Start your break just 30 miles from London in the Sussex countryside near East Grinstead, where Gravetye Manor couldn’t feel more English thanks to its pretty gardens set within 1,000 acres of grounds. The forerunner of English country gardens everywhere, they were a working experiment for William Robinson, who lived at Gravetye from 1885-1935 and who wrote The Wild Garden and The English Flower Garden based on his pioneering work there.

The manor is beautiful within, too, with oak-panelled public rooms, spectacular fireplaces and ornate ceilings. Reached via an impressive staircase lined with arresting artwork, some of the 17 traditional bedrooms feature a four-poster bed or dual-aspect windows overlooking the grounds.

The piece de resistance of this Elizabethan manor, though, doesn’t come from the Tudor period at all – it’s the dramatic modern glass extension used for the Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s the perfect place to sit and gaze at Robinson’s masterpiece while enjoying produce from his garden.

Drive from here to Beaulieu, where at first glance you’ll appreciate why this village in the New Forest was given a name meaning ‘beautiful place’ in French. At the head of the tidal Beaulieu River, with a mill pond, quaint houses, and New Forest ponies ambling around, it is home to the ruins of a 13th-century abbey as well as the National Motor Museum. There are also some great walks in the national park, while just downriver is the former historic shipbuilding village of Buckler’s Hard.

The perfect base from which to explore it all is The Montagu Arms, with its arts and crafts exterior and typical inn interior. Choose between staying in a traditional country-chic room or a more modern courtyard suite in the gardens. The same goes for food – pick a more formal meal in The Terrace restaurant, with its wood-panelled walls and starched white tablecloths, or eat informally with a pint and your dog in Monty’s Inn.

When you’ve had your fill of food and the fabulous setting, head north to Hartwell House within the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and on the edge of the Chilterns, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The setting here is particularly commanding; the grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgian sides looks over a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge, while an Ionic temple and obelisk are also in the grounds.

This National Trust property, which has been beautifully restored by Historic House Hotels, is filled with damask wallpapers, marble fireplaces, fine paintings and ornate stuccoed ceilings, as well as some interesting history. King Louis XVIII and his court lived here for five years when they were exiled from France, farming livestock on the roof. Louis XVIII finally signed his accession to the throne in the library.

You can enjoy food fit for a king in the ornate dining room. And while all of the 48 bedrooms are elegant, if you want a right royal stay, you’ll need to book the four-poster rooms used by Louis and his queen, Marie Josephine of Savoy.