Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park

Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park is a busy, family-friendly park on the southern edge of the Peak District where dogs are genuinely welcome, but the experience depends heavily on which unit you book, and that unevenness is reflected in its 3.9/5 paw rating. It sits at Fenny Bentley, a few minutes north of Ashbourne and close to Thorpe and the mouth of Dovedale.

The setting is the reason most dog owners come. The Tissington Trail runs close by for long, traffic-free walks, Dovedale is a short drive away, and the park has its own walking trail that guests with dogs single out. The on-site bar serves food and is described as very dog friendly, with staff who make a fuss of four-legged visitors, and there is a swimming pool and play park to keep children busy.

The house rule to know before you go is that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times anywhere on the park. Some guests found this more restrictive than they expected from a site advertised as dog friendly, and felt it was not made clear before arrival, so factor it in if your dog is used to running free.

Accommodation is where opinions split. Pods, bell tents and small houses each have their fans, including families with two large retrievers who found a small house worked well, but there are recurring complaints too. Guests have reported a glamping pod with dog hair left on the furniture, dirty floors and a drain smell bad enough to cut a stay short, and very thin mattresses in the bell tents. Pods can get warm at night with only one window, not every pod has its own toilet and shower, and the small houses have no kitchen, so bring a kettle. Reception has drawn mixed comments, with some guests finding staff lovely and others unhelpful when problems were raised.

For walkers who want to be close to the Tissington Trail with a dog and don't mind keeping it on a lead around the park, Ashbourne Heights works well; check exactly what your unit includes before booking.