The Globe Trotter: UK

Taking a break in Britain can be more relaxing and private – and certainly less expensive if you book a holiday home, especially if you want to relax with friends and family. And whether you like old-world or modern, little or large, away-from-it-all or lots to do, there’s the perfect pad for you…

A picture-postcard thatched cottage in rural Dorset is a great base for a relaxing getaway with scenic walks, timeless villages and the dramatic Jurassic Coast on the doorstep. Grade II-listed Piper’s Cottage (ref H321), sleeping four, is in the wonderfully named hamlet of Throop Hollow. The beamed sitting room has a large inglenook fireplace with a cosy wood burner. There’s also a pretty private garden. Hideaways offers seven-night stays from £843 in August; three nights in September from £410 and seven nights from £585.

01747-828170, www.hideaways.co.uk

Little Polgarron, Booby's Bay

The Ferry House is a new, but traditionally styled, stone-and-slate cottage near Oban and Port Appin on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It’s in an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the shores of Loch Creran and just a two-hour drive from Glasgow. You have your own rugged private beach 20 metres from the door and a private wood to explore, not to mention the rest of the Highlands. The open-plan living space includes a wellequipped kitchen, dining table and a cosy lounge area arranged around a log burner and picture window. The property, offered by Sheepskin, sleeps four and costs from £908 for five nights, or £600 for three.

01865-764087, www.sheepskinlife.com

If it’s a romantic escape for two you require, check out Keeper’s Cottage in Exmoor National Park, North Devon, four miles from picturesque Lynmouth. The property welcomes pets, too. This stylishly converted old barn, with original beams, has a cosy wood burner in the sitting room, a country kitchen and spacious bedroom with super-king-size bed. It also offers a private terrace overlooking the river. Available from Marsdens Cottage Holidays, this holiday home costs from £827 per week in August, or from £359 per week in November and December, excluding Christmas/New Year.

01271-813777, www.marsdens.co.uk

Or what about Hannah’s Haven – a newly constructed ‘shepherd’s hut’ for two with a touch of luxury? Set in its own green meadow with lovely countryside views, it is two miles from Porthtowan, Cornwall, and is available from Cornish Cottages. A week’s rental costs from just £173, rising to £330 in peak season.

01326-240333, www.cornishcottages.co.uk

Meanwhile, for bigger family parties or reunions, the ultimate holiday home is SimonEscapes’ brand-new beach house, Little Polgarron, on Booby’s Bay in Cornwall. Ready from the beginning of September, the contemporary house is a 10-minute drive from Padstow, sleeps up to 10 in five en-suite bedrooms, all with private balconies with stunning sea views. Guests can use the personal concierge service to arrange everything from spa treatments to advice on the best local walks. The property costs from £5,400 per week for 10 people; shorter breaks are available on request.

01244-784152, www.simonescapes.com

Prices are lead-in, per person, based on two sharing and subject to availability.

Cristal ball

Get a free night in a fourposter bed when you buy Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 with your meal at The Lamb at Hindon, Wiltshire, until 31 August, excluding Saturdays and bank holidays. And, your hosts are charging only £225 per bottle instead of the shop price of £320.

01747-820573, www.boisdale.co.uk

Forage fun

Hell Bay hotel on Bryher, Isles of Scilly, offers a three-night Wild Food and Foraging Break from 21 to 24 September. Experienced forager Rachel Lambert will lead walks to find the best seasonal tastes, which head chef Glenn Gatland uses to make a delicious dinner. From £705 per person, including helicopter flights from the mainland.

01720-422947, www.hellbay.co.uk

Poet’s corner

Celtic Trails has a new, threenight self-guided walking break based at poet Dylan Thomas’s beloved Browns Hotel in Laugharne, which is reopening after a five-year restoration. From £315 per person, takes in Thomas landmarks and the beautiful Glamorgan coastline.

01291-689774, www.celtic-trails.com