The Lookout, Godshill

The Lookout is a small self-catering cottage on the western edge of the New Forest at Godshill, a few minutes' drive from Fordingbridge in Hampshire. For anyone travelling with a dog it has the two things that matter most in a holiday let: an enclosed garden, and open walking country immediately outside the door where the forest heath and its miles of tracks begin.

The garden is what guests with dogs single out. It is fenced, which turns the usual holiday-let routine of leads-on-every-time into simply opening the back door, and owners describe the difference that makes to a break as considerable. One caution goes with it: a determined dog has found a gap and got out, so walk the boundary when you arrive and satisfy yourself it will hold your own dog before you rely on it, particularly with a scent hound or anything inclined to follow its nose.

Inside, the cottage is comfortably sized for two people and a dog, and guests consistently rate it well presented for the price. Arrival arrangements come in for repeated praise: the booking side is well organised and the place is properly prepared before you get there, which is not always a given with a rural let. There is a second cottage next door, but reviewers say it does not affect the sense of privacy, and Fordingbridge is close enough for groceries without breaking the feeling of being somewhere remote.

Pet terms are not set out on the property's booking listing, so confirm the number of dogs, any charge and where they are allowed indoors directly with the owner when you book. With a 4.6/5 paw rating, The Lookout suits couples or a solo traveller with one or two dogs who want quiet, heath walking from the doorstep and a garden that mostly does the job, as long as you check the fence line yourself on day one.