Last-minute UK festive breaks

Heaps to do on-site: organic farm shop & café, cookery & cheese-making courses, farm tours. A brilliant base for exploring the Cotswolds too

With the rolling South Downs as your backdrop, the barn at Honeybridge Estate is a super spot for big family holidays and special occasions with extra beds, if needed

Cosy terraced cottage in a small village near lovely pubs, restaurants and independent shops; Southwold, Aldeburgh and the coast are near

Two cottages for couples: one more traditional, the other fresh and modern, both comfortable and romantic and there's a good pub next door

A light, bright, art-filled space with private garden on a quiet residential street just a short walk from shops, markets and good food

Two spruce spaces for couples in peaceful Cornish countryside; it’s an easy drive to gardens, both coastlines and good eateries

Creative owners have made a gorgeous, arty space for couples or a small group of friends; good beaches and Salcombe are close

Stylish, welcoming & perfect for all the family (including the hound) and a great base for exploring glorious Sussex and its coastline

A special place indeed, particularly for honeymooners and lovers. It's steeped in history & romance with delightful gardens to roam at will

Live like a local. Art lovers, book lovers and walkers will be happy here above an art gallery in the centre of town

Wooded, lakeside retreat for 1 or 2 – big windows, huge terrace, wood-burner, wide screen. The Jurassic coast a cross-country walk away

You’ll love Tintinhull Gardens, Montacute House, Ham Hill, the Prince of Wales pub… and this sweet, fresh, cosy, rustic cottage for 2

A lovely 300-year-old cottage with a tiny walled courtyard garden in a village with a good pub. You can see Dartmoor from the windows

Steeped in history and romance, with a great big sleigh bed and open fires, is this 14th-century defence tower above the river Tweed

Ease yourself into a rather more gracious lifestyle from this sweet retreat on a historic estate with gorgeous walled gardens

A lovely, rambling family house chock full of interesting, well-loved things and with a wrap-around garden on the edge of a pretty village.

Peaceful escape for couples in the grounds of a stately Tudor manor house; watch the wildlife from your garden, explore the nearby coast

Contemporary boathouse for all the family. Find rock pools, a shingle beach and plenty of ozone in the salty Cornish air