Dalgair House Hotel

Dalgair House Hotel sits on Main Street in Callander, the little gateway town for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and it is the kind of small, informal Scottish hotel where a dog simply joins the party. Guests travelling with dogs come back again and again, some having stayed many times with two dogs, and the warmth of the welcome from staff and locals alike is the thing they mention first.

The bar and beer garden do a lot of the work. The beer garden is dog-friendly with a wide choice of drinks, so you can eat and drink outside with the dog beside you instead of leaving it in the room, and the bar itself is a sociable spot with plenty of local trade. The bistro's food and the cooked breakfast both draw strong praise, rooms are large, clean and tidy, and value for money comes up in nearly every account.

The walking is everything you would want from a Trossachs base. The meadows along the River Teith are a stroll from the door, the climb up to Callander Crags and Bracklinn Falls starts from the edge of town, and the lochs and bigger hills of the national park are a short drive in any direction.

The practical side is straightforward, and cheaper than most. The pet charge is a flat £10 for the whole stay rather than a nightly add-on, so a long weekend costs the same as a single night. The one restriction that matters is species: this is a dogs-only hotel, so it is not a stop for anyone travelling with a cat.

With a 4.6/5 paw rating, Dalgair House suits dog owners after a friendly, good-value base for the Trossachs where the dog is welcome at the bar and in the beer garden - closer in spirit to a country pub with rooms than a formal hotel.