The Hare and Hounds

This Cotswold stone country house hotel, now under the ownership of Fuller’s, retains both its charm and its hare motifs, which crop up everywhere, from pillowcases to prints. It’s thoughtful rather than twee, and hounds get a look in, too, in Jack Hare’s bar, where you can dine with your dog at your side in sight of an enormous canine mural. Bedrooms in the main house – built in the 1860s in the neo-Renaissance style, by Robert Stayner Holford, founder of the wonderful neighbouring Westonbirt National Arboretum – retain pleasing original features. Further rooms, a stroll away in the Silkwood Court annexe, have a more contemporary feel, some with wheelchair access, others with their own garden terrace. Magnolia Suite has an outdoor hot tub, as does the hideaway Game Keeper’s cottage, with its private garden. If you prefer something more formal than the bar for dinner, the stylish Beaufort restaurant (with, yes, a hare ornament over the fireplace) has an à la carte menu with dishes such as rack of lamb, glazed artichokes, spinach, anchovy and nettle butter, jus; fruits of the sea ragout or gnocchi with wild garlic pesto.