Boncath, Pembrokeshire

Grade II-listed Lancych Mansion was built as a very fancy extension to an old farmhouse. The latter, picked out in a dusty pink, has been in the same family for 400 years, while the extension was built in the 1830s. Together they make a seven-bedroom residence. There’s a library, a drawing room and several cellars. The six hectares (15 acres) of grounds run along the bottom of the Cych Valley with the River Cych twisting along the northern boundary. An island in this part of the river provides an ideal spot to fish or swim. £1.5m. Country Living Group, 01437 616 101

Bedham, West Sussex

Nestled in the heart of woodland in this remote hamlet, the Orchards is a fairytale cottage dating back to the 1600s. Painstakingly restored, it is a charming collection of period features: inglenook fireplace, oak flooring, leaded light windows and exposed timber beams, presenting the ultimate in cottage core. Modern touches have been carefully added – it is Grade II-listed, after all – such as underfloor heating and a swimming pool designed to blend in with its wild surrounds. There are two ponds and a wildflower meadow. £1.5m. Knight Frank, 01428 770 567

West Calder, West Lothian

Between Edinburgh (23 miles) and Glasgow (34 miles) sits this a contemporary four-bedroom, three-bathroom home built in 2007. It has large double doors from the kitchen to garden, and a Juliet balcony from the main bedroom at the back. The rear garden stretches to established woodland beyond. About three hectares of fields, forest and a series of ponds – fed by the Greenfield Burn – come with the property. It’s about 25 minutes’ drive to the town of Biggar, which has a bustling high street of shops, cafes, pubs, a deli and a butcher. £650,000. Savills, 0131 247 3738

Burderop Park, Wiltshire

This 58-house development is on the edge of the Marlborough Downs and within the North Wessex area of outstanding natural beauty. The 668 square miles of rolling hills and ancient woodland includes a 24-mile trail dedicated to Watership Down – the area that inspired the book. There are three-bedroom terrace houses and two-bedroom coach houses. Footpaths lead into the surrounding woods. It is a five-minute drive to Wroughton, which has independent stores and supermarkets. Swindon is five miles away. From £350,000. City & Country, 01793 975 910

Stoke Abbott, Dorset

Horsehill Cottage is the last undeveloped flax mill in Dorset. The Grade II-listed rustic house is down a gravelled drive, off a no through road, just outside the village. With three bedrooms and two bathrooms, it sits in about three hectares of private woodland and a tributary of the River Brit meanders through the gardens. Sit on the paved terrace overlooking the river and spot the resident kingfisher and the odd deer. There is a popular pub in the village, and the town of Beaminster is 1.5 miles away. £900,000. Jackson-Stops, 01308 423 133