Live like an aristocrat at Time Out’s best countryside hotel in the UK 2026

Even if you only use it as a place to sleep, accommodation has the power to make or break a trip. But if accom is good enough, it can be the reason to make a trip in the first place. That’s true for every hotel on Time Out’s brand new list of the best places to stay in the country. While they may range in price, we can guarantee that each one supplies gorgeously soft beds, standout hospitality and tonnes of charm. 

Within the list, we handed out accolades to particularly special hotels like the best boutique hotel in the country, the best luxury hotel, the best budget hotel and the most romantic hotel. If you’re idea of a dream trip is one spent in muddy wellies traversing footpaths in the middle of nowhere, then we have a spectacular hotel for that too. The best countryside hotel in Britain right now is The Cavendish at Baslow, which sits within the magnificent Chatsworth Estate in the Peak District. 

The hotel is named after the Cavendish family, which has owned the estate since 1549. Our writer Phil de Semlyen stayed there over the summer and gave it a perfect five stars. He said that the place has a ‘low-key excellence that unfolds quietly around you’ and that it feels like ‘aristocratic living, just without any of the airs and graces’.

All 28 bedrooms feature writing desks, glazed ceramics, armchairs and roll-top baths for post-hike R&R. And to refuel, there are two restaurants to choose from: the pavilion-style Garden Room for afternoon tea and pub grub, and the Gallery Restaurant for fine dining. As for breakfast, Phil called it a ‘10-out-of-10-no-notes joy in a calming space with magical views’.

Lace up your boots and walk in one direction from the hotel and you’ll pass through the quiet village of Baslow, the rock cliff of Curbar Edge and the historic market town of Bakewell. On the opposite side, across a meadow, over a brook and through a kissing gate, is the famous Chatsworth House, the grounds of which hotel guests get VIP access to. Hop in the car for 20 minutes and you’ll reach Hathersage Swimming Pool, one of the UK’s most beautiful lidos. 

Of course, guests are by no means obligated to go out and hike. You would not be blamed for staying in and simply admiring the Derbyshire valley views from within the hotel’s cosy four walls. 

A room at the Cavendish Hotel at Baslow starts from £250 per night. Book here. 

Take a look at our full list of the 20 best hotels in the UK here.

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