This open-plan hideaway, on a private estate, is contemporary and comfortable. It sleeps two in leafy seclusion and is popular with honeymooners … Photograph: PR
Picture windows look onto the lake, allowing residents to keep an eye out on the neighbouring otters from the terrace or birdwatch.
• 07713 564364, exploremiddletonhall.co.uk. From £540 per week Photograph: PR
This renovated country house on an organic farm was once the home of Charles (Earl) Grey, prime minister from 1830-34. It's a mixture of contemporary (hot pink pool table, rainforest shower, designer wallpaper) and old pile (open fires, candlesticks marching down a polished dining table, clawfoot baths) … Photograph: PR
Sleeping 16, most bedrooms are en suite, and you can hire the estate chef to rustle you up a picnic.
• 01665 589120, bruntoncottages.co.uk. From £2,500 per week Photograph: PR
Built 160 years ago as a railway waiting room, this wooden hut has been converted into a cottage for two … Photograph: PR
Good insulation, heating and a woodburner keep things cosy. It has Wi-Fi, a superking bed and plenty of character – the floors are Douglas fir wood, there are views across field and fell, and original features, such as the ticketing hatch, are still in place.
• 01434 683030, stayatthewaitingroom.co.uk. From £295 per week Photograph: PR
This 19th-century wooden cottage on the outskirts of Bamburgh was built for workers restoring Bamburgh Castle. Grade II-listed, but with a modern, seaside feel (striped cushions, sand-coloured sofas, white furniture) … Photograph: PR
It is a stroll across dunes to the castle and beach or you can head south to Seahouses, and catch a boat to the Farne Islands for seal and seabird-spotting.
• 01697 746777, northumbria-byways.com. From £525 per week, sleeps six Photograph: PR
This squat former water tower looks like a tiny castle from the outside, but inside is very contemporary. It has views over farmland from the terrace and garden, and an acre of woodland alongside … Photograph: PR
Just outside Corbridge, it's close to Hadrian's Wall (pictured) and less than an hour's drive from the coast.
• 0845 268 1553, bookcottages.com. From £409 per week, sleeps four Photograph: Alamy
