Britain’s 30 best cosy getaways

From hearty food to roaring fires, our experts reveal the hotels that have all you need for a warming winter break

Just as in summer our thoughts turn to the seaside, so in the chilly depths of winter we dream of cosiness and creature comforts. As clouds roll across the sky and a nip in the air becomes an ache in the bones, we start thinking about warmth and shelter, long soaks in hot baths, log fires and hearty food.

We dream of deep armchairs and oak beams; home-baked cakes and crumpets for tea; and inviting, homely bedrooms. Whether a traditional inn, country house or shooting lodge; whether in sight of crashing waves or lost in countryside, the hotels we crave in winter have to entice us with something more than amenities: they need heart.

You might think that Britain is stuffed with hotels where one can play out this seasonal fantasy, but in reality, they have until relatively recently been surprisingly hard to find. In the last couple of decades, many previously cosy, traditional inns and modest country hotels have been given stylish modern makeovers. They are cool and attractive for sure, but hygge – to use that splendid Danish word for conviviality and comfort – they are not. These premises may still have open fires and original features, but they’re not cosy.

However, I detect a change. Perhaps owing to the pandemic and the cost of living, landlords and owners are quietly returning their inns and country hotels to a more community-based, inclusive and welcoming style of hospitality, where the local, the natural and the sustainable take centre stage. In difficult times, people look for reassurance and kindness as much as fine food and fancy fittings. After all, that’s the essence of hospitality.

There’s another reason why winter makes such a great season for escape: it’s a good time to ring the changes, avoid the obvious and choose somewhere that’s lesser known, less busy and less expensive. Travelling somewhere unfamiliar and finding warmth, cosiness and creature comforts is a pleasure that only a winter break can supply.

With the windswept Penwith Moors on one side and the pounding Atlantic on the other, the vivid yellow visage of the Gurnard’s Head stands out as a beacon of comfort in what can be a bleak and unforgiving winter landscape. The 19th-century inn, situated on the winding coastal road that leads from St Ives to Land’s End, is just as warm and welcoming on the inside, with a crackling fire in the hearth of the woodpanelled lounge, a menu of delectable dishes with ingredients sourced from nearby farms and harbours, and seven snug bedrooms stocked with blankets, books and Roberts radios.

Doubles from £125, including breakfast (01736 796928; gurnardshead.co.uk)

i Touch wood: a homely corner in which to relax with a good read and a good red in 17th-century Boys Hall in Ashford, Kent