Stewards Granary, Cornhill-on-Tweed

Stewards Granary is a converted granary apartment at East Learmouth, a farm hamlet a couple of miles from Cornhill-on-Tweed, right where Northumberland meets the Scottish Borders. It is the kind of deeply quiet countryside stay where you can walk for an hour from the door and not meet another soul - which, for a reactive dog or one that simply needs space, is worth more than any amenity list.

Dog owners rate it very highly, and it earns a 4.8/5 paw rating from consistently glowing reports. Two enclosed outdoor areas give a dog room to potter off the lead while you sit out, and the hot tub in the courtyard is the fixture guests keep returning to - a soak at the end of a day's walking with the dog dozing nearby is the shape of an evening here.

The recurring practical note is the courtyard gate: there are gaps beneath and beside it that a small dog can squeeze through - guests with cocker-spaniel-sized and smaller dogs have watched theirs slip out and trot straight back. The enclosure is real, but not escape-proof for a small or determined dog, so keep an eye out at hot-tub time until you have sized it up.

Inside, the apartment is described as clean, cosy and well stocked - tea, coffee and kitchen basics are provided, and there is a useful information guide. The hosts get warm mentions for being helpful without hovering. Households have stayed happily with a dog and a toddler in tow, and couples treat it as a walking-and-hot-tub retreat.

Stewards Granary suits dog owners who want genuine rural peace with the Cheviots, the Tweed and the north Northumberland coast within reach, and an enclosed yard rather than open farmland at the door. Up to two pets can come along, so it works for a two-dog household as well as one. Owners of very small dogs should just note the gate gaps before letting them roam.