The best country houses to hire for house-parties

Ramp up the house-party stakes in 2025 with Amanda Morison’s hand-picked selection of proper country houses for hire

Dabton House, Dumfries and Galloway

Good for

• Year-round fishing
• Garden lovers
• Active types

Built in 1820 in the classical villa style, Dabton House originally served as the home of the Queensberry estate’s factor and is only 10 minutes from Drumlanrig Castle.

In the 1980s the house was refurbished by the 10th Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch as a family home for themselves and their four children, including Walter Dalkeith, the current Earl. He and his wife Elizabeth completed a renovation in 2023 to create a grand but undeniably cosy set-up. While you’ll be watched over by portraits of generations of Dukes, this is no stuffy set of staterooms. Guests stay in 11 en-suite bedrooms and a veritable suite of reception rooms. The games room features a snooker table, a baby grand piano presides over the drawing room and there’s a boardroom table in the study for those working-from-home days. You could also curl up in the library with a book or enjoy a massage in the treatment room. Expect squishy sofas in mustard and teals, rust coloured rugs on floorboards and plenty of fireplaces. There’s a gunroom, heated kennels and a boot room so pretty you’d be happy to stay the night in it.

Outside there is a four-acre formal garden amid 27 acres of woodland and access to the 90,000-acre Queensberry estate. Fishing is available year-round on the Nith and four well-stocked lochs. The private surroundings include a secret garden for summer picnics, a grass tennis court and plenty of opportunities to commune with the estate’s thriving population of lapwings, tawny and brown owls and red squirrels. Shooting can be booked via Roxtons.

Dabton House, Thornhill DG3 5AR. Tel: 07552 736599. From £2,500 per night.

Hound Lodge, Goodwood Estate, West Sussex

Good for

• Adrenaline – this is Goodwood
• Butler service
• Dog lovers

Once a home for the Duke of Richmond’s hounds, the kennels at Goodwood were renowned as the most luxurious in the world. Since then golf, cricket, motor racing, racing and even flying have attracted generations of thrill seekers. And after a day at the turf or peg, don’t we all crave a hot bath and top-notch meal? The 10-bedroom Hound Lodge delivers this and more with a dedicated team of staff, including a private chef and butler. (Read our tips on tipping the game keeper.)

The bedrooms are named after the 10 hounds of the Glorious Twenty-Three, whose 57-mile slog from 7.45am to 5.50pm on 26 January 1738 was described by the 2nd Duke as ‘the greatest chase that ever was’. Whether you’re staying in Peggy or Rifle you’ll enjoy mattresses filled with organic wool from the estate, real eiderdowns and a hot-water bottle for each side of the bed. You’ll also find a bell that will connect you instantly with the butler. If you don’t know what to ask for, fear not because the knack of anticipating your every need has been perfected.

Hound Lodge was initially created for shooting parties, and guns invited by the Duke are frequent visitors today. There is also offroading in vintage Land Rovers, hurtling around the motor circuit, and flying Spitfires. If seeking calm, try a round on one of Goodwood’s three golf courses. All guests get entry to The Kennels private members’ club nearby, plus exclusive access to The Valdoe, an area of ancient woodland.

Hound Lodge, Goodwood, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0PX. Tel: 01243 755000. From £10,000 per night, including afternoon tea on arrival, dinner and breakfast.

Keythorpe Hall, Leicestershire

Good for

• Luxe farm to fork
• Wildly beautiful grounds
• Imaginative activities

Rather like the abundant produce growing in its two-acre walled garden, the opening of Keythorpe Hall as a private escape for up to 20 guests happened organically. Owners Giles Godfrey and partner Barbara Van Teeffelen bought the house as a weekend retreat from London but moved full-time with their young children during lockdown.

The house overlooks a deep valley on the Leicester/Rutland border. Hollywood stars have visited and enjoyed the privacy it affords but if you do fancy getting out and about, the Defender Burghley Horse Trials, Silverstone and watersports on Rutland Water are all available. Book (very) far ahead if you fancy shooting at Belvoir Castle, around 25 miles away.

Food is integral to Keythorpe’s appeal and if it isn’t sourced locally (handily a game dealer lives at the end of the drive) it’s grown or foraged within the grounds. Ethnobotanist Claudio Bincoletto always has time to show guests around, and what you find you might eat later. Wild ingredients include hogweed seeds, which have a flavour profile similar to cardamom; fermented pine shoots; and unusual mushrooms. The ethos is about food at just-harvested perfection, and the kitchen is presided over by Bent Varming, who’s worked through a string of starry restaurants.

Godfrey and Van Teeffelen attended Ballymaloe’s six-week Sustainable Food Programme. They serve as little New World wine as possible and focus on the best of British. “The real luxury is food harvested moments before it’s on your plate. We want to bring terroir back into food,” says Godfrey.

Keythorpe Hall, Uppingham Road, Leicestershire LE7 9XJ. Tel: 0116 298 6151. From £7,000 per night, room only. Food and wine packages can be easily arranged.