Stable Cottage, Gartocharn

Stable Cottage sits in the countryside at Gartocharn, a few miles east of the southern end of Loch Lomond, and it is an unusually good dog-owner's cottage for one specific reason: there is a meadow attached to it. Guests describe walking the dog straight out of the garden and into open grass, which takes the daily walk out of the category of things you have to organise. The owners are happy for dogs to be off the lead in the garden and the field, which they describe as fairly secure, but there is a working farm next door with sheep and cattle, so the boundary matters and the lead goes back on beyond it.

The cottage draws consistently high praise for how it is finished - beautifully decorated, top-quality furnishings and bedding, and extremely well equipped for its size. Guests with dogs have called it one of the best cottages they have stayed in, and that standard plainly does not come at the cost of dogs being made unwelcome.

The owners live alongside the cottage and are described as quick to respond and genuinely hospitable, with something left ready for arrival. They keep two dogs of their own on the property, and visiting dogs have got on with them happily - worth knowing either way if yours is unsociable with other dogs. Bowls and a spare lead are provided, and there is a charge of twenty pounds per dog for the stay.

As a base it is well placed for the west of Scotland. Glencoe, Oban and the Arran ferry are all within about an hour to an hour and a half by car, and Loch Lomond itself is on the doorstep, so this works as a touring base as much as a stay-put one. Ceilings are low in one of the bedrooms, which is worth checking if you are filling the house.

Best for dog owners who want a high-quality cottage with its own grass, and a Loch Lomond base for exploring further west. It earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.