Grange Caravan, Llangollen

Grange Caravan is a static caravan in the grounds of a hotel at Llantysilio, a couple of miles up the valley from Llangollen on the road towards the Horseshoe Pass, and the position is the best thing about it. There is a large veranda with long views down the valley, dogs are welcome, and there is a pub on site with a play area you can watch from your own decking. For a dog owner wanting a cheap base a few minutes from the Llangollen canal, Valle Crucis Abbey and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, it does that job well.

It is worth being straight about the caravan itself. It is old, and guest feedback splits sharply between people who found it clean and spacious and people who arrived to dust on the light fittings, cobwebs, grubby vents and an oven that needed attention. That complaint recurs often enough that you should not book expecting a modern van. Heating and shower pressure earn consistent praise, but the pipes have frozen in hard winter weather, and several parties have been left short of towels for their group size.

The setting has a second side too. The caravan sits beside the hotel's camping field, so on a busy weekend you can find yourself next to campers, music and noise carrying into the small hours rather than the quiet the photographs suggest. Dog-owning guests have also flagged rubbish and broken glass on the field. A dog that is unsettled by noise may find a summer weekend hard going; out of season it is genuinely peaceful.

Access needs a car, since Llangollen is a short drive rather than a walk, though that does mean the lanes and canal towpath around the site are quiet for early morning walks. The owner is responsive when something goes wrong and has moved guests into the hotel when the caravan's boiler failed. Best suited to dog owners who value the location and the price over the condition of the accommodation, and who can pick a quieter time of year.