Birch Lodge, Teigngrace

Birch Lodge is a modern lodge on a working farm outside Teigngrace, a few miles north of Newton Abbot, and dogs are clearly part of the plan rather than a tolerated extra. Arrivals travelling with a dog find biscuits, a bowl and poo bags waiting alongside the eggs, milk and cakes left for the humans. It is a small thing, but it sets the tone, and owners with dogs mention it more often than anything else about the stay.

The lodge is let as a whole property, so there are no shared corridors and no reception to steer a nervous dog past. The decking is fully enclosed, which is the detail that matters most day to day: a dog can be let out first thing without a lead, and the view over the surrounding hills means the deck gets used. Inside it is modern and generously equipped, with a washing machine and dishwasher that earn their keep after a muddy walk.

The farm setting is the other draw. Guests describe the site as clean, quiet and welcoming, with staff who are easy to deal with and happy to help outside office hours. There is a field kitchen on site serving meals, which is useful on the evening you arrive too late to cook, and the wider position works as a base for Dartmoor, the Teign estuary and the south Devon coast without a long drive to any of them.

The caveats are minor. This is a livestock farm, so lead discipline around the site is expected, and a rattle from the cooker hood in windy weather has been mentioned. The lodge takes one dog rather than a pack.

Best suited to a couple or small family with one well-mannered dog who want a comfortable, modern base in south Devon, an enclosed outdoor space of their own and Dartmoor within easy reach.