Avoncourt Lodge, Ilfracombe

Avoncourt Lodge is a small, owner-run bed and breakfast a few streets above Ilfracombe harbour, and it is the sort of place where the dog gets a proper welcome rather than a grudging nod at the door. It earns a 4.7/5 paw rating, and the detail that comes up again and again is breakfast: dogs are handed a sausage of their own while their owners work through the cooked menu.

Dogs cost £6 per night, which is at the modest end for a coastal bed and breakfast, and the owners ask that you tell them in advance so the right room is ready. Beyond the sausage, the welcome is practical. A towel appears when a dog comes back soaked from the cliffs, staff make a fuss of dogs in the guest lounge, and nobody treats a wet, sandy dog as a problem to be managed.

The position is the other big draw. The South West Coast Path is under five minutes away on foot, climbing straight onto the Torrs, and the harbour is a short walk downhill with fish and chips, pubs and cafes, a good number of which take dogs. For anyone walking a stretch of the coast path with a dog, it works well as an overnight stop, and there is a comfortable lounge and an honesty bar for the evening.

The trade-off is space. This is a Victorian house with rooms scaled to match, and guests travelling as a couple with a dog have found that the larger furniture leaves little floor to spare once a dog bed is down. If you have a big dog or travel with a crate, it is worth asking which room you are being given before you book. Parking and the narrow approach road also take a little care.

Best suited to walkers and couples with one or two dogs who want a genuinely dog-loving small bed and breakfast within reach of the coast path, and less so to anyone needing a lot of room around the bed.