CROMWELL'S CASTLE, ISLES OF SCILLY

Where better to get away from it all than Tresco? It’s part of the Isles of Scilly, 30 miles off the coast of Cornwall, and is a picturesque island with unspoilt beaches, tropical gardens and crystal clear water. Cromwell’s Castle is one of the few surviving Cromwellian fortifications in Britain and is worth a visit alone for its stunning location on a rocky promontory.

There are also lots of other properties to visit on the islands, including the Old Blockhouse, which was built in the mid-1500s to protect the harbour of Old Grimsby, and King Charles’s Castle.

KIRBY HALL, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

A visit to this partly-roofless mansion is really needed to fully appreciate just how huge the 17th-century building – one of England’s greatest Elizabethan houses – actually is. Beyond the hall itself, look around the recently restored great gardens, created by Sir Christopher Hatton the Fourth in the late 17th century. 

You can also stay in our two-bedroom cottage in the hall’s grounds, with its own enclosed garden. Best of all, once the public have gone home, you’re free to explore the mansion and gardens – surely the ultimate way to escape the crowds.

MINSTER LOVELL HALL AND DOVECOTE, OXFORDSHIRE

Located on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds, the scenic remains of this 15th-century Oxfordshire manor house are in a delightful rural setting next to the River Windrush. The spellbinding ruins that still stand today, after the buildings were abandoned and demolished in the 18th century, include the hall itself along with a tower and nearby dovecote (a shelter for domesticated pigeons).

The hall was built in the 1430s by William, Baron of Lovell and Holand, who was one of the richest men in England at the time, as a demonstration of his incredible wealth.