Mill House

The valley around Rievaulx Abbey is quiet and rural, with the ruined monastery dominating the landscape and footpaths leading into rolling moorland from the village itself. Mill House sits in this setting as a detached stone cottage dating to 1729, built to work with rather than against its surroundings. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping up to five people, and you'll have the whole place to yourselves.

Inside, the cottage keeps period features—exposed beams, an Aga in the kitchen, and a working open fire in the living room where logs are provided. The kitchen also has a dishwasher, microwave and other essentials for cooking; bedrooms contain a kingsize bed, another kingsize, and a single. Practical things like wi-fi, electricity, heating and towels are included. Outside there's a lawned garden with seating and space to move around, plus parking for three cars on site. One dog can stay free.

The Abbey itself is immediately accessible, with a museum and tearoom. Helmsley, a market town with independent shops, restaurants and an art centre showing films and live events, lies five minutes' drive away. York and the North Yorkshire coast are within an hour. The house is reached by four exterior steps, and the garden has a wall drop, which matters if you're travelling with young children or those with mobility considerations.