Old Cross Cottage, Chideock

Old Cross Cottage is a thatched period cottage on Becklands Lane at Morcombelake, the village on the ridge between Chideock and Charmouth in west Dorset. It is a few minutes from the Jurassic Coast, with Golden Cap and the Charmouth beaches close enough for a morning walk and back, and the quieter Marshwood Vale lanes behind it.

The cottage is bigger than it looks and takes up to two dogs. Groups of six and eight have stayed with dogs over Christmas and in high summer, and the recurring notes are the same: two living areas with woodburners, a well stocked kitchen, a generous welcome pack, and enough space that a large party with dogs is not living on top of itself. There are secret stairs from the lounge to a bedroom, which children find rather more interesting than the adults do.

The caveat is the garden, and it is the thing to settle before you book. It is not attached to the cottage: it sits across a country road that carries a fair amount of traffic, and it is unfenced. Some parties have let their dogs run there and thought it wonderful; another found it plainly unsuitable and said so. Either way it is not secure outdoor space in the way a fenced garden is, and a dog that does not recall reliably should be on a lead every time it goes out.

Two other things are worth knowing. The cottage is genuinely old, so the upstairs floors are uneven and some slope, which most guests treat as character but is worth a thought if your dog is elderly or unsteady. And there have been reports of trouble with the hot water and heating, with guests unable to run both at once.

No pet fee or weight limit is published, so agree those details with the owner or letting agent when you book. Best suited to larger parties with two dogs who want a characterful west Dorset base for the Jurassic Coast, and who are content to walk their dogs on the lead from the door.