Horse Shoe Cottage

Horse Shoe Cottage is a self-catering farm cottage at Checkley in the Staffordshire countryside, and among guests who bring their dogs one feature comes up more than everything else combined: the fully enclosed garden. Dogs get a secure space to potter in while their owners take in the field views, and travellers with the smallest breeds note that even the modest gap under the gate can be blocked off. Several parties like it enough to rebook for the following year before they have left.

The pet terms are broader than most self-catering listings manage: up to two pets per booking, with no limit on dog size, so a big dog is as bookable as a small one.

Inside, the cottage runs to exposed beams, a well-fitted kitchen and wood flooring downstairs, which guests with dogs single out as easy to keep clean in wet weather. The owner lives on the farm, usually meets arrivals in person to show them round, and is consistently described as friendly and helpful without hovering.

The setting is a quiet farm at the end of its own track, with birdsong, cattle in the neighbouring fields and walks straight out of the door. Woodland walking is close by, Cheadle covers the shopping a short drive away, pubs sit a few miles out and a takeaway will deliver, and Alton Towers is around ten minutes by car, with the southern Peak District in easy reach for bigger days out.

Caveats are small. There is no outside light over the garden, so the last dog trip of the night needs a torch in winter, and phone signal is weak, although recent guests report the wi-fi working well. The odd maintenance niggle - a noisy radiator, dim bulbs - turns up in reviews without denting the scores.

For dog owners after a quiet, secure base with walking from the door and a theme park within reach for the humans, Horse Shoe Cottage is an easy recommendation, and it earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.