Nuthatch, Ivegill

Nuthatch is a one-bedroom cottage on High Head Castle Farm, a working dairy farm in the countryside near Ivegill, and it is about as straightforward a place to arrive with a dog as Cumbria offers. A small enclosed garden sits immediately outside the door, so a dog can go out last thing without a lead, and there are three walks laid out around the farm itself.

Two pets are accepted. The farm cuts both ways and is the thing to weigh up. Guests are generally welcome to walk their dogs across the land, which is unusual and much appreciated, but it is a livestock farm, so dogs need to be genuinely under control around the cattle. Anyone whose dog is reactive to farm animals should think twice. For everyone else the birds, deer and hedgehogs around the garden are part of the appeal, and guests are often able to watch the milking.

Inside, the cottage is well set up for drying a dog off after a wet day: underfloor heating throughout, a log burner with logs supplied, a large bath and a good shower, plus a dishwasher and a separate freezer. Guests consistently describe it as spotless, warm and better equipped than its size suggests, and the welcome pack left on arrival comes up in almost every account of a stay. The hosts are credited with being helpful without hovering, though a couple of guests would have liked to see more of them.

It is genuinely small and genuinely remote. It sleeps two, kitchen storage is tight if you plan to cook properly for a week, and you will need a car. Set against that, it is only about twenty minutes to either Penrith or Carlisle, the A66 is close by, and the northern fells, the North Pennines and the Solway coast are all in range. There are dog-friendly pubs at Dalston and Calthwaite.

Best suited to a couple with one or two dogs who want peace, a secure patch of grass by the door and walking straight from the cottage, and who are comfortable around a working farm.