Birches Brow

If you don’t mind a 19km (12mi) drive into Liverpool city centre, Birches Brow makes a charming rural base. Local businesspeople Yvonne and Sue have transformed a period farmhouse into a boutique B&B with nine elegant rooms, each with its own charms, from a big balcony (Elm) to a freestanding bath with custom-made champagne flute holder (Oak). You get free cookies in the room on arrival and breakfast is a treat, with a selection of goodies delivered to your door in a pretty wicker basket.