Stable Cottage, Narberth

Stable Cottage is a stone-built conversion at Templeton, a couple of miles south of Narberth in the Pembrokeshire countryside. It sleeps five across two bedrooms, with exposed stone walls, beams and an open fire inside, and an enclosed gravelled courtyard with furniture and a barbecue outside. The courtyard is the useful part for a dog: it is walled and secure, so there is somewhere to let one out that does not involve the lanes.

The letting terms allow two well-behaved dogs, with a charge on top of the rent. The welcome from the host is what guests mention most - bara brith and Welsh cakes on arrival, fresh eggs, flowers cut from the garden - and it extends to the dog rather than stopping at the door. Dog owners describe the cottage as comfortable, spacious and genuinely quiet, with the whole ground floor to spread into.

The one real drawback for a dog owner is the walk into Narberth. There is very little pavement between the cottage and the town, so the route in is a country lane with traffic on it, and dog owners have said plainly that it makes walking the dog into Narberth harder than it should be. In practice you drive in and walk elsewhere. There has also been at least one report of dog mess left in the courtyard by a previous party and not cleared before the next arrival, which is worth a look round before you let your own dog out.

Beyond the lane, the walking is good. Templeton sits between the Preseli foothills and the coast, with Saundersfoot and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path around twenty minutes away and long stretches of beach that welcome dogs outside the summer restrictions. The Boars Head in the village serves food and keeps decent beer, so there is somewhere within reach on foot.

Stable Cottage suits a family or two couples with dogs who want a quiet, characterful base for south Pembrokeshire, are happy to drive to their walks, and value a host who bakes.