It’s coming to the close of the year and spirits are high – those of Christmas, the family and friends you’ll find yourself reunited with, and maybe soon those spirits that will follow you into the New Year with a sore head! There is also another kind of spirit – adventure – one that we know all too well. It’s in our name and if it wasn’t the drive behind your stay in one of our houses, we have faith that it will become at least a part of the overall magic.

The best part is that adventuring isn’t just for the young. At all of our houses you’ll find the potential for an adventure, but there are those few that stand out as the examples. Whether at the Scottish Borders beside a private and tireless river, in the mood of the medieval in the Herefordshire countryside, or perched on the famously stunning South Coast in Salcombe with endless views and a history to boast of – no matter the location, you and the family will find that special place between ‘the concrete’, that sum of the priceless coming together of loved ones and a mutual hunger for something different, something new – something adventurous!

Read on and click on the images and names to learn more about the amazing houses that are the best for you and your guests; the young and the not-so-young…

 

Private railway and maze, and a tipi

 

The Hyde | Sleeps 20 | Herefordshire

Medieval architecture meets modern living. Glorious spaces, complete seclusion. Gardens galore, a tennis court, lake, summer house and playhouse. And your own private railway.

 

Mangerton House | Sleeps 16-20 | Dorset

Just inland from the beach at Burton Bradstock, Mangerton House has it all. An indoor pool. A dipping pond. Luxurious living and sleeping spaces.

 

Rare style, and poetry in residence

 

Taikoo | Sleeps 14 | Dartmoor

High on Dartmoor among the buzzards and falcons, sits Taikoo. Bring the generations together in an oasis of comfort and grace; walk the mature gardens, fire up the charcoal barbie and chill in the indoor pool complete with sound system.

 

The Moult | Sleeps 16-24 | Salcombe, Devon

Once home to the Earl of Devon (and anonymous smugglers before him), The Moult is a heady mix of history and romance. The Moult exhausts comparisons, even superlatives. Described by one enchanted visitor to Salcombe as arguably the finest private house on the South Coast of England. Live the dream at Salcombe’s iconic pink house.

 

Other special houses with the spirit of adventure

 

Alcester Farmhouse | Sleeps 12-16 | Cotswolds

Our House of the Month! Bring together family and friends at Alcester Farmhouse, a lovingly restored hunting lodge in the heart of Shakespeare country. You’ll all be drawn to the media room, the games room, the vast acreages and adventure playground outside, the crackling logs in the living room, and the honey-stoned beauty of the Cotswolds.

 

Ullswater Estate | Sleeps 20 | Lake District

At the Ullswater Estate, special is a very specific feeling. It’s the sense of exclusivity for 20 in Ullswater House and Ullswater Barn. That feeling you get when outstanding opulence meets natural grandeur, on Ullswater’s shoreline beneath soaring peaks. It’s the iconic joy of a private cinema, spa and infinity-terrace hot tub.