Five high-end homes for sale set within woodland

Quiet Lake, New Canaan, Connecticut, US, $24m

Where In wooded countryside, 50 miles north of New York City (an 18-minute flight by helicopter). Trains from nearby New Canaan take about an hour to Grand Central Station. JFK airport is 54 miles away.

What Originally built in 1926, the Tudor-style mansion was rebuilt in 1988. The property has 10,000 sq ft of living space, including 11 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, a wine cellar, library and a free-form pool with a waterfall. Within the grounds are two guest cottages and equestrian facilities, featuring an 11-stall barn, riding arena and seven paddocks.

Why The 128-acre woodland estate, planned and cultivated by landscape architect Armand Benedek, includes horse trails, two freshwater lakes and a fully-stocked trout stream.

Who Barbara Cleary’s Realty Guild, quietlakeestate.com, tel: +1 203 966 7772

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South Hartfield House, Colemans Hatch, East Sussex, UK, £3.95m

Where Near the village of Hartfield, southern England, about six miles from East Grinstead where trains to London Victoria take 55 minutes, while Gatwick airport is 30 minutes by car.

What A 33-acre country estate with a main house believed to date from the 1760s. The house has eight bedrooms, seven reception rooms and features oak floors, oak panelling and beamed ceilings. Celebrated guests have included Charles Darwin, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

Why The house is located next to Ashdown Forest, the setting for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by AA Milne.

Who Knight Frank, knightfrank.co.uk, tel: +44 1892 515 035

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Villa Vistarenni, Radda in Chianti, Siena, Tuscany, Italy, €17.3m

Where Set in the rolling countryside of Chianti in central Tuscany, 30km from Siena and just over an hour’s drive from Florence airport.

What The 154-hectare estate once belonged to the Strozzi family, an old banking family from Florence. The 2,000 sq metre villa has a 17th-century façade and is divided into five apartments. The property also has a wine cellar, a chapel, a pool, a tennis court and a separate farmhouse.

Why The majority of the estate is woodland (about 120 hectares) with the rest comprising vineyards, olive groves and pasture.

Who Knight Frank, knightfrank.co.uk, tel: +44 20 7861 1098

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Quinta Mont Fleuri, Sintra, Portugal, €4m

Where Between the town of Sintra, a Unesco world heritage site, and the wooded Serra de Sintra mountains. Lisbon airport is 35km away, a 20-minute drive.

What This 19th-century property features a main house with seven (restored) bedrooms, a pretty cottage, a studio, a garden and a four-car garage.

Why The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, one of 13 natural parks in Portugal, includes the Serra de Sintra. In the ancient world, the mountains were known as “Lunae Mons” (mountains of the moon) and were said to be the mythical retreat of Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting. Sintra’s charms bewitched Lord Byron who wrote of “Cintra’s glorious Eden” in his poem, “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.

Who Engel & Völkers, engelvoelkers.com, tel: +351 210 170 425

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Thalang, Phuket, Thailand, 140m baht ($4.37m)

Where On Phuket, Thailand’s largest island. A 10-minute drive to Nai Thon beach and Phuket international airport.

What A contemporary villa featuring seven bedrooms, wooden decks and an infinity pool with life-size terracotta warriors standing guard. The walls are almost all glass and the large kitchen opens out on to the pool area.

Why Set within 2.5 hectares of tropical forest, the garden features many indigenous fruit trees. The nearby Khao Phra Thaeo wildlife park is home to Malayan sun bears, tusked hairy wild boars, langurs and gibbons.

Who Hunter Sotheby’s International Realty, sothebysrealtyphuket.com, tel: +66 76 324 614