Looking for a B&B in British countryside

Old Oct 21st, 2010, 07:39 PM
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Looking for a B&B in British countryside

I know this is a big question and there are many (which is why after spending fruitless hours surfing I am turning to the Fodorites for direction) ...... but I am looking for a place to spend 2-3 nights in March with my teenage daughter. Here is what I hope to find:
- train ride from London (willing to rent a car if I must)
- gourmet breakfast
- charm and welcoming hosts
- ideally a place to hike/cycle and on or near a river or coast
- good restaurant nearby
Can anyone help me narrow this down? A website with good choices? A village or destination? A specific B&B that you love? thanks!
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Old Oct 21st, 2010, 09:14 PM
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There are probably millions of places out there to choose from but, as you say, how to narrow it down? Have you looked at Brighton? It's not a village but is on the coast, has loads of accommodation and restaurants. Don't miss the Royal Pavilion if you go, it's quite amazing inside.

We've stayed twice at this B&B, it's quite central and some rooms have seaviews but they don't do a cooked breakfast (they do a variety of breakfasts but not the usual eggs and bacon which I found quite a relief):
http://www.georgeivbrighton.co.uk/

I always wanted to visit this place but never got around to it, it's not far from Windsor so you could combine the two but you'd probably need a car. It's right on a river:
http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/compleatangler/

Kay
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Old Oct 21st, 2010, 09:18 PM
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I just remembered another website which has loads of nice places:

http://www.sawdays.co.uk/

Have fun looking!

Kay
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Old Oct 21st, 2010, 10:30 PM
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There are thousands (and thousands). I think what you should do is very first decide WHERE/WHAT you want to see/do. Since just about every town, village, hamlet, wide spot in the road, has nice to very nice B&Bs. IMO it makes much more sense to pick a village/town, or at least area and then look for accommodation.

So -- other than water, what sorts of things do you want to see, and - what is your budget?
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 03:49 AM
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I agree with Janis - you need to think about an area first then zero in on possible places to stay. Good websites for B&Bs in the UK are: www.laterooms.com and www.smoothhound.co.uk/

KayF: Brighton has it's attractions (well one anyway - the Pavilion), but it's a big congested city, full of beggars and drugged up clubbers, that feels more central London than the English countryside I believe the OP was looking for. The Compleat Angler in Marlow is a very pricely 4-star luxury hotel, not a B&B. Marlow is a certainly very attractive location, but unless you're on a high budget you might need to look for cheaper accommodation.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 04:59 AM
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For great cycling and walking try the New Forest, its easily accessible from London and very interesting area as well: http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:07 AM
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The gourmet breakfast will be the hard bit - I'd suggest concentrating on that especially as I haven't a clue as to what you mean by gourmet breakfast

Perhaps a google for something like "foodie B&B", "gourmet B&B" etc etc then cross referencing against a site like tripadvisor

For example

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...icle632229.ece
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:07 AM
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I'll give you a couple of specific recommendations to consider where we had great experiences:

Chipping Campden - http://www.chippingcampden.co.uk/
B&B: The Bramley House
http://www.bramleyhouse.co.uk/
How to get there:
Train to Moreton-in-Marsh, Taxi to Chipping Campden
Things to do:
Hiking, Cycling ( http://www.cotswoldcountrycycles.com/ ), good pubs and restaurants in town.

Lyme Regis - http://www.lymeregis.com/
B&B: The Springfield House
http://www.springfield.vu/
How to get there:
Train to Axminster, Bus to Lyme Regis
What to do:
Hiking, Beachcombing (and fossil hunting), also good pubs and restaurants in town.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:27 AM
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We spent a night in Rye, which mind you is not what I would consider "countryside" as it is actually a very small town. It does have a train station (we took a train from London), I am sure there are hiking or cycling opportunities that would carry you into the countryside and restaurants abound. Our teenage son was with us at the time and he wished we had stayed there several nights as our short stay only gave us enough time to peruse the shops in late afternoon and return to London the next day after breakfast.

We stayed at the White Vine House. My son had the top floor single which he stated felt like a smuggler's nest and our double room was quite comfortable as well. I note from the website there are new owners since our stay so can not comment on the charm of the hosts. Their website is http://www.whitevinehouse.co.uk/index.html.

Rye has a website as well if you wanted to check out the town - http://www.ryesussex.co.uk/
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:41 AM
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Not a B&B as such, but a great location and lovely hotel with restaurant and the only place I've ever been offered Eggs Benedict as one of the included breakfast options!
http://www.themasterbuilders.co.uk/
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:48 AM
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Thank you for the feedback - what I actually need help with is narrowing down the area. I am looking for a place that is easily accessed from London (by rail if possible) and is surrounded by nature. We will have spent a few days in London and this will be our respite to hike, relax, enjoy good food, gardens, perhaps visit a couple of charming villages. I have been to Oxford and London but other than that am quite unfamiliar with Great Britain. Budget - would like to stay under $300 USD if possible.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:50 AM
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Burford-- well worth a look; I'll try to track down the name of the lovely place we stayed.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 05:57 AM
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The Master Builders is on the on Lord Beaulieu's estate on the New Forest National Park. You can visit Beaulieu Palace House and Exbury Gardens are fabulous http://www.exbury.co.uk/website/
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 06:09 AM
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Hi Lynnalan,

I think this place ticks most of your boxes. I stayed there in July this year and loved it.

http://www.beeches-farmhouse.co.uk

It is just outside Bradford-upon-Avon.

Train from London - Bath and frequent train (about 15 - 20 mins) to BOA

Cycle routes along the River Avon.

Breakfast menu to die for - Scrambled eggs with home smoked salmon, Kippers, Porridge with fresh cream, wonderful pastries and croissants, Full English (or parts of it with gourmet sausages and local organic bacon, home made bread (you smell it as soon as you enter the house for breakfast).

The owners go the extra mile to help in any way they can and are very, very environmentally friendly. There are roosters, dogs, cats, goats, horses etc. etc. are running free and better cared for than many children.

Excellent restaurants in the area, you can walk (about 20 mins into BOA but there are others dotted aroud. We took a taxi which cost about £6 but they would be easy cycle rides.

Bath, Wells, Cotswolds are all nearby.

I loved it.

Another is close to Salisbury but I think you would need a car for this one.

It is in Great Wishford close to Stonehenge.

http://www.theoldposthouse.co.uk

It also had a lovely breakfast - whatever you want cooked to order on the AGA.

Great Wishford is a small village with a lovely church and a river running through the village.

If you have a car you are within very easy reach of the Dorset Coast and all the wonderful villages in between.

Bus outside the B&B for Salisbury and the owners will pick you up for a very small charge if requested.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 06:09 AM
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We also enjoyed the Bramley House in Chipping Campden. We were there last month for four nights. It's in a good location for exploring the Cotswolds.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 08:07 AM
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The OP is traveling in March. That time of year is likely rainy and cool. I know you like outdoor activities, but I'd pick a place with indoor options or with easy access to indoor activities.

For example, Cambe's suggestion near Bradford-on-Avon would work well, with the option of hopping into Bath on a rainy day.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 09:14 AM
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Burford is great - but not accessible by train. Some of the other villages mentioned would also require a car. I always drive when in the UK -- but there are lots of places that tick your boxes.

Your budget is VERY generous. For that you could stay in many of the posh-ish country house hotels, or just about any high end B&B. The New Forest would be wonderful. There are several stations in the area and you could walk in the New Forest, take a day trip to the Isle of Wight by ferry, see Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard. I think that would be a lovely place to stay.

I have a file (hard copies I'll have to look for) in the New Forest but alihutch's suggestion would be amazing. http://www.themasterbuilders.co.uk/index.html
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 10:18 AM
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That should have said >>but there are lots of places that tick your boxes w/o needing to drive
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 11:59 AM
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"gourmet breakfast"

Your use of this phrase makes me suspect you're barking up entirely the wrong tree by asking for B&Bs and quoting $300 a night.

British B&Bs have no similarity whatsoever to those pretentious horrors California specialises in, where a refugee from Marin County imposes his or herself on you, bores for the Pacific Ocean about how "historical" their dump (built in 1905!!!) is, charges you $290 a night for the privilege of a room with furniture your grandparents wisely threw out because it was so ugly and expects congratulation for the inedible mix of blueberries, maple syrup and streaky bacon they've just dreamt up.

The closest you'll get to that (though properly self-effacing, serving real food for breakfast and historically informed about the 15th century manor house they're located in) are the boutique hotels janisj refers to.

Look for B&Bs, and you'll generally - in country areas - get rooms around £70 (I rarely use them, so I may be out of date) in ordinary (ie built about the day the American colonies turned traitor, which means no-one can be arsed researching their history since they're not old enough to bother) houses, with much the same bedrooms as those self-parodying monstrosities in Sacramento, but suitably embarrassed about the fact - and no "free" sherry on arrival.

I suspect that's not what you want. "Gourmet breakfast" in Britain means designer breeds of bacon (pref Gloucester Old Spot), in large quantities, inside a sandwich made with decent bread and lashings of melting Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sea Salt Churned Normandy butter. Or, in extremis, Anchor.

Just the sort of grownup food that will send the Marin County brigade macrame-ing away in horror back to their egg-free omelettes.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2010, 07:29 PM
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Thanks everyone I am learning a lot here .... and am happy to find that my dollar can go further than I expected in the British countryside! I need to spend some time researching all of these great suggestions but took a quick peek at Master Builders since it received multiple recs and it looks right up my alley. I appreciate all of the feedback.
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