FEELS LIKE JAPAN
Welsh farm meets Japanese forest retreat at Fforest, in West Wales. This 200-acre farm is bordered by a wild nature reserve and the River Teifi and a place to really get back to nature and experience the natural beauty around you. From a traditional Welsh crog loft to a spacious geodesic dome with Japanese-style onsen outdoor bath area, there’s a host of different accommodation options for the ideal remote rural escape this summer.
From £161 per night (two-night minimum stay), coldatnight.co.uk
FEELS LIKE TUSCANY
Sit out on the terrace of The House at Beaverbrook on a summer’s day and you could quite easily be in Tuscany. Nestled in the heart of the Surrey Hills, the quintessential British country estate is surrounded by vibrant gardens and unspoilt countryside. There’s also a tranquil spa and cookery school where you can get a further flavour of rural Italy by learning to make pasta from scratch.
Prices from £395 per room per night, 01372 571300; beaverbrook.co.uk Book through private members luxury hotel club Little Emperors (littleemperors.com) to receive preferential rates and benefits including complimentary breakfast and room upgrade, subject to availability.
The House That Rocks
Transforming an impressive, seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dorking wasn’t without its challenges, but the result is a stunning family home that has had the interiors world raving
REMEDY FOR SUCCESS
Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy
Love Celia
Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey
EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in Compton focuses on the Victorian roots of art activism
Electric dreams
The Range Rover plug-in hybrid brings silent electric motoring to this iconic luxury car
THE OPEN ROAD
Chris Pickering rounds up some of the best drives in Surrey
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield
With the North Downs looming nearby and glorious countryside surrounding it, Oxted is a town with real “escape from London” appeal and character, while nearby Limpsfield has a superb village vibe with its own community-run pub
Artist to the stars
Known as ‘The Face of Modern British Impressionism’, Mickleham-based Sherree Valentine Daines is celebrating four decades at the forefront of her field
A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
The Signet Collection’s inaugural hotel project is a reimagining of a former royal guest house, situated directly opposite Hampton Court Palace
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe
On the banks of the River Wey, Godalming is a watercolour pretty town surrounded by pristine countryside and in-demand rural villages, such as Hascombe