The Fat Fox Inn, Watlington

The Fat Fox Inn is a village pub with rooms on Shirburn Street in Watlington, at the foot of the Chiltern escarpment in Oxfordshire, and it is an easy place to bring a dog, provided you say so when you book. The rooms sit in a building slightly apart from the pub itself, which means a dog can settle in the evening without a bar going on directly underneath.

The welcome is what guests with dogs remember. Owners who have stayed here describe the staff and hosts as friendly and genuinely accommodating rather than merely tolerant, and the same warmth shows up in reviews from guests who arrived without a dog. A change of management has drawn particular praise recently. The kitchen gets consistently good notices, and the pork belly has its admirers.

For a dog, the location is the real argument. The Ridgeway National Trail passes just above the village and Watlington Hill rises straight behind it, so proper walking starts within a few minutes on foot and continues for as far as you care to go. The village has its own shop, and there are outdoor tables in the garden extension by the rooms, which makes eating and drinking with a dog a simple matter rather than a negotiation.

Two caveats are worth knowing. Room upkeep is uneven: guests periodically report a room needing a deeper clean, bathrooms due for modernising, or a room too warm to sleep in with no window that opens. It pays to be specific about what you want when you book. Breakfast has also been inconsistent, with a continental offering in place of a cooked one at times.

Best suited to walkers with a dog who want a pub, a bed and the Chilterns on the doorstep, and who care more about the welcome and the walking than about a faultless room.