Under the big skies of Caithness, wrapped in woodland and a curve of the River Forss, this Georgian mansion offers the grandeur of Scottish country-house living but with modern-day warmth and comforts.

A 17th-century country house on the edge of Brechfa Forest receives high praise for the warmth of the welcome, its ambience and top-notch, locally sourced food.

A former 17th-century inn, which is part of the Duke of Devonshire's 30,000-acre estate at Bolton Abbey, is today an impressive country-house hotel, with fine dining and a spa.

There's certainly nothing monastic about this much-loved 'olde-world hotel with charm in abundance', in a 'wonderful building with a cleverly added glass dining room' looking out over gardens bordered by the River Frome.

A French-influenced building on the harbourside, this family-friendly hotel and local hub was extensively refurbished by new owners the Original Collection in 2018.

For more than 50 years, the Prideaux-Brune family have welcomed guests to their ancestral Jacobean manor house in an English country garden with the Divelish stream skipping through.

The last word in Cotswold chic, this boutique hotel offers contemporary-cool bedrooms beside twin venture The Crown at Ampney Brook, a 16th-century pub where fantastic food is served from an open kitchen in the inn proper and in dining 'hives' beside the eponymous brook.

Family run, dog friendly and welcoming, this village pub at the foot of Howgill fells, between Lakes and Dales, is widely praised for its comfortable, individually styled bedrooms, pub classics and more creative dishes.

Much loved by readers, this hotel, restaurant and social hub beside the Great Ouse offers a wide choice of rooms, an all-day lounge and bar menu, sophisticated cooking in the large, attractive dining room.

Chef-proprietors Guy and Brittany Manning have brought skills honed at triple-Michelin-starred Per Se in Midtown Manhattan to this thatched gastropub on the edge of Salisbury Plain, with 'stupendous' food in the bar/restaurant and garden, and stylish guest bedrooms across the road, with decking from which to watch the ducks on the River Avon.

On a square beside the Great Ouse in the ancient port town, this fine Georgian Grade II* listed former merchant’s house, once home to what would become Barclays, was debanked in 1869 and is today a buzzy hotel and brasserie.

Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and scandalous Duchess Georgiana, stands in a picturesque designed landscape with the River Tamar running through.

Big picture windows frame views of the Dart at this cool, contemporary hotel with a leisure vibe, uncluttered chic bedrooms, relaxed bistro dining in the riverside restaurant and alfresco.

Occupying two waterfront former warehouses, this maritime-themed hotel has bedrooms modelled on captains' cabins and lined with reclaimed timbers.

Made over in the Signet Collection's signature style, this country-house hotel in a picturesque South Downs village has a relaxed ambience, chic, affordable bedrooms, a boutique spa, and imaginative brasserie fare with good plant-based options.

Sam Mercer Nairne and his Bordeaux-born wife, Claire, have created something very special at this picturesque cottage-orné -style Georgian coaching inn on the Lansdowne's estate. The hotel, pub and anglers' dream has lovely bedrooms seamlessly blending the old and new, and French-accented, seasonal estate-to-plate menus in bar and dining room.

Historic features are seamlessly blended with contemporary styling at this riverside gastropub with indoor, outdoor and waterside dining, and a menu of pub classics alongside more inventive dishes.

Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn serves delicious food and has great walks from the door to help you justify eating it.

Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires, bags of atmosphere and great food.

With 100 metres of waterfront, river-view bedrooms, casual all-day dining, and plenty to do, this is a fun, casual hotel with a good choice of bedrooms at affordable prices.

One of Ireland's oldest coaching inns, in lovely gardens on the River Vartry, and in the same families since 1825, this hotel attracts visitors from around the world with its chintz, old-world charms and honest Irish fare.

Expect a cheerful welcome at this pub with rooms, which stands by a bridge over the Union Canal in a conservation village.

Fashion stylist Marie-Clare Mawle is a caring hostess at her adults-only B&B with just two bedrooms and views over mature gardens bordered by the River Severn.

A 'sprawling, traditional building in a beautiful setting' at the tip of Windermere, this family and dog-friendly hotel has easy access to lake-based activities as well as a spa.

Outside Grasmere's village centre, this period property boasts original Victorian features alongside boutique decor in the bedrooms.

Abounding in old-fashioned charm, this 16th-century coaching inn with woodland behind and the river across the road has an interesting selection of quirky bedrooms, an atmospheric bar and good cooking in the restaurant.

A country house in town, this dog-friendly hotel on the banks of the River Dee offers a relaxing escape, indoor and alfresco dining, and fly-fishing along the Banchory beats.

Behind the Tudor black-and-white facade of this old coaching inn lies a gastropub big on sustainability, with some quirky options for an overnight stay.

A riverside conversion of a Victorian grammar school and headmaster's house gains an A* for splendid, characterful, boutique-style bedrooms, some with terrace and hot tub, and short, set-price, foodie-pleasing menus.