Elysian Fields

The scent of a full English drifts upstairs before you've even opened the curtains — this is proper guest house hospitality, the kind where someone else lights the fire and pours the tea.

Elysian Fields suits couples after a countryside break without the tent pegs, walkers who want a hot shower guaranteed, and anyone who fancies the romance of rural England with a comfortable bed at the end of the day. There's a camping pod option too if you want that halfway-house feeling — canvas soul, solid roof. Dogs are welcome by arrangement, so worth a call ahead if you're bringing a four-legged friend along.

It's a year-round bolthole, which tells you something about the warmth of the welcome and the solidity of the heating. Campfires depend on the evening and the season, so check when you arrive. The vibe here leans toward the restful rather than the wild — think morning coffee on a bench, muddy boots by the door, and the sort of quiet that makes you sleep properly for the first time in months.