The Pickwick Inn & Oliver's Restaurant

The Pickwick Inn sits above the Camel estuary at St Issey, a couple of miles inland from Padstow, and what it offers a dog owner is the ground it stands on as much as the rooms. The outlook runs across the water towards Padstow and the Doom Bar, and a footpath from the property leads down into Padstow on foot, which takes around an hour and a half at dog pace.

Dogs stay in designated rooms rather than anywhere in the inn, and those rooms have to be requested and confirmed by the property before you arrive. The charge is £10 per dog per night. Sort it at the time of booking rather than on the day, and ask at the same time where dogs are welcome beyond the bedroom, since the site has both a restaurant and a pub and the rules are not published.

What dog owners tend to notice once they arrive is the atmosphere. Staff come across as friendly and unbothered by dogs, and the grounds are generous enough - lawns, a play area, an old tennis court - that there is somewhere to take a dog out without getting in anyone's way. Having a kitchen on site matters more here than it would in town, because there is nothing else within walking distance.

That isolation is the main trade-off: you will want a car for anything other than the walk into Padstow. The inn is also busy in season and popular with families, and guests mention noise carrying from the play area and from the rooms above, which suits a sociable dog better than a nervous one. For a Cornish base with an estuary view, food on site and a proper walk into Padstow at the end of it, it earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.