Want to escape to the country and live the good life with tranquil views, bountiful walks and few modern trappings save a homely local pub? Before you do, check out these utterly charming homes, with thatched roofs, stone exteriors and wood beams aplenty.

This sweet 16th-century cottage in the historic village of Amberley in the South Downs National Park is like something straight out of Hollywood film The Holiday. But while it looks authentically old, it also benefits from a modern refurb.

The intimate dining room has an open fireplace – all the better for warming up following a brisk country walk – and you’ll never tire of the half-timber walls. We can picture ourselves tucking into a leisurely Sunday roast right here.

Outside, in the pretty walled front garden there are climbing roses, while out back the garden has been landscaped and includes a split-level terrace and mature shrubs, including magnolia and rhododendron. There’s also a summer house with views across the South Downs.

If you're looking for something bigger, this 17-bedroom country manor has hit the market for £1.15 million.

This pretty-as-a-picture Cotswolds stone farmhouse sits in the unspoilt village of Duntisbourne Abbots, near Cirencester. Bursting with character it has lead-lined windows and wooden beams beneath a traditional stone tiled roof.

The inglenook fireplace with double wood-burning stove is the centrepiece to the cosy living room and we love quaint features like the exposed beam, wooden floors and staircase leading from the room.

The double aspect windows in the dining room provide masses of natural light. The country kitchen with its two AGA cookers leads off from here, making it a great space for entertaining.

The village of Duntisbourne Abbots, just 5 miles from Cirencester, is home to a 12th-century church that stands on the site of an even older Saxon church. It is located in the heart of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds, an Area of Natural Beauty, with infinite possibilities for rural ambles.

It's a case of love at first sight with this thatched cottage in the Cornwall village of Feock, and it's close to the beach - be still our beating heart.

All four bedrooms have front aspect bedrooms and three of them come with window seats for staring out across the Cornish countryside or reading a book in the sunlight.

This warm kitchen with tiled flooring gives a contemporary take on the archetypal country kitchen. A splash of colour behind the hob adds to the light and airy room (it has front and rear windows), and doors lead out to the garden.

The great British writer Thomas Hardy grew up near this three-bed detached thatched cottage but even he would have found it historic, as the thatched home dates back to 1641.

How's this for a cottage garden? The well-maintained backyard features flower and shrub beds, plus an ornamental fishpond and rockery. If you want even more green space, fear not, the property backs on to open countryside.

Peppercorn Cottage features white-washed brickwork and exposed timber. The beautiful combed-wheat reed thatch was re-coated in 2004. The cottage is located between the villages of Holt – home to The Old Inn pub – and Furzehill, which has a post office/shop and pub, The Stocks Inn, making it well-placed for village life.

We half expect Miss Marple to emerge from this picture-postcard cottage in the village of Postcombe, near Thame, Oxfordshire, at any moment. The quintessential Grade II period cottage is set back from the village lane and guarded by a white picket fence.

Inside, the house unfolds over 1800 square feet, including three double bedrooms and this inviting sitting room with open fireplace. Could this lounge be any cosier?

The cottage gardens were landscaped by award-winning garden designer Richard Keys and include ornamental trees, unusual plants and an alfresco dining area. As lovely spots go, this looks like the perfect place for a summer sundowner.

Known locally as The Thatch, this property comes with just under 3 acres of grounds – perfect for those planning to spend more time in the garden. There is also a timber garden office if you still need to actually work to fund your new country lifestyle.

Inside, period features include exposed timber and beams, wood latch doors and an inglenook fireplace in both the sitting and dining rooms, plus a turned staircase leads to the master bedroom with its vaulted ceiling.

Outside, the mature landscaped gardens – a lovely setting for a summer party – are divided by a pretty stream, where you may even find wandering geese and ducks. The stream is overlooked by a lovely weeping willow and if you cross the wooden bridge you can follow pathways to hidden features, including a pagoda.

Located just a few miles outside Brighton, the Grade II-listed 3-bed property offers the best of both worlds – a rural setting plus easy access to the vibrant cultural scene of one of England's most exciting towns.

On the outskirts of the picturesque Cotswolds village of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, lies this romantic stone-built property. Approached through a village lane, it dates all the way from the 19th century (though extended in the 1930s) and includes a slate roof and beautiful mullioned windows.

There is plenty of accommodation inside, with six pretty bedrooms- three of which are ensuite. It's unusually large for a country cottage, and that accounts for the higher asking price of £2,250,000.

With five reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room – even a boot room – and an elegant reception hall, it’s an ideal property for hosting country get-togethers with friends and family.

Cosy up by the open fireplace in the drawing room or retire here after dinner to sip on brandy and talk politics or indulge in a game of charades. On weekends, it's a prime spot for reading the papers.

This additional two-bed stone cottage sits in the 3-acre grounds and comes with permission to extend. There is also a two-bed pool cottage, plus space for a swimming pool and tennis court.

Not all lovely cottages come detached with acres of grounds, as this one proves. The beautiful granite-built St Olaves in the hamlet of Murchington, just outside Chagford in Devon, has a new thatched roof and oodles of charm.

The south-facing garden includes a vegetable section with raised fruit and vegetable beds. To the front of the property, the paved terrace is framed by an ancient wisteria that wraps around the pergola.

Two oak supporting beams span this sitting room, which has bare sealed pine flooring and a large granite fireplace with a wood-burner. An inviting scene if ever we saw one.

Aside from the generous outdoor spaces (there's also a three-acre field available but you'll need to negotiate separately), the area around the cottage offers a mix of woodland, rolling countryside and riverside walks so you can really live the pastoral dream. Still hungry for more? These magical thatched homes are beautiful inside and out.