Glan Nug Bach

Glan Nug Bach is a small self-catering flat beside an old stone bridge in Pentrefoelas, on the eastern edge of Eryri, and it has one feature dog owners rate above everything else: a yard you can shut. Close the gate and the space outside the door becomes a safe run, with cows and sheep grazing the field below and a view that keeps most dogs occupied for longer than their owners expect.

The property takes one well behaved dog, so a second is a conversation with the owner rather than something to assume. Two other things need saying plainly. The flat is reached by an external metal staircase, which guests with older, arthritic or large dogs have found genuinely awkward and which can be slippery in the wet. And the building sits directly on the A5, busy day and night: the enclosed yard is safe, but the road is not somewhere to open a car door with a loose dog. Some guests take the noise in their stride, others found it intrusive.

The space is small, closer to a studio than a cottage and comfortable for two adults and a dog rather than more. A musty smell has come up in more than one report, and the shared courtyard has occasionally been left with dog mess from earlier stays, so it is worth a look before you let your own dog out.

Against that, the pub across the road is dog friendly, does good food and is the reason a fair number of guests book again, though its low-season hours are short. Immediate walking is more limited than the setting suggests, and several guests were unsure which surrounding fields they were free to use, so the real walks need a short drive: Betws-y-Coed is about ten minutes and the forest trails are further out. Repeat visitors are common, which counts for a lot at this price.

Best suited to a couple with one small or middling road-savvy dog who plan to drive out each day and want a good-value, quiet base with a secure yard. It earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.