If your idea of Christmas is getting away from it all, look no further than High Houses, a hilltop farmhouse with fabulous views, 350 private acres to explore, and surrounded by fell and farmland at the quieter, northern end of the Lake District national park … Photograph: PR
The inside is pretty gorgeous too – it's a 17th-century stone building with lime-plastered walls, rustic beams, open fires and original flagstones and an Aga in the kitchen. One bedroom has a rolltop bath, another a four-poster and a log fire, and there's an attic room for kids.
• Sleeps six plus two children, £1,250 per week from 21 December, through sawdays.co.uk, 01697 371549 Photograph: PR
If you want big views and long walks for Christmas, this 250-year-old cottage, on the shore of Loch Crinan on Scotland’s west coast, would be perfect. Inside it’s all cosy rustic charm; outside the garden gate leads directly onto a sandy beach. The nine-mile Crinan canal between Ardrishaig and Crinan, said to be the UK’s most scenic shortcut, is great for easy – and child-friendly – strolls … Photograph: PR
Beyond lie the hills of Argyll and Knapdale, for more taxing walks; cycling is also popular here and there are two mountain bikes available for hire.
• Sleeps six, seven nights starting on 22 December costs £995 inclusive of bed linen, towels and the first £40 of electricity, 01835 822277, unique-cottages.co.uk Photograph: PR
Located down a forest track, off a country lane, this secluded Grade II-listed Jacobean farmhouse, set in five acres of orchard and meadow, would make a romantic bolthole for a couple wishing to escape the rellies this festive season. The crooked timber frame, leaning walls and low ceilings and use of materials like earth daub, lime plaster and green oak mean it's full of character … Photograph: PR
The surrounding countryside, an area of outstanding beauty, is criss-crossed with walking trails.
• Sleeps four, £430 for a week from 23 December through oneoffplaces.co.uk, 07970 260010 Photograph: PR
Amazingly this unique and beautiful (yet affordable) collection of eight yurts (now closed for the winter), six shacks and a 12-bed bunk barn, plus a cafe and shop, set around an old stone farmhouse on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales … is completely unbooked over Christmas. Though the owners have plenty planned for the festive season, including a leisurely walk in the surrounding woodland on Christmas morning and lunch in front of the fire in the cafe or delivered to your shack: parsnip, apple and ginger soup, roast turkey dinner and Christmas pudding (with all the trimmings), a cheese plate and a bottle of bucks fizz for £35 per head (children £15) … Photograph: Giles Smith
We visited Bivouac earlier this year – read the full review here.
• The Woodland Shacks sleep seven and cost £975 for seven nights from 21 December or £565 for four nights from the 24th; the bunk barn costs £18 per person per night – it is currently free for Christmas and the whole barn would be £216 per night for all 12 beds. 01765 535020, thebivouac.co.uk Photograph: PR
The name isn’t the only giveaway to the former life of this building. The old wooden water wheel forms a central feature in both the kitchen and living room, adding character and a sense of history and place. The rest of the cottage is rustically chic with an exposed brick wall, wood burner, an Aga and belfast sink in the kitchen and three simple cosy bedrooms with white-washed stone walls and Welsh blankets on the beds … Photograph: PR
The raised decked platform overlooks the stream that once powered the mill; nearby are the coastal towns of Harlech, Portmerion and Porthmadog, and you’ll be spoilt for choice for your Christmas walk with the beaches of Cardigan Bay and, the hills and valleys of Snowdonia easily accessible (by car).
• The main house sleeps six and costs £1,600 for seven nights; the cottage annex sleeps eight and costs £2,090, from 21 December; for three nights prices are £720 and £930 respectively. Book through sheepskinlife.com, 01865 764087 Photograph: PR
A great option for a group who want their own space – the accommodation is split across three 16th-century barns and stables: Little Lodge, The Nook and The Sailor’s House, kitted out in modern fixtures and vintage finds (the owners scoured flea markets here and in Paris). With direct access on to the South Downs, there’s no excuse for not doing that Boxing Day ramble, and if you need a pint at the end of the walk to get you off the sofa, there are a number of good pubs on the doorstep, including The Ram of Firle, The Trevor Arms of Glynde and The Cricketers of Berwick.
• Sleeps eight, £1,800 for five days from 23 December or £2,500 for seven nights, including a hamper and decorated Christmas tree, 01273 858893, cobbeplace.com Photograph: PR
English towns don’t come any more olde-worlde Christmassy than Tewkesbury. With its narrow lanes, medieval and Tudor buildings and Tewkesbury Abbey, one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain at its heart, it makes for the perfect Christmas getaway. Right next door to the beautiful abbey is the Abbey Gatehouse, a romantic converted stone cottage built in around 1500 and then beautifully restored in 1849 … Photograph: PR
The property has just one room, but it’s a gorgeous one with a gallery and a raised bed. Both the Cotswold and the Malvern Hills are nearby, both ideal for walks and blowing away the cobwebs on Boxing Day.
• Sleeps two, available for seven nights from 21 December for £659, or for 12 nights (leaving the day after New Year’s Day) for £1,331, 01628 825925, landmarktrust.org.uk Photograph: PR
With Northumberland's wide empty beaches within walking distance – such as this one near the cliffs of Rumbling Kern near Howick – and the Cheviot Hills just a short drive away, this period cottage located in a hamlet just outside the old fishing village of Craster is a great option for a group of walkers … Photograph: Alamy
Tastefully refurbished in 2011, the living room features a woodburner to keep you cosy after blustery days lapping up the sea air.
• Sleeps six, £805 for a week starting 22 December, through holidaylettings.co.uk Photograph: PR
Once the kids get bored with their new toys, this barn conversion has an indoor heated swimming pool that should keep them entertained for the rest of the holiday. They can also burn off energy in the grounds of the farm, which contains two lakes which attract herons, badgers, kingfishers, woodpeckers and swans … Photograph: PR
The decor is pleasant though not particularly special, but the communal rooms are a good size, and the kitchen more than big enough to knock up a decent roast in.
• Sleeps six, seven nights for £1,035 from 22 December through holidaycottages.co.uk, 01237 459888 Photograph: PR
For a salty seaside Christmas, how about this Grade II-listed four-storey house overlooking Cawsand Bay (pictured)? The interior is inoffensive (read a little bland) but the location is spot on – you can practically feel the sea spray from the (walled) garden … Photograph: Nick Haslam/Alamy
Plus it’s east Cornwall so a much easier journey than venturing into the far west of the county. And the open plan kitchen-living space means there’s plenty of room for a festive feast.
• Sleeps 12, £2,572 for a week from 21 December, through thebigdomain.com Photograph: PR
