Snowdonia Miners Cottage, Blaenau Ffestiniog

Snowdonia Miners Cottage is a stone cottage set into the hillside above Blaenau Ffestiniog, with the slate town below it and the Eryri hills starting more or less at the door. It takes dogs, and for the right dog it works well - but it suits a dog that is steady off the lead far better than one that needs to be contained.

The back yard has no gate. Guests travelling with pets raise this more than any other point, and they have been raising it for a while: the gap where a gate should be has at times been blocked with nothing more than a box. Owners of calm, biddable dogs report that it made no practical difference to their stay. Owners of dogs that would take the opportunity to wander have found the outside space unusable, and one guest felt strongly enough to say the cottage is not the dog-friendly let it is advertised as. Two of the interior doors are glazed to near floor level, which is worth knowing if your dog is inclined to lean on glass.

What the cottage does well is position and value. The views from the bedrooms are genuinely good, the kitchen is properly equipped, the beds are comfortable and the heating is generous. Walks start from the lane. Parking is first come, first served on a steep hill, with more space roughly thirty metres further down, and the property is notoriously hard to find - guests recommend saving the exact location before you set off rather than relying on the written directions, which refer to a shop that has since changed hands.

The other thing to weigh is condition. Alongside the praise, guests over the past year describe housekeeping that misses: a stale smell in the entrance hall, hair left on bedding, an oven and dishwasher needing attention, mould on the bathroom ceiling and an untidy yard. That mixed picture is why it lands at 3.9 out of 5. Best suited to walkers on a budget with an easy-going dog; anyone who needs a secure garden should look elsewhere.