Harbour Inn, Anstruther

The Harbour Inn sits on Rodger Street in Anstruther, a couple of minutes from the harbour and the beach in the prettiest stretch of the East Neuk of Fife, and it is a straightforwardly dog-friendly place to stay. Water bowls and treats appear for dogs without anyone having to ask, the staff are consistently described as friendly and accommodating, and there is a sun-trap beer garden that dogs are welcome in.

The dog charge is the thing to sort out before you arrive. Guests travelling with dogs report a nightly charge of around twenty pounds per dog, applied per animal rather than per room and collected at the inn rather than taken at the time of booking, which has caught out more than one party who assumed the pet element was already paid. Two dogs therefore cost double, and that is the part guests object to most, since the room is cleaned once either way. Ask what the current charge is and how it is applied when you book.

Anstruther itself does most of the work. The Fife Coastal Path runs through the town, the beach and harbour are on the doorstep, and St Andrews is a short drive up the coast, so this works well as a walking base. The inn is small and old, with a bar downstairs used mostly by locals, and there is no reception desk: check-in is generally self-service, so make sure you have the arrival instructions before you turn up.

The rooms are the weak point. They are small, some of them very small indeed, and standards vary between them: grubby grout in the showers, blinds that let in a lot of early summer light, and a breakfast that draws more criticism than praise. At least one room sits directly above a connected bar, so ask about the room's position if you are a light sleeper or your dog is unsettled by noise from below.

Best suited to a couple or a solo traveller walking the Fife coast with a dog, who want somewhere central and genuinely dog-welcoming and are not expecting much of the room itself. It earns a 4.3/5 paw rating.