The ancient stone-built Bath Arms in woodlands on the Longleat estate 'is a welcome sight after a long journey', and doesn't disappoint within, with 'appealing menus' 'attentive and pleasant staff' and great-value, well-decorated rooms.

The fun, hip, relaxed ethos of this pub with exceptional-value rooms on the edge of the Fonthill Estate is evident from the minute you walk in the door. Guide insiders couldn't believe the buzz when they arrived at this 'comfy, characterful place' in the afternoon, long after lunch.

Perfectly placed to enjoy a distillery tour or to follow the whisky trail, Sonia Marshall's Victorian house in the heart of Speyside stands in mature grounds on the edge of a swathe of the ancient Scots pine woodland that surrounds Grantown.

With the arrival of Michelin-starred chef Hrishikesh Desai, this smart country house hotel in beautiful, leafy grounds has become a top foodie destination.

At the heart of Exmoor, above the River Barle, this is a foodie inn with rooms, a wildlife-watchers paradise, with fishing on both riverbanks.

Gorgeous interiors and a friendly, informal ambience are a winning combination at Susan Stuart's beautiful B&B, where every bedroom has a sea view, and breakfast is quite special.

In a wooded estate on Loch Torridon, this baronial-style hunting lodge appeals to sybarites and sporty types, with luxurious bedrooms, tasting menus sourced from the kitchen garden and farm, and a brasserie.

Choose a stylish bedroom, suite or waterside lodge at this Victorian merchant's house in landscaped grounds, where imaginative brasserie-style fare is served in the coach house.

Spectacular views across Loch Tummel to the iconic peak of Schiehallion can be seen from this 'characterful and quirky old coaching inn' ten miles from Pitlochry in Perthshire's big-tree country.

Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth have had a creative fling at this Victorian coaching inn in a Cairngorms village famed for its Highland Games, filling interiors with important artworks and Victoriana, though menus are short, the cooking spare and elegant.

There is a simple sophistication about both the interiors and the menus at this Georgian rectory, where bedrooms have contemporary and period furniture and subtle paint shades, and modern dishes tick the boxes for foodies.

Archie and Nicola Orr-Ewing have created a seamless blend of friendly village local and gastropub-with-rooms at their former 16th-century cider house overlooking the green.

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.

This quintessential English country house with spa, pools, kids' club, elegant bedrooms and fun tree houses, hits all the right luxurious notes for a romantic or family stay.

With breakfast served until noon, afternoon tea by the drawing room fire, shooting, fishing and communal dining, a house-party atmosphere prevails at this Georgian country house.

Against the backdrop of Stag Fell, with views over Wensleydale, this many-gabled stone-built retreat offers the perfect country house escape, with antiques, comfy armchairs, warm hospitality and modern cooking of local ingredients.

In a lovely Suffolk village, this wonky, yellow-painted, timber-frame inn is an inviting place, with log fires, appealing, characterful bedrooms, and a mix of pub classics and more adventurous dishes served in the bar, restaurant and alfresco.

Much altered since it was begun in 1695, the Cunliffe-Lister family's neo-Gothic, castellated fantasy castle is 'a very special place, grand and imposing', in 'simply glorious' pleasure grounds and parkland.

On the market square, this 18th-century inn with onsite brewery has jazzy bedrooms in dolly-mixture colours, Adnams beers in the Tap Room, pub classics and contemporary seasonal fare in the Still Room.

Interiors at this dog-friendly inn are a riot of granny's attic eccentricity, while bedrooms next door are large, light and contemporary, with swish bathrooms; a weekly changing menu showcases pub favourites.

'Scottish baronial at its best', this Victorian fantasia with half-timbering, turrets, candle-snuffer roofs and stepped gables, sits in 'a lovely large garden' on the shores of Loch Long.

Modern artworks by the co-owner and local artists adorn this picture-perfect Cotswolds village inn, with country-style bedrooms, that serves local ales, cream teas and updated pub fare in the conservatory and garden.

Deep in Suffolk fruit-farming country, this retreat hotel centres on the Great Barn, with rooms in barns and shepherds' huts, where eco-chic combines with modern comforts.

One of the world's most beautiful drives, along the North Coast 500, brings you to a fishing village and this 'beautiful small hotel, recently renovated', now part of Highland Coast Hotels.