Middle Hivron, Llangunllo

Middle Hivron is a large self-catering lodge on a working farm above Llangunllo in the Radnorshire hills, and it has been set up by people who plainly live with dogs themselves. Two details give it away: a rear entrance fitted with a hose for washing muddy dogs down before they come inside, and a pet gate across the doorway so a dog can be kept out of the main living space when it suits. Neither costs much to fit and almost nowhere bothers, which is why guests keep singling them out.

The house sleeps a large party across four bedrooms, with a big open-plan living room and kitchen that suits a group gathering, a hot tub, a pizza oven and a petanque pitch outside, and views over rolling hills from the bedrooms and balcony. Up to three pets are allowed, so it works for families arriving with more than one dog. The owners live on the farm, are around if you need them and out of the way if you do not, and dog owners consistently say their animals were made welcome rather than merely permitted.

The garden is the important caveat. It is not fully dog-proof, with gaps a small dog can squeeze through, and guests with little dogs have had to keep them on the lead outside rather than letting them roam. If your dog is a bolter, plan around that. The approach is the other thing to know: the lodge sits up a short but rough single-track gravel track off an A-road, and there are no pavements on the roads nearby, so walking anywhere from the door is not really practical and a car is essential.

Once you accept the car, the walking country is excellent. The Elan Valley, the Radnor Forest and the waterfall at Water-break-its-neck are all within a drive, and guests have walked dogs on the land around the property itself. Two of the four bedrooms are a squeeze, the listing photographs are older than the current decor, and farm work can start early, so a lie-in is not guaranteed. Middle Hivron takes 4.4 out of 5 and suits a group or extended family bringing dogs who want space, a hot tub and genuinely dark skies, and who are content to drive to their walks.