North Yorkshire

Harewood House
Website

Best British Days Out (The Times, June 2007)

CLIFFTOP COTTAGE @ Whitby lighthouse
Parents with small children might want to steer clear, but for everyone else, the wave-crashing, cliff-hugging romance of a 19th-century lighthouse keeper's cottage is hard to beat. With views over Robin Hood's bay, the three-bedroom Vanguard (sleeps five) is still available in July; its sister cottage, Galatea, is available in August. No internet access, no traffic, just gulls and guillemots, the coastal Cleveland Way and miles of footpaths on the North York Moors. From £946 for seven nights in summer; 01386 701177, www.ruralretreats.co.uk