Church View, Bolton Percy

Church View is a stone cottage in the middle of Bolton Percy, a quiet village in the Vale of York about ten minutes' drive from Tadcaster and close enough to York for a day out. It sleeps four across two good-sized bedrooms, and the whole house is yours, which is usually the easiest arrangement for anyone travelling with a dog: no shared corridors, no reception to walk past, no neighbouring rooms to worry about.

Dogs are welcome, though the picture is still an early one: only one guest travelling with a dog has reported back so far, and they counted the dog-friendly policy among the things that made the cottage work for them. The property has published no pet terms of its own, so there is nothing on record about a pet fee, a cap on numbers, or any weight or breed rule. Ask before you travel rather than assuming.

The village is the strongest part of the offer for a dog. It is small and quiet, with walking straight from the door, a well-regarded tearoom and a handsome church that guests mention again and again. The village pub closed several years ago, so plan on driving to Tadcaster for an evening out rather than walking to one.

Two things are worth knowing before you arrive with a dog in the car. Parking is the recurring complaint: the rear parking area named in the arrival instructions has been blocked off, and guests regularly end up on the road beside the church after a wasted lap of the village, which is a nuisance with a dog and luggage to unload. Separately, a neighbouring property has a dog that barks a great deal, which is worth factoring in if yours is reactive or unsettled by noise. Housekeeping also draws mixed comment, with a number of stays reporting the cottage needed a more thorough clean than it had been given.

Church View earns a 4.2 out of 5 paw rating. It suits an owner who wants a quiet village base for exploring York and the Vale of York with their dog, and who would rather have a whole cottage to themselves than a hotel room.