Secret garden escapes
Far from the madding crowds, with tangled trees, walled gardens and fragrant rose arches, our secret garden escapes are the stuff of green-fingered dreams.
Luxury isn't bound by bricks and mortar, and while velvet sofas and linen sheets make for romance, it's the setting which can really set our souls on fire. We've thoroughly enjoyed the 'task' of scouring the back gardens and extensive grounds of luxury country homes right across the UK to find secret boltholes with the emphasis on green. Think pretty fences hiding scrambling clematis and romantic swags of purple flowering wisteria, scarlet creeper and heavenly scented roses; our secret garden escapes celebrate the pruned and re-wilded, the perfectly manicured and wildly unkempt. Retreat to a self-catering idyll where al fresco living is the name of the game, walking barefoot across the dewy lawn with the morning paper and a basket of croissants, enjoying a quiet coffee in the dappled light of your own private orchard.
Midsummer Wood
Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
This magical Cotswolds millhouse calls you to run wild in private woodland, get lost amidst secret wildflower meadows, dive into a 12-metre indoor pool and unfurl within lavish Jacobean interiors.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £5,495 per week, £4,150 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Indoor heated swimming pool, two steam rooms, tennis court and games room with ping pong, gym and large TV
