Terfyn Cottage, Caernarfon

Terfyn Cottage sits in the Llanberis Pass with the mountains filling the window, a short drive from Llanberis itself, and it makes a good base for a walking holiday with a dog. It is a whole cottage - spacious, well equipped and described as spotlessly clean - with a large kitchen that makes cooking for a family straightforward after a day out, and a broadband connection good enough to work from if you are stretching the trip.

The dog-specific feedback all points at one thing, and it is the front door. The cottage opens directly onto the road through the pass, with no buffer between the doorstep and the tarmac, and cars come through faster than the traffic volume suggests. Guests raise it unprompted as the thing to be careful about with a dog or a small child. In practice it means the lead goes on before the door opens, every time, and it makes the cottage a poor fit for a dog that bolts.

Past that, the walking is the point. Footpaths suitable for dog walking are a few minutes away on foot, the routes up onto Snowdon and the Glyderau start close by, and Llyn Padarn and its lakeside path in Llanberis are a short drive for a flatter day. Guests also mention a pub a few minutes down the road with good food, which is useful when you would rather not cook.

Two smaller notes. Guests have found the shower temperature inconsistent, running hot then cold before it settles, and there are no chairs outside for sitting with the view on a warm evening.

Best for hill walkers with a lead-trained dog who want a clean, roomy cottage right on the walking, and who will treat the roadside entrance seriously. It earns a 4.5/5 paw rating.