The spa Sarpenela, Dorset

This holistic therapy centre, founded by Sarah Lownds, is in the stables of a 19th-century farmhouse, which her parents run as a B&B. The whole property is a peaceful retreat, great for a few days alone or with a friend. Treatments on offer at the candle-lit therapy centre include Thai-style, hot stone, therapeutic and Indian head massages, reiki, chakra-balancing and organic fresh fruit facials. Go walking in the surrounding Thomas Hardy country, or explore the 350-acre working farm before cosying up by an open fire. The bedrooms have views over Cranborne Chase, and there's an outdoor heated swimming pool. Simple meals are available, with full board, or opt for B&B and have dinner at a local gastropub, the Museum Inn, a ten-minute hike away.

Cost £85 per person per night, single occupancy, full board; treatments from £35.

Need to know Sarpenela at Farnham Farmhouse, Farnham, Dorset, 01725-516942, www.sarpenela.co.uk

The spa Heartspring, Wales

This pink-painted, light-filled Victorian house is the home of the healer and meditation teacher Maddie Lynfield, who offers a calm and comfortable space in which to recharge. You can self-cater, or check in for a three or five-day retreat once a month with four to six other people. Enjoy organic vegetarian meals, walks in the nearby nature conservation area and a daily treatment carried out in one of two garden studio huts. The treatments include meditation tuition, sound healing, counselling, massage and reflexology. The best of the homely bedrooms has views over the Towy Estuary and across to Llansteffan Castle.

Cost From £195 per person for a two-night/three-day retreat, including full board and two therapies.

Need to know Heartspring, Llansteffan, Wales, 01267 241999, www.heartspring.co.uk

The spa Ford of Clatt, Aberdeenshire

This old drovers inn is the family home of Lucy Aykroyd, a therapist who offers Swedish massage, Scaravelli yoga sessions and locally sourced food. There's just one homely bedroom, with rural views. Guests can enjoy walks across the surrounding farmland and then a long soak in a roll-top iron bath. Tired mums or expectant couples can arrange in advance for private sessions in yoga for pregnancy, baby yoga and birth preparation with Judy Cameron, a local British Wheel of Yoga teacher and midwife. Yoga is practised in Ford of Clatt's hall, which has a cosy wood-burner and lots of natural light.

Cost £42 per person per night single-occupancy B&B, treatments cost from £30 and an hour of one-to-one yoga costs £30.

Need to know Ford of Clatt, Clatt, Aberdeenshire. Scotland; 01464-831115, www.lucyaykroyd.co.uk

The spa The Retreat at Witherdens Hall, Kent

This lovely quiet place has two stylishly converted self-catering cottages built into the former barns of a family home. Go for local walks, pad about in your PJs, and arrange a schedule of in-room treatments. Reiki treatment and one-on-one guidance on Buddhist meditation techniques are available with the owner Louise or local therapists. Other treatments include Organic Pharmacy facials, pedicures, massage, aromatherapy and acu-puncture. Ayurvedic treatments can be had at the comfy Tor Spa Retreat, a five-minute drive away 01227 728500; www.torsparetreat.com ). There's a local organic farm shop, or Louise cooks supremely tasty brown rice pilafs, inventive salads and organic fish and meat dishes on request.

Need to know The Retreat at Witherdens Hall, Wingham, Kent; 01227-720543, www.witherdenshall.co.uk

Cost From £250 a cottage per week. Treatments from £30 an hour; optional meals from £10 per person.

The spa Bronwen Cottage, Anglesey

This 400-year-old cottage is a small but immaculate B&B set back from a quiet road, with just one wooden-floored, simply furnished, warm and comfortable ensuite bedroom. Enjoy private breathing and meditation sessions in front of the wood burner with Ulrike, a British Wheel of Yoga teacher, and bespoke raw and living food preparation workshops with her daughter Emma, a Living Foods consultant. Aromatherapy massages are on offer at the nearby Garden of Health (www.garden-of-health.org.uk ) or you can book a session with a colonic hydrotherapist and herbalist, Alicia Sawaya (www.therapywales.co.uk ). Emma's vegan, vegetarian and raw meals are delicious, and there's a pretty conservatory to relax in. Walking, riding, kayaking, surfing or mountain biking are all on hand if you're feeling energetic.

Cost From £33 per person a night B&B. Living Food workshops, £60 for 3 hrs; meditation sessions, £15 for 30 min; massage at Garden of Health, £35 for 1 hrs.

Need to know Bronwen Cottage, Rhoscefnhir, Anglesey, 01248 450533, www.bronwenlivingfoods.co.uk

Body & Soul Escapes: Britain and Ireland (Footprint Books, £14.99), by Caroline Sylger Jones, is available for £13.49, incl p&p, from Times Books First. Phone 0870 608080 or visit timesonline.co.uk/timesbooksfirst . For more on Caroline, log on to www.carolinesylgerjones.co.uk

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