"If the long, dark days fill you with dread, here are six properties to escape to."

"It isn't only Downton Abbey-style stately houses that boast dramatic staircases and magnificent, twinkling chandeliers."

"Country-style or contemporary chic, a cosy kitchen is the place to be at this time of year."

"Where better to see in the New Year than in a Scottish castle or large estate house, set in its own extensive grounds?"

"Snow-capped or tree-topped, at home or away: imagine waking up every day to a magnificent mountain vista."

"What could be better at this time of year than a house with a working fireplace?"

"Picture-postcard villages, historic towns, country pubs, open countryside within easy reach of the capital: the Cotswolds has it all."