Herons Reach, Dittisham

Herons Reach looks out over the Dart estuary from Dittisham, a steep little village of pastel houses on the river between Totnes and Dartmouth. The views run north and west across the water towards Haytor, and the walking is the reason to bring a dog: coast and river paths climb straight out of the village, and they are properly steep rather than gentle.

Dogs are clearly normal here rather than an exception. Guests travelling with them describe a village where most people seem to have a dog in tow, with pubs and a shop that take it in their stride, and a ferry across to Greenway for a day out. The house itself is clean and modern inside, with reliable heating, plenty of hot water and good-quality bed linen, which counts for a lot after a wet day on the paths.

The house does set conditions, and they are worth settling before you book. Dogs are charged at £25 per dog, per week. They are kept off the furniture and are not allowed upstairs or in the bedrooms, so a dog used to sleeping beside you will need a bed downstairs and a night apart. Dogs must never be left alone in the property, which rules out an unhurried lunch in Dartmouth without them, and any damage a dog causes is charged to you.

The other caveats are worth taking seriously, and most of them come from guests who were there with a dog. Smoke alarms have been left beeping around the clock, which is miserable for a noise-sensitive dog and not much better for anyone else. The floorboards carry sound from the adjoining property, so early risers next door get heard. The beds and mattresses come in for repeated criticism, with slats working loose. A ground-floor door faces the bathroom and could use a blind.

Those read as fixable annoyances rather than reasons to stay away, and none of them touch the dog welcome. This suits a couple with a fit dog who want river and coast walking on the doorstep, do not mind a house that is a little tired in places, and are happy for the dog to sleep downstairs. On that basis it lands at 4.3/5.