Pinewood Lodge, South Brent

Pinewood Lodge sits at Didworthy, a scatter of houses in the lanes above South Brent on the southern edge of Dartmoor, and its main attraction for dog owners is the doorstep. You can walk straight out of the accommodation into woodland and up onto the open moor without putting the dog in the car first, which is rarer than it sounds in this part of Devon. It earns a 4.3/5 paw rating.

Inside, the apartment is modern, spacious and finished with hard floors rather than carpet in the living space, and guests with dogs single that out as the thing that makes it work. The owners live on the site, respond quickly and leave the kind of extras that save a shop run: milk, coffee pods, washing capsules. The setting draws consistently warm reviews, with big windows, moorland views and real quiet.

The caveats matter here and they are all about outdoor space. There is no private, secure garden with direct access from the accommodation. There is outdoor seating, but the ground around it doubles as the path other guests use to reach their own lodges, so it is not somewhere to let a dog out unsupervised. The site has more than one lodge and they differ in layout and outlook, so confirm which one you are booking rather than assuming. Access to the upstairs apartment is by a metal staircase or stone steps, both slippery in the wet, which is a real consideration for an older or arthritic dog.

Because this is a properly dog-friendly let rather than one that merely tolerates dogs, some guests have found traces of previous visitors, from dog hair to the odd forgotten treat, so it is not the right choice for anyone in the party with an allergy.

Best suited to walkers with a fit dog who want the moor from the doorstep and do not need an enclosed garden. The approach is along narrow single-track lanes and parking is tight when the site is full, so a smaller car makes the arrival easier.