Riverside Cottage, Cockermouth

Riverside Cottage faces the River Cocker down a quiet residential road, close enough to Cockermouth town centre that most of a stay can be done on foot and far enough from it to hear the water from the bedroom window. It earns a 4.9/5 paw rating, and guests travelling with dogs are unusually consistent about why: the cottage is set up for them rather than merely open to them. A rug, a towel, bowls and a jar of treats are left ready, and there is room to put dog beds down without rearranging the furniture.

Up to two dogs can stay. No pet fee is published, so it is worth confirming the charge when you book. The rear garden is enclosed and guests with dogs describe it as genuinely secure, which is not a given in a terraced town cottage.

The location earns its keep. A riverside path runs from close to the door up to a wooded park, which makes the last walk of the day easy, and guests recommend taking a torch for it after dark. Supermarkets, pubs, cafes and takeaways are all inside a five-minute walk, so the car can stay parked, and the cottage works well as a base for the quieter western and northern lakes as well as for walkers starting long-distance routes from the town.

Two practical points. There are steps down from the back door and more again to reach the gravelled area, which a party travelling with an elderly dog found awkward and would have liked to know about in advance, so it is worth asking if your dog struggles with steps. Parking is the other one: there are spaces at the front and rear, but the street is narrow and the rear access is a tight turn for anything the size of an estate car.

Best suited to couples or small families with one or two dogs who want a town-centre base with river walks from the doorstep and no need to drive for an evening meal.