Converted Barn Studio, Horspath

The Converted Barn Studio is a one-room studio with its own bathroom on the edge of Horspath, an Oxfordshire village a few miles east of Oxford city centre. It is a simple, spacious place rather than a hotel, and it works well for a short stay with a dog: no shared corridors, your own door, plenty of outdoor space around it, and an 11am checkout that gives you an unhurried morning. It earns a 4.3 out of 5 paw rating.

The outside space is what dog owners come back to. There is a large field for walking that guests with dogs describe as a real asset, though the dog has to stay on a lead there. The studio also has a small garden area with a fire pit, and the recurring wish among dog-travelling guests is that this were fenced, because as things stand there is nowhere on the property a dog can be let off the lead to potter about. That is the honest limitation: plenty of space, none of it enclosed.

Walking from the door is straightforward. Horspath sits below Shotover Country Park, a substantial stretch of woodland and heath with proper dog walking, and guests with dogs mention walking to a pub a little over a mile away and being made welcome there. Oxford itself is close enough for a day out.

Set expectations on the facilities. This is studio accommodation rather than a room in a hotel: there is no dedicated shower, and the layout means the private bathroom is not entered directly from the sleeping area, which is worth knowing if you are up in the night. Guests rate the space, the comfort of the bed and the setting more highly than the fittings, and the small kit list draws mild grumbles.

Best suited to a couple or solo traveller with one dog, staying a night or two near Oxford, who want space and quiet and do not need an enclosed garden.