Little Kent End Cottage

Little Kent End Cottage sits in the village of Ashton Keynes, on the edge of the Cotswold Water Park, and the setting is what makes it work for dogs. The cottage backs onto open countryside, with the Thames Path and a string of lakes within a few minutes' walk, so the first outing of the day starts at the door rather than after a drive. Guests travelling with dogs describe a modern, generously sized house that comfortably takes a family and its animals, and it earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.

The welcome is a warm one. The owners live next door and leave a starter basket of bread, milk, eggs and jam, and they are relaxed about dogs using the drive and the grassy area alongside it. There is a bin for dog waste on site, which is a small thing that dog owners notice. Dogs are accepted as a matter of course rather than tolerated, and nobody reports being made to feel awkward about arriving with one.

Location is the strongest card. Ashton Keynes is a quiet village of stone cottages and clear streams, and the lakes and meadows around it give you miles of flat, easy walking - useful if you have an older dog, or a nervous one that does better away from crowds. The main roads are close enough that the cottage also works as a stopover.

The caveat worth knowing before you book is outdoor space. There is no enclosed garden, and dogs need to be on a lead on the shared drive and grass, which is a real limitation if yours cannot be trusted off-lead or you had pictured letting them out last thing at night. The patch set aside for dogs to relieve themselves has been described as overgrown and in need of attention. There is also nowhere to wash a muddy dog, and with lakes and fields on the doorstep that comes up more than once.

Best suited to owners of steady, lead-walked dogs who want lakeside walking and a comfortable base, and who do not need a fenced garden.