The Coach House at Middleton Lodge

Minutes from the motorway, this Georgian estate feels deeply rural, with its walled garden and hundreds of acres to explore. ‘A glorious setting’ and very ‘well cared for’, readers say. James Allison and his wife, Rebecca, have turned the grounds of his family’s home, designed by the 18th-century architect John Carr, into a 21st-century country retreat, complete with small spa, kitchen garden, and two restaurants. Relaxed but chic bedrooms – beams, soft colours, vintage and rustic furnishings – are spread between former stables, farmhouse and outbuildings. Some have a patio; Potting Shed rooms are the most private – one suite is a ‘lovely big room with huge bathroom’. Some rooms are up steep steps – ‘you need to be agile’. There is universal praise for ‘excellent’ food in the all-day Coach House restaurant – a huge double-height room – with dishes such as cod bouillabaisse or duck leg with chorizo cassoulet, plus vegetarian choices. There is also a taster menu-only dining room. Breakfast is a ‘big, excellent buffet’ with ‘delicious marmalade’, along with Greek omelette and huevos rancheros.