Merchant Richard Oswald, Cavens’s original owner, helped negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris – now this ‘charmingly run’ Georgian manor house attracts modern-day visitors in search of serenity. Angus Fordyce, the ‘hospitable, hands-on host’, crafts a cosseting, ‘restful’ atmosphere, helped by ‘friendly, smiling staff’. They will pour a tall G&T, allowing you to relax and take in the surroundings. Buffered by acres of landscaped grounds, the ‘lovely’ antiques, log fires, oriental rugs and oil paintings in public spaces ooze country house character, while squashy sofas and books lend the lounge a genteel intimacy. All of the ‘immaculate, comfortable’ bedrooms have views of the garden yews and giant rhododendrons, but the best panorama is found in Oswald with its ‘wall of windows’ (and poem by Rabbie Burns, a previous visitor). Solway has ‘a bath for giants’. Resident guests choose any three courses from Angus Fordyce’s fuss-free, short market menu, perhaps locally smoked salmon; pan-fried hand-dived scallops, lime, vermouth; strawberry trifle with amaretti biscuits. Wine lovers: a tour of the small private cellar is there for the asking. Breakfast (‘particularly good’) is fuel for coastal walks, nearby. (BK)