The Smithy Glamping Pod 2

Dainton is a hamlet on the lane between Ipplepen and Newton Abbot, in the band of south Devon countryside that sits between Dartmoor and the sea. The pod is one of a small number in the grounds of The Smithy, set up for two, and everything in it is on one level.

That single level is the detail that keeps coming up from guests arriving with dogs, along with the grounds, which are enclosed and secure enough to let a dog out off the lead. For an older dog, or one that struggles with stairs and thresholds, a pod with a flat entrance and a fenced patch outside removes most of the friction self-catering usually involves.

The hosts do a good deal of the work here. Guests describe them as friendly and accommodating rather than merely present, and the pod itself as spotlessly clean and stocked with what a short break actually needs. Its position helps too - shops and everyday amenities are a short drive rather than an expedition, which is not always true of a rural pod.

Up to two dogs can come, and the hosts have thought about the practical side: there is a dog wash for whatever the moor leaves on a coat, dog towels, and a few extras waiting when you arrive. Dogs are not to be left alone in the pod or the garden, so this is a break where the dog goes to the pub with you rather than waits behind. No pet fee, weight limit or breed restriction is published, so settle those with the hosts when booking if they matter.

Beyond the gate, south Devon does the rest. Dartmoor's eastern edge is twenty minutes west for open moorland walking, and the coast around Torbay and the Teign estuary is a similar distance the other way. Beach restrictions on that stretch are seasonal, so it is worth checking which are open to dogs before setting off.

Best suited to a couple with one dog who want a simple, clean, step-free base for walking Dartmoor and the south Devon coast, and who would rather have a quiet field than a resort.