.

Saved from decay, completely refurbished and fitted out with flair and a sense of fun, this Georgian coaching inn has bedrooms of great character as well as seriously good food.

A riot of wisteria in spring, this crenellated 18th-century reconstruction of a Norman castle, owned by the Chapman family since 1950, has a mix of refurbished, traditional and retro-chic bedrooms, while brasserie dishes are served in buzzy Brazz, light bites and afternoon tea in the drawing room.