Honey Bee Cottage, Ravenscar

Honey Bee Cottage sits on a hillside above the coast between Scarborough and Whitby, in the scattered settlement of Staintondale just south of Ravenscar, and it is one of the easier places to bring a dog on this stretch of the North Yorkshire coast. There is an enclosed paddock at the cottage where dogs can be let off the lead, and footpaths lead away from the door across fields and moorland towards the old railway track and the cliffs.

The cottage takes one dog per booking. The listing does not set out a weight limit, a breed rule or a charge, so ask the owner if you are travelling with something large. The owner lives on site, is easy to find when needed and, by every account, leaves guests to themselves the rest of the time.

The cottage is small and old - a low front door that catches taller guests, cosy rather than spacious - but that is the appeal. It has an open fire, comfortable beds, a barbecue outside and enough kit for a self-catering week. The setting does a lot of the work: guests report owls, deer and rabbits from the windows, dark skies at night, and views that make the drive worthwhile. Robin Hood's Bay is minutes away, Whitby and Scarborough about half an hour each, and there are shops for supplies on the way in.

The one recurring complaint is cleanliness, and it is worth taking seriously. Most guests find the cottage spotless and beautifully presented, but not all - some have arrived to dusty floors, cobwebs and crockery that needed washing before use. It has not stopped people rating the stay highly or wanting to return, but if you are the sort to run a cloth over the kitchen before unpacking, budget half an hour for it.

For one dog, a couple or a small family who want quiet, a paddock to burn off energy in and the Yorkshire coast half an hour in either direction, Honey Bee Cottage earns a 4.5/5 paw rating.