Rhedyn - Cosy Fishing Lodge Near Aberaeron

Rhedyn is a converted barn on a small fishing estate in the Ceredigion countryside, a few miles inland from Aberaeron, and it is one of those places that was clearly set up by people who have dogs themselves. The garden is gated and fully enclosed, which is the single detail dog owners keep coming back to: they can open the door, let the dogs out and get on with the evening without watching the boundary.

The welcome extends past the garden. A dog bed and spare bowls are left in the barn, and the owners live on site with their own dog. Walks start at the door, with a public bridleway running straight off the property, and the surrounding lanes are quiet enough that you meet cows and sheep rather than cars. One rule matters: dogs are not allowed around the fishing lake, which guests describe as reasonable and easy to work with, though it does mean the most scenic part of the grounds is off limits. The barn takes more than one dog comfortably - one party brought four and had no difficulty.

Inside it is warm, well insulated and properly equipped, with a dishwasher, a washing machine and a wood burner, and the water comes off the estate's own spring. Guests rate the information folder highly, which sounds like a small thing until you arrive somewhere rural in the dark.

The caveats are practical rather than serious. The access is a mile of single track with potholes that have caught a few cars out, so take it slowly in anything low. A handful of guests have hit maintenance problems - a broken bed beam propped up with a log, plumbing trouble, WiFi that kept dropping - and one visitor found the grass long enough to make picking up after the dogs awkward. The sofa is showing its age.

For dog owners who want an enclosed garden, silence and a fishing lake outside the window, and who do not mind being twenty minutes from a shop, Rhedyn is an excellent choice and earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.