Midsummer Cottage Retreat

Midsummer Cottage Retreat is a small holiday cottage at West Compton, in the Somerset countryside just outside Pilton and a short drive from Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury. It is one of the more genuinely dog-welcoming places of its kind: guests travelling with dogs report being met with towels and blankets for the dogs as a matter of course, which tells you the owners have thought about it rather than merely tolerating it. It earns a 4.6 out of 5 paw rating.

The cottage has its own front area where dogs can potter about, and guests are given reasonable access to the gardens the owners keep, which dog-travelling guests consistently mention as one of the pleasures of the place. The listing flags an enclosed garden or patio, but guests describe the wider gardens as shared with the owners rather than fenced off for visitors alone, so a dog with an unreliable recall still needs watching. Worth knowing too that the listing now sets the limit at one dog, although parties with two have stayed here in the past - if you want to bring a second, agree it before you book.

The owners live on site and are described as kind and helpful, and small welcoming touches turn up often enough to be a pattern rather than a one-off. Guests describe the cottage itself as beautifully clean, tastefully furnished and better equipped than they expected, and the setting as properly peaceful.

Walking is the other reason to bring a dog. Fields adjoin the property with access straight from it, so the first walk of the day does not involve getting into the car, and the views across them are part of the appeal. The wider Mendip countryside is close by for longer days out.

Best suited to a couple, or a small family, with one well-mannered dog who want a quiet rural base and do not need a fully enclosed private garden. Not the choice for a dog that cannot be trusted near an open boundary.