From Georgian elegance to a converted chapel and a former windmill in the reed beds, The Good Hotel Guide features a great choice of places for bed and breakfast. Here the editors pick ten of the best British B&Bs
Chapel House, Penzance, Cornwall
A Georgian house overlooking the harbour, with views to St Michael’s Mount has been given the boutique treatment by hostess Susan Stuart. The six bedrooms are chic and contemporary, with soft coastal hues, perhaps a hand-made four-poster. New arrivals are welcomed with tea and cake. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, guests can enjoy a communal supper of local produce. Breakfast includes sizzled cod roe with smoked bacon, home-baked breads and pastries. At Sunday brunch there are devilled kidneys, kedgeree, bubble-and-squeak.
B&B £125–£220. Set dinner £27.50. 01736 362024, chapelhousepz.co.uk
Brownber Hall, Newbiggin-on-Lune, Cumbria
There are old-fashioned comforts at Peter Jaques-Walker’s Victorian country house with views to Howgill Fells – freshly baked cakes on the sideboard, a 1950s honesty bar – but this is a stylish operation. The eight bedrooms, some with wet room shower, are contemporary and unfussy, supplied with 100 Acre toiletries. Public rooms have bare floorboards, period furniture, modern artworks. Four nights a week there are stone-baked pizzas, while breakfast brings home-made granola, home-baked sourdough, Westmorland sausage, waffles and crispy bacon.
B&B £66–£200. À la carte £30. 01539 623 208, brownberhall.co.uk
Shallowdale, Ampleforth, Yorkshire
There are glorious views to the Howardian hills from Anton van der Horst and Phillip Gill’s 1960s house in beautifully tended gardens. With just four bedrooms, the hosts can lavish time and care upon their guests, and clearly love to do so. There are home-baked scones at tea, books to read, freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast. Little extras include chocolates and luxury toiletries. At night, given notice, Phillip will cook dinner with imagination and real flair.
B&B single £115–£140, double £135–£170. Set dinner £48). No under-12s. 01439 788 325, shallowdalehouse.co.uk
2 Blackburne Terrace, Liverpool
A town house on a cobbled drive in the city’s Georgian quarter has been given a very stylish make-over by owners Sarah and Glenn Whitter. The four bedrooms are supplied with hand-made chocolates, a nip of artisan gin. One has an in-room, free-standing bath, a blue velvet sleigh bed; a top-floor suite has an ottoman upholstered in orange velvet, a bathroom with a free-standing volcanic-limestone bath against a raw stone wall. Guests have use of the drawing room and walled garden. Breakfast brings rare-breed meats, kippers, vegetarian options.
B&B £160–£290. No under-10s. 0151 708 5474, 2blackburneterrace.com
Old Whyly, East Hoathly, Sussex
Sarah Burgoyne’s Georgian red-brick manor house in glorious gardens with tennis court and outdoor pool, close to Glyndebourne, is essentially a beautiful private home, filled with antique furniture, paintings and possessions. New arrivals are welcome d with tea and home-baked cakes. The four bedrooms have romantic period style. At night Paris-trained Ms Burgoyne cooks dinner, served by candlelight in the dining room, or under a vine-covered pergola. Breakfast brings eggs laid by the hens and ducks that roam the grounds, with orchard fruits, honey from the hives.
B&B £98–£150, D,B&B £136–£188. Set dinner £38. 01825 840216, oldwhyly.co.uk
Cley Windmill, Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
One of the most unusual B&Bs in Britain, Julian and Carolyn Goldee’s five-storey tower mill stands overlooking the River Glaven and reed beds, with views to the North Norfolk coast. There are eight characterful bedrooms in the mill tower and outbuildings. The Wheel Room and its shower room are accessed by ladders. The River Room has views on three sides and direct garden access. Book ahead for a set dinner in the beamed room at the tower base.
B&B doubles £159–£245. Set menu £32.501263 740 209, cleywindmill.co.uk
Millgate House, Richmond, Yorkshire
Nothing is stinted at this Georgian town house on the market square. Tim Culkin and Austin Lynch, owners since 1980s, have filled every room with antiques and artworks, clocks and ornaments, while creating a green oasis in the walled garden. The six bedrooms have original features, perhaps a fireplace, a cabinet of china. In the morning the Spode and silverware are laid out for a breakfast of home-baked bread, organic yoghurt, fresh fruit, kippers or what you will.
B&B £125–£165. 01748 823 571, millgatehouse.com
St Cuthbert’s House, Seahouses, Northumberland
Jill and Jeff Sutheran are the friendly hosts at this converted Presbyterian chapel B&B and occasional music venue. A pulpit gallery overlooks the sanctuary cum lounge, with harmonium and honesty bar. A ground-floor bedroom has a walk-in wet room. All have a coffee machine, black-out curtains, Gilchrist and Soames toiletries, robes, slippers, a salon-quality hair dryer. A breakfast of honey with Lindisfarne mead, award-winning sausages, kippers or kedgeree from the local smokehouse, fresh-baked bread and home-made marmalade sets guests up for a day exploring the Farne Islands.
B&B single £110–£130. 01665 720456, stcuthbertshouse.com
Riverwood, Strathtay, Perth and Kinross
The River Tay runs through the woodland gardens of Ann and Alf Berry’s contemporary house in a conservation village a short drive from Pitlochry. Guests can fish for brown trout, enjoy a complimentary round of golf at Strathtay course. The interiors are very smart (no outdoor shoes, please). Bedrooms have an espresso machine, a mini-fridge, Arran Aromatics toiletries. Some have a private patio. A wonderful breakfast brings Dunkeld smoked salmon, potato rösti, griddled pancakes. A dinner of local ingredients is offered on certain nights.
B&B £110–£155, D,B&B (on selected nights) £180–£215. No under-12s. 01887 840 751, riverwoodstrathtay.com
Ael y Bryn, Eglwyswrw, Pembrokeshire
In the heart of the Pembrokeshire countryside, overlooking gardens with a wildlife pond, water features and views to the Preseli hills, Robert Smith and Arwel Hughes’s B&B invites guests to unwind. Built in the 1940s as a hostel for agricultural workers, it has been made over by the owners with every comfort. Guests have use of the conservatory, music room and library. Four immaculate bedrooms are supplied with ground coffee, fresh milk and biscuits. A communal dinner is served with prior notice.
B&B single £90–£150. Set dinner £26–£30. No under-16s. 01239 891 411, aelybrynpembrokeshire.co.uk
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