Biggin Hall

In a small rural village in the White Peak area, this Grade II* listed 17th-century country house is run as a hotel with warmth and heart. A reader, returning after a few years’ absence, had ‘a fantastic stay’, finding everything ‘even better than I remembered’, and the service ‘professional, brisk and assured’. Paintings and furniture have been chosen with care. ‘The gardens, like the hotel itself, are quirky and enchanting.’ The master suite has a four-poster. Another suite has a double and a single bedroom. Rooms in garden annexes are pet-friendly, and you can now dine with your dog in a glass garden pod. On Saturdays, come rain or shine, you can take afternoon tea alfresco or snug indoors by the fire. In the oak-beamed dining room and new conservatory, a nightly changing menu includes such dishes as slow-cooked feather blade of beef, chive mashed potato, spiced carrot purée, red wine jus. ‘The evening meals were a delight with plenty of choice,’ our reader continued, although another guest hated the background music. A free packed lunch is provided for a day’s exploration of the Peak District. (Mike Craddock)