Rosemary Cottage, Mattishall

Rosemary Cottage is a small, well-restored cottage in the middle of Mattishall, a quiet Norfolk village between Norwich and Dereham, and its best feature for a dog owner is the fully enclosed garden. Guests travelling with dogs mention it more than anything else: somewhere the dog can be let out without a lead, first thing and last thing, which is not something every self-catering let can offer.

Dogs are welcome and no fee is published, so agree that with the owner when you book. The cottage is yours for the stay, with no shared corridors or communal areas to negotiate, and guests describe it as cosy, warm and very well equipped for its size, with a proper kitchen, a walk-in shower and a ground-floor bathroom.

The village is easy going and has a shop that stays open late, and there is enough on the doorstep for a decent walk before breakfast. Further afield it works as a base for the Mid Norfolk Railway and Wymondham Abbey, with the north Norfolk coast about an hour away.

Two things are worth knowing before you book. The staircase is very steep and narrow, with no handrail, a missing spindle and reports of a broken banister patched with a makeshift board, and several guests have found it genuinely difficult: a small dog will need carrying and a large or elderly one may struggle. The bedrooms also run into each other, so anyone in the two outer rooms walks through the middle one to reach the stairs. And there is no off-road parking. Cars go on the road outside, which is a through route with farm traffic on it, so unloading a car and a dog together takes some care.

Best suited to a couple or a small group with a dog who want a quiet Norfolk village base with a secure garden, and who are steady enough on their feet for a steep old staircase.