Cosy cottages

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4 DECEMBER 2003
Herefordshire: Ford Abbey, Pudleston
Originally a monastery farm, Ford Abbey combines old and new so successfully that it has just won the AA Guest Accommodation of the Year 2003/4 Award.

Log fires and beams add to its character, while the restaurant serves healthy farm produce that’s good for you as well as delicious. There’s never any lack of things to do – the former barn houses a leisure complex with heated indoor pool, solarium and gym.

What to see: This is one of England’s least touristy counties, with lots of half-timbered market towns worth exploring. If you’re into antiques, visit Ledbury. Hay-on- Wye, near the Welsh border, is the second-hand book capital of the world.

REPORT: JILL CRAWSHAW