Rural retreats – in pictures

Away from it all in north Wales. Bryn Melyn is a three-bedroom house in 8.7 acres with a river frontage and fishing rights, paddocks, forestry ground and its own habitable, timber summer house – all for just £295,000. It is the ultimate in rural seclusion, and sits at the head of the Vale of Ffestiniog. Access to the house involves a five-minute hike across a Grade II-listed pack horse bridge over Cymerau Falls and along a footpath, so you will need to hire an off-road vehicle or a mule train to get your furniture in. Beautiful isolation, but not for faint-hearted townies.
Strutt & Parker, 01244 725043 Photograph: Strutt & Parker

Detached and thatched in Suffolk. Near the cider orchards of Aspall, £400,000 buys you this Grade II-listed chocolate-box cottage in a pretty position, with a stream running along the front and lots of space both inside and out. On the 2.5 acre plot you get mature woodland, lawned gardens, an outside swimming pool, gym and sauna, plus a summer house and other outbuildings. The rooms in Valley Cottage are satisfyingly large and numerous, some with inglenook fireplaces and extensive timber framing and studwork. But any buyer with two or more children might need to think about turning the fully equipped bar room back into a fourth bedroom.
Abbotts, 01473 200 183 Photograph: Abbotts

School’s out, North Yorkshire. Surrounded by countryside on a quiet road with no near neighbours, yet with easy access to the A1 and the market towns of Ripon and Thirsk, sits this well-converted and extended old school house. Retaining many original features, it is pretty massive with a 30-foot living room, a dining room, garden room, conservatory, large kitchen and four double bedrooms, each en suite. That’s a lot of bathrooms to clean, and you’ll need a car, bicycle or strong walking legs to get you to the nearest village, shop or pub. Yours for £650,000.
James Winn Estate Agents, 01845 591033 Photograph: James Winn Estate Agents

Holiday home, Cumbria. Springfield is a detached two-bedroom log cabin-style lodge, one of several in managed country parkland on the edge of the Lake District national park. Set next to the medieval village of Cartmel, it has an outside decking area and garden with lovely countryside views. Inside you get a large open-plan living/dining area, kitchen, and one bathroom, all for £114,950. But you can’t make this your permanent home – it can only be inhabited for 46 weeks a year and you pay an annual service charge to the park manager for maintenance and water rates of about £1,500 a year. The good news is that local agents estimate you could make an annual gross income of around £9,000 a year letting it to holidaymakers.
Hackney & Leigh, 01539 532301 Photograph: Hackney & Leigh