It's neither delightful, full-blossom high summer nor the glorious colours of autumn, but the grounds at Combermere Abbey could hardly look more beautiful than they do this morning.

The Walled Garden is well sheltered from the weather so there's only a thin white carpet of frost, and in the corners the spiders' webs, instead of disappearing into the background, look three times as thick and are glowing the very brightest  white. There's a heavier layer of frost across the parkland, and an ethereal-looking stratum of mist is sitting over the lake - and creeping up the far banks to wrap itself around the lower twenty feet or so of the trees. The taller trees look as if they are growing, rootlessly, out of cloud.

If you book a beach holiday and the sun doesn't shine, day in and day out, you feel cheated. At somewhere like Combermere Abbey though the surroundings are a delight in any weather. Even if it's raining you can retreat into your luxurious, five star self-catering cottage, light an open fire, and then cuddle up with that lovely child-like snugness of being cosy and warm inside despite it being wet outside. There are great deals to be had at Combermere this year, and there's now a simple ‘one price for fifty weeks out of the year' offer for mid-week breaks.

Avoid the waiting and the hassle of airports and ferry terminals; when you holiday at Combermere Abbey you don't have to take your shoes and belt off, put your liquids in a little bag, have your handbag searched and then - inevitably - be patted down by an unsmiling official when the x-ray machine goes off! Once you've arrived at one of our cottages you only have the very short walk from your car and then you can sink into an armchair and be home from home immediately. Click here to have a look at availability, then go ahead and treat yourself.