Resigned to visiting family for Christmas again? Why not make a resolution now: next year you will spend the festive season with a group of friends in a splendid pad in the country?
These properties were chosen with these criteria in mind: accommodation and dining table for 12 people or more (apart from one which was too good to miss out that sleeps 11); open fireplaces; an oven large enough for a traditional turkey dinner, and good walks nearby. Most of the properties can be adorned with Christmas decorations prior to your arrival.
Auchinleck House, Ayrshire
According to the Landmark Trust, this is "the finest example of an 18th-century country villa to survive in Scotland". Half an hour from Prestwick airport, the grand, neo-classical house, which sleeps 13, was home to the biographer James Boswell. The impressive dining room with its beautiful moulded ceiling, wooden floors and large fireplace is the perfect setting for Christmas dinner. There are extensive grounds that lead down to a small river where there's a grotto and an ice-house.
Downside: This part of Scotland is not so scenic - don't expect mountains - but the coast is nearby.
Where to book: The Landmark Trust, 01628 825925.
Price for Xmas 2003: £2,838 for seven nights, starting on December 22.
Birkhill, Tay Estuary
A rambling Grade I-listed mansion - the ancestral home of a Scottish Earl - on a 2,000-acre estate on the banks of the Tay Estuary, near St Andrews. The house, which sleeps 18, is homely with family heirlooms and oil paintings decorating the many rooms. From the 40ft long main hallway to the billiard room, it is all pleasantly decorated in a bold, Bohemian style. There are two grand pianos, two upright pianos and an organ - so make sure there are some pianists in your party. Catering can be arranged.
Downside: Despite the price, this property is not of pristine five-star quality. It has a definite "lived in" feel, and some of the bathrooms are rather old and basic. There are only enough "adult" bedrooms for 12; the rest are more suitable for children.
Where to book: Blandings, 020-7947 3290.
Price for Xmas 2003: about £14,000 for a week.
Boturich Castle, Loch Lomond
This impressive castle, completed in 1830 on the site of eighth-century ruins, is a family home sleeping 16 people. The elegant drawing room has an open fireplace and a piano. There is also a small sitting room in one of the towers with an open fire that overlooks the loch. If you want to stretch your legs, there are hundreds of acres of parkland and woods bordering the Loch.
Downside: Not many bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms, and some bedrooms in the turrets are small or more suitable for children.
Where to book: Cottages and Castles, 01738 451600.
Price for Xmas 2003: £5,000 for one week.
Carn Eve, Cornwall
The house sits on top of a cliff two miles from Land's End. From most rooms, there are splendid panoramas of miles of golden sand and sloping grassy cliffs. The house, built in 1900, has been restored with large windows and skylights, making for a spacious, light-filled home. Work up an appetite with a walk to the famed surfing beach of Gwenver before settling down for lunch in front of the dining room fire. The house sleeps 14.
Downside: Although a detached house in an idyllic location, it's not isolated: three other houses next door share the same drive-way.
Where to book: Classic Cottages, 01326 555 555.
Price for Xmas 2003: £2,331 for seven nights, Saturday to Saturday.
Crackenthorpe Hall, Lake District
A large Grade-II listed country house on the borders of the Pennines and the Lake District. Two wings of the house are available to rent, with the owners living in a third. "The Old Manor House" wing, which sleeps 13, is listed in the Domesday Book. Henry VI stayed here in the 1460s, and his bedroom has a carved oak door. (The original bed is in the V&A.) The house is full of character with uneven floors and stairs, and lots of dark oak.
Downside: A busy by-pass is nearby and traffic noise sometimes rises over the sound of the crows.
Where to book: English Country Cottages, 0870 585 1155.
Price for Xmas 2003: £2,260 for the week from December 21.
Filby Hall, Norfolk
A splendid Queen Ann house, with panelled walls, ornate fireplaces and a grand, sweeping staircase. There are open fires in the drawing room and a dining room. The house, which sleeps 14, is six miles from the wide beaches of the Norfolk coast. Included in the rent is free day-membership to the village sports centre, so you can work off your Christmas lunch.
Downside: Filby Hall is on the main road through the village. There's also a very steep staircase, so beware if you are uneasy on your feet or have children.
Where to book: English Country Cottages, 0870 585 1155.
Price for Xmas 2003: £2,131 for one week, or £1,578 for 4 nights.<
Fort Clonque, Alderney
A 19th-century sea fort built on a rocky outcrop off the coast of Alderney in the Channel Islands, Fort Clonque was renovated in the 1960s by the Landmark Trust. On stormy nights, the sea pounds against the 19ft thick walls. Emplacements for large guns have been turned into bedrooms. The fort is constructed on several levels over the grassy rocks, and bedrooms and living areas are housed in separate buildings. You may even need a wetsuit to get to the shops because the fort, reached via a causeway, is cut off at high tide.
Downside: This is categorised as a "hardy" property by the Landmark Trust, meaning that you should take lots of jumpers as it can be rather cold and a little damp. This property only sleeps 11.
Where to book: The Landmark Trust, 01628 825925.
Price for Xmas 2003: £1,898 for seven nights from December 22.
Millbeck Towers, Lake District
Its first-floor sitting room has fabulous views across to Derwent Water and the hills. The former woollen mill has three open fires, so even if you don't want to be out hiking up Skiddaw (just behind the house), you will always be cosy. There's a large, rambling garden to the rear of the house with a pond, streams and a grass tennis court. The house is on the side of a hill, in a small, quiet village. A hamper of goodies from the owner, the National Trust, is one of Santa's gifts.
Downside: While there are enough beds for 12 (two in a bunk bed), the dining room table would be a squeeze with more than 10.
Where to book: The National Trust, 0870 458 4422.
Price for Xmas 2003: £1,642 for seven nights.
Tone Dale House, Somerset
An 18th-century pile belonging to the Fox family, who made a large part of their fortune from manufacturing "Fox's improved puttees". Tone Dale, which was renovated in the late 1990s, sleeps up to 21 in (mostly) large rooms. Exmoor and the Dorset coast are a short drive away.
Downside: Beds are rather soft. Dining table would be a squeeze with 21 adults; 16 maximum perhaps better.
Where to book: The Big House, 01823 662673.
Price for Xmas 2003: £5,775 for six nights.
YHA Badby, Northamptonshire
A charming thatched village surrounded by farmland with plenty of walks through woodlands and along the Grand Union Canal. The hostel has four dormitory bedrooms and one room for two in a bunk-bed, sleeping 30 in total. The lounge has a log burner as well as a piano for fireside singalongs. The warden lives next door.
Downside: There's no large table, but the small tables in the dining room can be pushed together, and instead of comfortable dining room chairs you'll have to make do with stools. The hostel is not decorated for you, but you're welcome to take your own festive trimmings.
Where to book: YHA (England and Wales), 0870 770 6113.
Price for Xmas 2003: £360 for two nights.
