YHA Wilderhope Manor

Hmmm, a sixteenth-century Grade 1-listed Elizabethan manor house set amidst beautiful Shropshire countryside, licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies? You'd think we were describing a country house or boutique hotel, but in fact we're talking about one of the YHA's most beautiful hostels, available to anyone at bargain rates.

There's a mixture of multi-bedded rooms and private rooms in which you can sleep beneath beamed ceilings and look out through mullioned windows onto the grandeur of Shropshire's green rolling hills. Bridal suite with four-poster bed and rolltop bath? Yep, it's got one of those too!

Other facilities include a (small) self-catering kitchen, lounge and dining room, and there's also simple field camping for half a dozen tents at most – camping toilets are available, while campers have access to the hostel facilities too. If you're going to barbecue, you can use the terrace at the front of the manor house – pretty sensational views to go with your bangers and burgers!

Its greatest asset is undoubtedly the location – perfect for getting out into some of the UK's finest walking country. There's a budget grandeur that makes it one of the best YHA hostels for walkers – after all, why put up with basic when you can have beautifully appointed?