The Treeline, Swarland

The Treeline is a lodge on Percy Wood, a wooded holiday park at Swarland in mid-Northumberland, about a quarter of an hour inland from the coast at Alnmouth and roughly the same from Alnwick. The lodge sits at the quiet end of the site with trees directly behind it, which is why it stays private and also why it sees less sun than the lodges out on the open ground.

The welcome extended to dogs goes further than most self-catering places manage. Arriving guests have found bowls, treats and waste bags waiting alongside the human welcome pack, which is a small thing that says the dog was thought about rather than merely tolerated. The property's own listing allows up to two dogs, so a pair travels as easily here as a single dog.

The lodge itself draws consistent praise for being spotlessly clean and unusually well stocked - bread, milk and coffee left in, and equipment that works. Outside, the park's woodland and the farmland around it give easy walking straight from the door, and the wider county opens up quickly by car: the Northumberland coast path, Cragside and the Simonside hills are all within reasonable reach for a day out with a dog.

Two practical caveats. The site's bar and restaurant sit a fifteen-minute walk away at the far end of the golf course and are tired rather than inviting, and there is no shop on site, so this is a stay to arrive at with the car loaded. Inside, the twin beds are sprung metal frames that creak audibly when anyone turns over, which matters more than it sounds if a dog shares the room.

Best suited to a couple or family with a dog or two who want a clean, quiet, well-equipped base for exploring Northumberland, and who are happy to self-cater rather than lean on the site's own facilities.