Holly Lodge

It would be hard to find a more picture-perfect, sleepy village than Thursford. And this pretty blue-shuttered, cottage B&B fits the scene. It’s a slightly quirky set-up, but nevertheless seems to work. Three rooms, with individual front doors, are in the converted stables and are as cutely cottagey - and small - as you could wish with beamed ceilings, slate floors and low windows. Furniture is a mix of country antiques - perhaps a brass bedstead or Arts and Crafts wardrobe - and contemporary pieces. There are smart touches, such as coffee machines and a complimentary bottle of wine - though bathrooms are a squeeze. Three further rooms are in the main cottage; larger, swisher and more country-chic, but less private. Breakfast is taken in the cottage’s large conservatory - all flagged floor, cream walls and rush-seat chairs - while the adjoining sitting room, with its wood-burner, honesty bar and big sofas, is free to use as you please. From the garden, you can walk across fields to the village church. Although the village has no pub or shop, the smart Georgian market-town of Holt, with bistros and tea-rooms, is 10 minutes’ away.