Courtyard Retreat

Courtyard Retreat opens onto wooden floors and high ceilings, a ground-floor layout that means everything is on one level. The living room has a working open fire and Freeview TV. The kitchen is fitted for actual cooking—electric oven, gas hob, dishwasher and washing machine all there. Two bedrooms (one kingsize, one double) and a bathroom with bath and shower sit along the same floor. Bed linen, towels, Wi-Fi and electricity are included; fuel for the fire comes with your arrival, with more available locally.

The property sits within a privately gated property at the edge of Tenbury Wells, a market town on the River Teme. One dog stays free and can use the front courtyard and sitting-out area, where there's garden furniture and a BBQ. Parking accommodates two cars. A shop is half a mile away and a pub a quarter-mile. Tenbury Wells has independent shops, cafés and pubs; Ludlow's restaurants are a short drive, as are the cathedral cities of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester. The walking here is considerable—Titterstone Clee Hill for views across the Teme Valley, or gentler country routes through hop and cider-apple country. Berrington Hall and Croft Castle (National Trust) are also nearby. No smoking inside.