Cottage at Inch Farm, Longtown

Cottage at Inch Farm is a self-catering cottage on a working farm a few miles north of Longtown in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border, and it is about as easy a place to bring dogs as self-catering gets. The single detail that decides it is the paddock immediately outside the front door: enclosed grazing land where dogs can be let out first thing without a lead or a walk to the nearest field.

The booking listing publishes no pet fee, dog limit or weight restriction, so agree those with the owners directly. What guests travelling with dogs describe is consistent: a spacious cottage with two bathrooms, sited close enough to the main farmhouse to feel looked after but far enough away to be genuinely private, and hosts who make a fuss of the dogs alongside their owners. Parties routinely arrive with two.

The setting is the other draw. The cottage sits beside the river in quiet countryside with walks straight from the door, and Gretna Green is near enough that couples marrying there have used it as a base. Carlisle is a short drive south for supplies and the motorway.

The farm itself sets the one condition worth planning for. Geese and ducks roam freely around the buildings, which guests enjoy watching, but it means a dog inclined to chase birds needs to be under close control between the car and the cottage door. That is normal enough for a farm stay, and it is the difference between an easy arrival and an awkward one.

Best suited to couples and small parties with dogs who want seclusion, enclosed outdoor space and border-country walks, and who are comfortable having livestock and poultry on site.