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Forget the modern trains and stations of today and think back to a golden era of steam and old-fashioned waiting rooms. Staying in converted trains and train stations promotes a lovely feeling of nostalgia for both young and old.

In this blog post we are showcasing a series of stylish British houses ideal for New Year's Eve stays.  Traditionally a time for getting together with friends and escaping the rat race, celebrate with a stylish house party or hunker down in rather special accommodation located in the stunning British countryside. There is something for every budget, party size and taste, from your own Downtown Abbey to the exquisite, modern living accommodation including:

Everyone loves a holiday, but when it comes to skiing, people really seem to become carefree over-excited addicts. And it isn’t hard to see why - there is an almost endless list of reasons why people love it so much. Is it the crisp pure air and stunning mountain scenery that keeps everyone coming back year after year? Is it the thrill of zipping gracefully (sometimes less so) down a sheet of pure white undulating snow? Or is it the much revered ‘après ski’ scene, which makes it completely acceptable to eat, drink and be merry pretty much all day long? Whatever your motives for planning a skiing trip, it’s important to find the right place to stay and luckily we have a collection of ski chalets on One Off Places.

Lee and I have owned a holiday cottage in Lower Normandy for 10 years now, so we are quite familiar with all things “French”, including the stunning architecture.  One thing newcomers to France may notice is a proliferation of Chateaux.  Castles in the UK are few and far between and most are tourist destinations; many are looked after by The National Trust and other similar organisations.  Not so in France where many historic beauties are empty, discarded, unloved and some in ruins! 

`Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar....`.  This famous quote by Antonio Machado translates as: `traveller there is no path, you make the path by walking`. To me, this sums up our journey - when we found our wonderful finca it was wild and beautiful, it still is but now you can experience it, live within the atmosphere.