The Dairy, Corwen

The Dairy is a big, comfortably converted farm building on the edge of a small village near Corwen, in the Dee valley on the northern rim of the Berwyn hills. It sleeps a lot of people across two wings, and it sits in a cluster with two adjoining cottages, so groups travelling with dogs sometimes take the whole set. Dogs are welcome and up to two pets can come per booking.

Guests travelling with dogs consistently praise the space indoors. High ceilings, a large kitchen with a proper cooker and a roomy fridge freezer, and plenty of room for a dog to settle out of the way of a busy family holiday. Owners leave bread and milk in the fridge for arrivals, and beds are made up before you get there.

The outdoor arrangement is the thing to understand before booking, because it is what dog owners raise most often. There is a decking area at the property, but it is not a large enclosed garden, and the field it backs onto is a working one - guests have found cattle, sheep and on one occasion a bull in it, and it is not for guests' dogs. A shared garden is available but it is genuinely shared with the neighbouring cottage, and several groups found the boundaries of what they could use unclear. Anyone expecting to open a door and let a dog out unsupervised should plan for on-lead toilet trips instead, including after dark.

Beyond that, the walking is the draw: footpaths from the door, the Dee valley, and a dog-friendly pub in nearby Carrog that welcomes dogs inside and out, with Corwen and Llangollen close enough for an evening meal. Mobile signal is poor inside and the wifi struggles at busy times.

Best suited to larger family groups with a settled dog who are happy to walk it rather than turn it out, and who want peace and countryside more than convenience. It earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.