Atherstone Red Lion Hotel

The Red Lion is an old coaching inn with plenty of character on Long Street, the main street running through Atherstone, and dogs are ordinary business here rather than a special arrangement. Guests travelling with dogs are common enough that some stay with more than one in a room, and the additional pet charge is small, about £10 on a recent stay, though it is worth confirming the current rate when you book.

What guests consistently praise is the staff and the value: friendly, helpful people, good towels, a well cooked breakfast and room rates that come in below what the location would suggest. It is a pub hotel, so there is a bar downstairs and food on site.

Atherstone is a north Warwickshire market town on the old Watling Street, and the Coventry Canal towpath runs along the edge of it, which gives you a flat, straightforward walk without driving anywhere. The A5 puts Nuneaton and Tamworth within a short drive.

The caveats matter if you are arriving with a dog. Standard rooms are small, which is manageable for one dog and tight for two, and some are in an annex that guests are not told about until check-in. The car park is small, cannot be reserved and fills up when there is an event on, so you may end up in the public car park a few minutes away and carrying luggage and dog gear from there. Because it is a pub, the corridor outside the rooms can be noisy in the evening and other people's dogs pass close to the doors, which a reactive dog will notice. One stay also reported a stained carpet and music from downstairs carrying into the room.

Best suited to travellers who want a well-priced, genuinely dog-tolerant overnight stop with a good breakfast, and who can pack light and cope with a small room.