Cooks Cottage

Cooks Cottage sits down a quiet lane in East Leicestershire, just over the border from Rutland. When you arrive, you step into a compact ground-floor layout: a living room with a wood burner and Freeview TV opens onto a kitchen-diner with an electric cooker, microwave and washing machine. Upstairs are two bedrooms—one with a double bed, the other with two singles—and a bathroom with bath, shower and heated towel rail.

The cottage is yours entirely, with on-site parking and a shared garden where you can sit out. Bed linen, towels and wifi are included, along with the first load of fuel for the fire. One dog is welcome. The village of Somerby has a shop, post office and pub within walking distance, while Melton Mowbray's shops and restaurants are about five miles away. Rutland Water—all 23 miles of it—offers sailing, kayaking, fishing, golf and nature reserves, or simply a long walk or cycle around the water's edge.