I’m sceptical about news stories you sometimes read of big black cats roaming the countryside. I was, however, tempted to don my boots for a hike I found on the internet titled In the Footsteps of the

Part of a cluster of cottages in Shropshire, just seconds from the Welsh border is Marrington Escapes -an ideal base for long leafy walks and cosy pub visits

Christine Faughlin sings the praises of a converted chapel on the 30,000-acre Bolton Abbey estate in the Yorkshire Dales

France may be synonymous with fromage, but the terroir of our green and pleasant land gives rise to all manner of magnificent varieties of our own, declares Tom Parker Bowles, who picks his favourites

■ Distance: 3½ miles/5.6km ■ Time: 3 hours ■ Grade: Easy

Houses with good railway connections Kent: Palm Cottage, ...