Cosy BRITISH HOTELS

Curl up by a roaring fire or enjoy a windswept walk at these rural gems

- WORDS: HANNAH FERNANDO, HELENA CARTWRIGHT, ALICIA MILLER.

Down Hall, Essex

With a brand-new wellness offering, The Barn Spa, this 110-acre estate on the Essex/Hertfordshire border brings plenty of cosy comfort to the winter months. Working with British sustainable brand Bramley on treatments like Selenite Crystal Body Massage and bespoke facials, spa therapists send you into a Zen-like state before you drift off to one of the bedrooms, each one individually designed and dressed in plush fabrics. When you've enjoyed plenty of R&R, explore the onsite kitchen garden, growing everything from potatoes to aubergines, or pull on wellies and take to one of the woodland walks that loop through the estate forest. When you return, a decadent afternoon tea will be waiting.

* Double rooms from £192 per night, including breakfast; downhall.co.uk

Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire

What's not to love about a wintry stay in a fairy-tale palace? Glenapp offers 110 acres of garden and woodlands to stroll around. It's also beside Galloway Forest Park - the UK's first Dark Sky Park - which really comes into its own at this time of year. You can book an evening's stargazing, where an astronomer guides you through some of the constellations visible from the castle's Victorian walled garden. You might even spot the Northern Lights, which can sometimes be seen from here, and why not round off the night with a boozy hot chocolate?