Pellcroft Cottage, Holmfirth

Pellcroft Cottage is a small self-contained cottage in a quiet part of the Holme Valley, and the shape of it suits dogs well. You get the whole place to yourselves, there is good parking at the door, and the garden gives a dog room to run. Nobody is sharing a corridor or a lift with you, which removes most of the friction that comes with taking a dog away.

Guests travelling with dogs are consistent about two things. The first is space: the cottage sits somewhere genuinely peaceful, with room to exercise a dog on the doorstep rather than needing a drive out first. The second is that the owner builds for people who come back. A stocked fridge on arrival and a run of small touches get mentioned again and again, and several reviewers describe returning with the same dog more than once.

The one thing to check before booking is the staircase. It is a spiral, and it is the part of the cottage guests find hardest to deal with. That is a minor grumble for a person but it matters more with an older dog, a large breed, or anything that will not be carried round a tight turn. A dog that settles downstairs will be fine; one that expects to follow you up to bed may not manage it.

Holmfirth itself is walkable and the Holme Valley opens onto moorland paths, so a long walk never needs much planning. Best suited to one or two people with a dog that is happy in a compact space and either sleeps on the ground floor or is small enough to carry. Anyone with a large or arthritic dog should weigh the stairs carefully.