Homes for spring

Trenwheal, Cornwall: If you fancy a picnic, you won't have to go far if you live in this £545,000 cottage – just head out of the door and in to the kind of garden you could get lost in. Wander through the paddock, dabble in the stream, pick plums off the trees, feed the ducks (there are chickens too), and read a book by your very own lake, all the time surrounded by woodland. Once you've had your fill, set off back to the main house – a small countryside retreat with just two bedrooms but bags of character.
Stratton Creber, 01872 240999
Photograph: Stratton Creber

Bridgwater, Somerset: Hot tub, anyone? Indulge in a little luxury at this elegant grade II-listed five-bed home, which is beautiful inside and out. The hot tub is tucked away under a tasteful gazebo set aside from the main lawn in a small woodland area. For £550,000 you'll get a lot for your money: inside everything looks high spec.
Palmer Snell, 01278 423353
Photograph: Palmer Snell

Seaton, Devon: The grounds of this pretty little 18th-century cottage are a gardener's delight, with flowerbeds and shrubs to tend, plus an apple tree too. It's the kind of garden in which you could spend all of a sunny spring Sunday afternoon pottering about. Inside, the £450,000 three-bed house has plenty of original features, including exposed beams and cosy window seats.
Fulfords, 01392 660007
Photograph: Fulfords

Uckfield, East Sussex: Nothing heralds the arrival of spring like the first tulips, and this countryside garden is full of them. There is plenty of space to make the most of bright spring weather outside, with two summerhouses, dreamy bluebell woods and a walled garden (with planning consent for a swimming pool too). If it gets nippy, warm up gently by the inglenook in the sitting room of the six-bed house. Cost: £1.5m.
Freeman Forman, 01424 773888
Photograph: Freeman Forman

Battersea, London: Back gardens are highly prized in London, and even though this one is paved over it is still a slice of special outdoor space everyone craves. Considering it belongs to a stylish, three storey, five-bed house on the market for £2.3m, it is tiny, but perfect for outdoor entertaining on a small scale.
John D Wood, 020 7228 0174
Photograph: John D Wood

Maidencombe, South Devon: This £725,000 five-bed house is in need of some interior updating (it is very over the top with lots of swags and 1980s-style floral carpets), but the outside is stunning. From the poolside and terrace you'll enjoy sweeping views across the Torquay coast, and over to the Dartmoor national park.
Fulfords, 01803 322 555
Photograph: Fulfords