A little place we sometimes sneak off to is a tiny cottage in Swaby, North Lincolnshire. It's a very sensitively converted stables (all old beams,reclaimed floors etc.) next to The Manor House in Swaby, which dates back to The Civil War.

It's off the beaten track, well away from nasty things like motorways and offices. It's unlikely that more than 3 cars will go past the cottage in a day, so you can soak up all the peace and quiet of a rural Lincolnshire village and relax.

The cottage is small - perfect for a couple, but it does have a fully sprung sofa bed as well as a double bed, so you could sqeeze friends in too.

It's a self-catering cottage with a gas hob and combination microwave oven (great for doing jacket potatoes!), and food can be aquired from Louth, a beautiful market town about 6 miles from Swaby or from a pub which serves meals and bar snacks about a mile's walk away.

There are no shortage of great walks or bike rides of varying distances to enjoy and the owners of the cottage (who live in the Manor House)lent us maps, and their tandem to go exploring. In late spring, Swaby valley is a real treat, brimming with wild flowers, including orchids, and only a 5 minute walk away so you don't have to make too much effort to enjoy the countryside.

If you're after tourist attractions, then Lincoln isn't far away with a great cathedral and 'Steep Hill' packed with fantastic little shops ranging for chocolate shops to antique shops and my favourite - The pie shop (pop in for lunch!). In the other direction is the sea; Mablethorpe and Skegness if you want a tourist town or Gibralter Point if you are after a nature reserve.Also a drive away is Boston - another great market town with a working windmill (another great place for lunch!) Boston Stump (the tallest parish church in England), and the prison cells where the Pilgrim Fathers were locked up.

The locals are friendly,
the countryside is beautiful, the pace of life is slow and the beer is cheap. What a great place to stay!
We always enjoy being there just to get away from everything (the cottage does have a T.V. video and hi-fi though!). The prices aren't bad ranging from £165 low season through to £200 high season per week. I thoroughly recommend it!
A newer version of their official website is at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/echutchinson/index.ht m