The Double Red Duke

Despite being within an hour or so of London, the appealing and ancient Oxfordshire village of Clanfield, with its two village greens, babbling brooks and partly Norman church, is about as close to the idyll of rural England as it's possible to get. The village of Bampton, where much of TV series Downton Abbey was filmed, is close by, as is the village of Kelmscott, whose manor William Morris described as 'heaven on earth' when he moved there in 1871. But the best bit is that you can stay here too –  at The Double Red Duke, a 17th-century Cotswolds honey-stone coaching inn, formerly known as The Plough and recently revamped by the owners of The Swan at Ascott-under-Wychwood.

Newly opened in 2021, the Double Red Duke is designed to be a thoroughly contemporary country hotel, with 19 beautiful bedrooms, cosy public spaces with roaring log fires, a snug and cosy bar and a restaurant that serves excellent seasonal and local food. The rooms are a highly contemporary, high-end mix of antiques and modern features, and all come with either super-king-size or 'emperor' (2m x 2m) beds, tea- and coffee-making facilities, Roberts Radios, wifi, Smart TVs, air-con and en-suite bathrooms provided with 100 Acres toiletries. Some rooms are dog friendly, and a couple have direct access to the garden.

Run by an ex-Hawksmoor chef, the restaurant revolves around its open fire, with a focus on simple grilled meats and local veg that you can enjoy either in the pubby main dining area or the newer, lighter garden room, or out on the adjacent terrace during summer, where there are beautiful mature gardens that are perfect for an after-dinner wander. You can also eat in the bar, at a 14-cover kitchen counter or in the hotel's designated 12-seater 'feasting room'.

Once you've eaten your fill and slept like a baby in one of the hotel's oversized beds, there's plenty to do nearby too – not just strolling around Clanfield itself and visiting Bampton and Kelmscott Manor, but you're also very close to the historic market town of Witney, ancient Minster Lovell, Aston Pottery and the riverside nature reserve at Chimney Meadows. All in all you couldn't be better placed for a weekend break in the country, and in the Double Red Duke you couldn't have found a better place to enjoy it all.