Briar Cottage, Brampton

Briar Cottage sits in quiet Suffolk countryside near Beccles, a short drive inland from the Waveney and within reach of both the Broads and the Suffolk coast. It is a whole-cottage let with proper outside space, and that is what dog owners keep coming back to: there is room for a dog to run around safely rather than a token strip of lawn, with open fields to walk into beyond it.

The cottage takes up to two dogs on request, which makes it one of the more workable options in the area for anyone travelling with a pair. Because you have the building to yourself there are no shared entrances and no other guests' dogs to steer around at breakfast, and you can come and go on your own schedule. That matters when a dog needs a last walk at eleven at night.

Inside, guests consistently describe it as spotless and genuinely well equipped, which counts for something on a self-catering stay where you will be washing dog bowls and drying towels yourself. The setting is peaceful enough that a dog inclined to bark at passing traffic is unlikely to be set off.

One seasonal caveat has nothing to do with dogs: the surrounding fields bring ladybirds indoors during warm spells, persistent enough that food and drinks have needed covering. Worth a window check on arrival in late summer.

Best suited to families or couples with one or two dogs who want a self-contained rural base with safe outdoor space, and who plan to do their walking in fields and on the Broads rather than in town.