Sandend Cottage

Sandend Cottage sits in the small coastal village of Sandend, on the Aberdeenshire stretch of the Moray Firth, and it is about as good a dog holiday base as this coast offers. The beach is directly across the road - a wide sandy bay you can be walking on within a minute of closing the front door - and the cottage looks straight out at it.

The detail that makes it work for dog owners is the boot room. There is a utility and boot room off the entrance, so you can come back from a sandy or snowy walk, get the dog dried off and cleaned up, and keep all of that out of the rest of the house. Anyone who has wrestled a wet dog through a holiday let without one will know the difference it makes. The cottage itself is immaculate, warm, and better equipped than most: a proper kitchen, comfortable beds, games for a rainy day, and local artwork on the walls rather than the usual holiday-let filler.

The owner clearly puts thought into arrivals. Guests turn up to a warm house with fridge and breakfast essentials already in, which after a long drive north with a dog in the back is worth more than it sounds. Messages are answered quickly and contact numbers are left in case anything is needed.

Beyond the beach this is a fine walking coast, with Portsoy and Cullen a short drive either side and Fordyce village a couple of miles inland. Three things to note: the cottage has no upstairs toilet, which is worth knowing if that matters to you, there is a charge of £10 per dog, and the owner asks that dogs stay out of the bedrooms and off the furniture. There is an enclosed garden, which takes the pressure off last thing at night. For a couple or a family who want to spend a week walking a dog on an empty Scottish beach, it is close to ideal, and it earns a 4.6 out of 5 paw rating.