Fletcher House

This self-catering holiday home near Thirsk offers the charm of a country cottage with enough space for eight guests. Situated on the edge of a quiet village, it's been remodelled from farm workers’ cottages and has the countryside views to prove it. Enjoy them while you dine alfresco on the deck or sink into the steamy waters of your private hot tub. Indoors, the mix of modern conveniences and country charm continues, with a plush corner sofa offering a good spot to relax by the open fire or watch the widescreen TV.

Fletcher House has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, which makes it just about perfect for two families to holiday together. The fact that it’s dog friendly too seems appropriate for the location, which lends itself to countryside walks. Downstairs, smaller rooms have been cleverly brought together to form a sociable link between the kitchen and dining room. It means the nominated cook, the kids and those playing games can inhabit the same space. Anyone wanting to curl up with a good book can tuck themselves away in the separate living room or in their bedroom upstairs. Three of the four bedrooms have flexible zip and link beds so they are suitable to be used as doubles or twins. Walls, carpets and curtains are neutral and clean, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring – colour, character and even a little humour are added here and there thanks to modern artwork on the walls alongside upholstered headboards, cushions and bedside lamps.

You’ll find Fletcher House in the village of Ainderby Quernhow not far off the A1, which places it equidistant between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks. It’s a good location if you want to visit both, and is also just 15 minutes’ drive from three pleasant market towns: Thirsk, Masham and Bedale. All are worth exploring and, with markets on different days each is handy for picking up local produce for a picnic in the Moors, Dales or back at your country cottage.