The name may mean ‘house among thistles’, but the ‘meticulously kept’ combination of manicured lawns, knotted gardens and meadow flowers tells otherwise.

There’s ‘birdsong in the air’ and ‘a great atmosphere of peace’ at this ‘glorious’ country house hotel, in large gardens descending to the River Wye, say Guide inspectors.

How times change: steps from the medieval castle, Glyn and Jacqueline Roberts’s ‘impressive’ restaurant-with-rooms occupies two of Harlech’s oldest buildings, described in 1798 as a cheerless spot offering no bed, just a dirt floor strewn with rushes. Today, Guide readers praise the ‘excellent’ contemporary rooms, each well equipped with a king-size bed, tea and coffee, fresh fruit, Welsh spring water, slippers.