Blenkinsopp Castle Inn

Blenkinsopp Castle Inn is a bed and breakfast at Greenhead, right on the Hadrian's Wall corridor, and its main draw for anyone walking with a dog is simply where it sits. Walltown Crags, Sycamore Gap and the Pennine Way are all within striking distance, the inn takes dogs in the rooms, and the food gets the sort of reviews that walkers care about.

Rooms that take dogs are private and clean, and the restaurant is consistently the strongest part of the stay. Dogs are accepted without any difficulty. There is no published fee, weight limit or cap on numbers, which cuts both ways - nothing to pay up front, but nothing on record either, so agree the terms when you book.

Two things about the site itself matter more here than they would elsewhere. There is no secure, enclosed area where a dog can be let off the lead, which is a real limitation at a property that advertises itself as dog-friendly and sits at the start of a day's walking. And the inn is close to the A69, a fast and busy road, so a dog that bolts, or one you would normally let out of the door unclipped, needs handling carefully on arrival and last thing at night.

Cleaning between stays is the other recurring note: dog hair has been found on room furniture by guests arriving after a pet stay, which is worth flagging to the inn in advance if anyone in your party reacts to it. Rooms are on the small side once you add two people, luggage and a dog bed, shower pressure has been criticised, and the rate is high for bed and breakfast in this part of Northumberland. Some listings suggest a private patio that not every room actually has, so confirm what yours includes.

Best suited to walkers doing the Wall with a well-trained dog on a lead, who will be out most of the day and want good food and a clean bed at the end of it. On that basis it earns a 4.2/5 paw rating; a secure off-lead area would move it higher.