The Pool House, Minterne Estate

Stone flags in the hall, fresh flowers from the garden and pretty fabrics give this little rose-covered bolthole a friendly feel. You’ll find books, a record player with LPs and a cosy wood-burner in the sitting room, Bramley lotions and potions in the bathroom, house plants and a chaise longue in the upstairs bedroom and green views from every window.

Downstairs is open plan with a kitchen to the side, a table in the window and all you need for cooking, plus home baked bread, butter, local cheeses, a bottle of wine and chocolates. Spill out onto your own patio with wrought iron table and chairs, a barbecue, a huge lawn for croquet or boules, racquets and balls for tennis and the inviting pool. You also have access to the public gardens – 27 acres including a mile long Himalayan garden with lakes, waterfalls and places to sit and ponder.

You can walk for miles through hills and valleys, nearly all of which don’t involve roads.