Bramley Cottage at Stepps House, Broadway

Bramley Cottage is a self-contained cottage in the grounds of Stepps House on Broadway Road, in the Somerset village of Broadway just west of Ilminster. It is let to one party as a whole cottage, and it rates unusually well for its size: guests describe it as comfortable, stylish and finished to a higher standard than its star rating suggests, with the owner on hand at the main house without being intrusive.

For a dog, the appeal is the position. Broadway sits close to the Blackdown Hills with lanes and field paths running in every direction, and guests travelling with dogs have used the cottage as a base for wandering the area and for the local pubs, which have suited the dogs as well as their owners. The cottage fits a couple with a small or medium dog rather than a large party.

The one thing to know before you book, and the reason to read the house information carefully, is that the property asks guests not to leave dogs unattended in the cottage. Guests have reported finding this rule in the in-property handbook on arrival rather than on the listing, which is a genuine surprise if you booked expecting to be able to leave your dog for an hour while you ate somewhere that could not take them. It is a reasonable rule and a common one, but it changes how you plan a day, so raise it with the owner in advance and build the trip around taking the dog with you everywhere.

The rest of the terms are straightforward: £25 per dog per stay, up to two dogs, and an enclosed courtyard to let them out into. No weight limit is published, so mention it in advance if your dog is a big one.

Best suited to a couple with a well-behaved dog who intend to be out together all day and want a smart, quiet cottage within easy reach of the Blackdown Hills.