Horton Scar House

Horton Scar House is a genuinely dog-friendly place to base a walking holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a whole-house rental in the tiny hamlet of Selside, in Ribblesdale, and the setup suits dogs well - a private cottage with its own garden, no shared corridors or neighbouring rooms, and footpaths that lead straight from the door onto the fells.

The owners welcome one well behaved dog, and guests travelling with pets consistently describe a home built for muddy-boots-and-paws returns: a wood burner to dry off in front of, an enclosed front garden, and a garden room looking out over the sheep fields towards Pen-y-Ghent. Dogs tend to claim a spot by the log burner and settle in as if they own the place.

Guests with dogs regularly praise how much thought the owners put in, from maps and walking leaflets left ready to a warm welcome and quick, helpful replies before arrival. It reads as a place where dogs are genuinely part of the welcome rather than merely tolerated.

For walkers, the location is the main draw. You can head straight up Pen-y-Ghent from the doorstep, with miles of Dales walking within reach, including Malham Cove, Ribblehead Viaduct and the Stainforth and Catrigg waterfalls. The village has a couple of pubs, and dog owners point out that The Crown, over in nearby Horton in Ribblesdale, is happy to have dogs and lets you eat outside with them.

A few practical notes for anyone bringing a dog. The lane up to the house is narrow and parking is tight, so a large car takes some manoeuvring. Not all of the surrounding walking is off-lead country, so dogs that need a proper run may need to stay on the lead in places. There is no shop in the village, so it is worth bringing supplies or arranging a delivery from Settle.

For a self-catering Dales break where your dog is part of the plan rather than an afterthought, Horton Scar House is hard to beat, and it earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.