Bagtor Hayloft (Dartmoor Farm Cottage, near Ilsington)

Bagtor Hayloft is a 3.5-star self-catering cottage on a working Dartmoor farm in Bagtor (postcode TQ13 9RT puts it near Ilsington in Dartmoor National Park, despite the Agoda listing's "Torquay" tag). The structural pet-friendliness story is the farm and Dartmoor setting itself - the cottage sits within a working farm with direct access to country lanes, moorland walks, and the wider Dartmoor footpath network. For a dog comfortable being on-lead through the farmyard and off-lead on the moors, this is an excellent country-cottage base.

Agoda does not publish a written pet policy for this property - no posted fee, no listed amenities, no weight or breed restrictions. Confirm details directly with hosts Carole and Russell when you book. The single dog-mention review on file is a thin pool of dog-specific feedback, so weight your decision accordingly. The aggregate Agoda score above nine out of ten across the broader review record is healthy and the host welcome consistently picked out across the broader reviews.

The one structural caveat the dog-stay reviewer explicitly flagged is honest and worth weighting: there is no enclosed garden attached to the cottage. The farm setting offers plenty of space but the dog will need to be on-lead through the farmyard (where the farm's own kittens, sheep, and other animals are around), and the natural off-lead space is the wider moor rather than a fenced area next to the door. For dogs reliable on recall and comfortable around farm animals this is a fine setup; for dogs that need a secure boundary to potter off-lead between walks, the lack of an enclosed garden is the right reason to choose a different property.

The structural strengths reviewers across the broader Agoda record picked out are the welcome from Carole and Russell (described as exceptional, with practical follow-through when issues arise - one guest's boiler problem was fixed within a day), the welcome basket on arrival (scones, jam, cream, milk, eggs, wine), comfortable beds, full kitchen and bathroom facilities, and a thoughtful collection of local-area leaflets and recommendations. The cottage is reached via "windy country roads and lanes" so a sat-nav is recommended for arrival.

The location is the second strength. Dartmoor National Park is on the doorstep with Haytor Vale a short drive away; Bovey Tracey, Buckfast Abbey, and Newton Abbot are within easy day-trip range. For longer drives Exeter, Torquay, and the South Devon coast all sit within an hour. For a Dartmoor walking holiday with a dog the location is genuinely first-rate.

Best suited to couples and small families with one well-mannered dog reliable on recall who want a working-farm Dartmoor base with direct access to country walks and moorland. Less suited to dogs that need an enclosed garden for off-lead time between walks, to dogs reactive to farm animals (sheep, hens, kittens may all be encountered), and to anyone unwilling to navigate single-track lanes on arrival.