The Swan, Wedmore

The Swan is an old coaching inn in the middle of Wedmore, a pretty Somerset village between the Mendips and the Somerset Levels, and it is set up for dogs rather than merely tolerant of them. Dogs are welcome in every bedroom, in the bar, and out on the terrace and in the garden, where the full restaurant menu is served, so nobody has to eat in shifts or be left behind at dinner. Bookings with a dog need to be arranged in advance, and the inn charges £20 per dog, per stay.

The welcome itself is the part guests with dogs single out most. Arrivals are often met with treats from the inn's dog house of goodies, and reception staff tend to make a fuss of the dog before they get to the paperwork. Rooms are quirky and characterful rather than uniform, with comfortable beds and a choice of pillows, and the food, both dinner and breakfast, comes in for consistent praise from the same guests.

Wedmore itself is walkable straight from the door, with country footpaths starting within a few minutes of the inn and Cheddar Gorge, Wells and the Mendip Hills all a short drive away. The Swan sits close enough to the M5 that a good number of guests use it as an overnight stop on the way down to Devon and Cornwall, which suits a dog that has already spent several hours in the car.

A couple of practical points. The pet charge has caught guests out at checkout, so it is worth confirming it is on your booking rather than assuming. Dogs cannot be left alone in the bedroom or bathroom at any point unless they are in a secure crate, and any damage caused by a dog left unattended is billed, so this is a better fit for a dog that comes to dinner than one that would rather sleep it off upstairs. The car park entrance is tight for a larger vehicle. With those noted, The Swan earns a 4.6/5 paw rating and works particularly well as a village base for the Mendips or a civilised halfway stop on a long drive west.