Buster Barn, Dartmoor

Buster Barn is a converted barn on a working farm on the western side of Dartmoor, in the lanes above Walkhampton, and it is about as good as a dog-friendly stay in Devon gets. You can walk straight from the door onto open moorland, the garden is properly enclosed, and up to three dogs can come. It holds a 4.9/5 paw rating, and a striking number of guests book again before they have finished unpacking.

The outdoor space is the reason. The garden is fenced and secure, with long views across the moor, and the owners also let guests use an arboretum and a field behind the property, so there is somewhere to throw a ball on a wet day when the moor looks uninviting. Dogs swim in the nearby stream, and the walking is endless in every direction, taking in the tors around the farm, the rivers and Burrator Reservoir. Owners of small terriers and determined escape artists have found the garden holds them, though it is worth knowing that a collie has cleared the walls, so a dog with real spring in its legs should not be left out unsupervised.

The welcome is the other half of it. Sally and Monty, who live on the farm, are mentioned in nearly every account of a stay: home-made cakes, milk and flowers waiting on arrival, heating on for late arrivals, and directions offered over the narrow lanes, all without hovering. Their own Labrador and cats are about the place, which is worth factoring in if your dog is reactive to other animals. Inside, the barn is warm, spotless and thoroughly equipped, with a bed guests single out as one of the most comfortable they have slept in.

The caveats are all about remoteness. The approach is along narrow Devon lanes that take a day or two to get used to, mobile signal is poor to non-existent, and the landline and broadband have gone down for days at a stretch. Walking directly from the barn means going uphill, so anyone with limited mobility may prefer to drive the short distance onto the moor. There are no shops on the doorstep; Tavistock and Yelverton are a short drive for supplies.

Buster Barn suits dog owners who want moorland walking from the door, a secure garden and hosts who treat the dog as a guest, and who see being out of phone signal as the point rather than the price.