Stay cosy on an autumn break for less

Swap the Cotswolds for Shropshire or Brighton for Hastings and you’ll see your money go further while making the most of the season

What do we look for in an autumn break in Britain? Warmth and cosiness, log fires, comfortable beds and beautiful views, certainly. Menus based on seasonal, hopefully local, produce including hearty dishes such as hotpots and blackberry and apple pie. Long, lazy afternoon teas, with newspapers and books and maybe a board game by the fire. And if we find ourselves staying close to a sight famed for its glorious autumn colours – a park, garden, arboretum or forest – so much the better.

The older I get, the more I appreciate autumn. After the heat of summer (especially this past summer) and before the cold and dark of winter (especially this coming winter, with its alarming fuel costs) it is indeed a season, as Keats so eloquently put it, of “mists and mellow fruitfulness”, when thoughts turn to rest, relaxation and gentle but energising exercise. Now is the time for that calm stroll around a lovely lake, shopping tour of a charming town you didn’t know before, or day-long hike: there is nothing more pleasurable than walking in this country’s astonishingly beautiful landscape and returning at the end of the day to good food and a warm bed.

There’s another reason why autumn makes such a great season for escape: it is the best time to ring the changes, avoid the obvious and choose somewhere to base yourself that is lesser known, less busy and less expensive. If summer is all about heading to the seaside and winter means festive luxury, autumn is a time for roaming far and wide, diving under the radar and seeking out sweet spots you may not have considered before. After all, the whole of leafy Britain is clothed in shades of

Home from home: relax at the River Arts Club in Maidenhead, Berkshire

yellow, orange, red, purple and brown.

There are some brilliant ideas here: instead of Broadway in the Cotswolds, head for lovely Ludlow in Shropshire with a rhythm and a soul all its own. Instead of Brighton, discover hip and arty Hastings; in the Lake District, swap the crowds, pleasure-boat loudspeakers and expensive accommodation of Windermere for the still, raw beauty of Haweswater nature reserve and the gentle price of its lakeside hotel, its tree-filled gardens a sight to behold in autumn. Stay off the beaten track, save your pennies and strike autumn gold.