The Three Lions, Stuckton

The Three Lions is a long-established restaurant with rooms at Stuckton, a hamlet a mile or so south of Fordingbridge, and it sits on the right side of the New Forest for anyone walking a dog. The open heath and gravel tracks around Godshill and Hyde start within a couple of miles, and the forest is one of the easiest places in southern England to give a dog a proper day out.

Guests describe the property as dog friendly throughout, with the beer garden getting particular mention as somewhere a dog can sit out with you while the pub is busy. The rooms are in a separate garden block rather than above the bar, which is generally the better arrangement with a dog, and they are reported as a good size, clean and comfortable, with decent tea and coffee.

No formal pet terms are published, so agree the number of dogs and any charge at the time of booking rather than on arrival.

The caveats come from the ground-floor rooms. They open onto the garden, and the external door is used by other guests coming and going, so a dog that reacts to footsteps and door noise will hear all of it - dogs travelling with guests have been unsettled by exactly this. Rooms also get warm in summer and the windows may need to stay open overnight, which is worth thinking about if your dog is a barker. Guests have arrived to find the room they were given was not the room they had reserved, so it is worth confirming the specific room rather than just the room type.

For a couple with a dog who want good food, a garden to sit in and the New Forest on the doorstep, this works well. If your dog is noise-sensitive, ask for a room away from the external door before you commit.