Dray Cottage, Skipton

Dray Cottage stands on Canal Street in Skipton, a few paces from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath and a couple of minutes from the market square. That puts a dog within walking distance of the edge of the Yorkshire Dales without the car moving at all. The whole cottage goes to one party, and there is a small outdoor space at the back that dog owners have singled out as more useful than its size suggests.

The property takes one well behaved dog, and the house rules ask that dogs stay off the upstairs and off the furniture, out of consideration for later guests. Nothing further is published on fees, weight or breed, so a second dog, or a large one, needs clearing with the owner first.

Guests arriving with dogs describe a clean, well furnished cottage in a genuinely central spot, with a week-long parking permit left out alongside the usual welcome extras, and an owner who answers quickly when something is needed. The towpath starts at the end of the street and runs for miles in both directions, which is about as convenient a first walk of the morning as a town-centre let can offer.

One point deserves stating plainly, because it cuts both ways. The cottage has drawn a report of a strong dog odour on arrival, noticed by a party travelling without a dog who had not checked the pet policy before booking, and which faded over the course of their week. Dog owners are unlikely to be troubled by it. It does indicate that the cottage is well used by dogs and that turnaround cleaning does not always clear the scent, which is worth knowing if anyone in the party is sensitive to it.

A second recurring point is the split-level landing, which guests have found awkward in the dark and which an older or unsteady dog may also find so.

It suits a couple with one dog who want a walkable town base for the Dales, and who value a towpath at the door more than a garden.