Tollgate Cottage, Blythburgh

Tollgate Cottage is a self-contained house on the edge of Blythburgh, on the stretch of Suffolk coast between Southwold and Walberswick, and the thing that makes it work for dogs is the enclosed garden at the back. Guests bringing dogs pick that out first: a properly walled-in space where a dog can be let straight off the lead from the door, which is the difference between a relaxed week and one spent clipping and unclipping.

The setting does most of the rest of the work. Blythburgh sits above the Blyth estuary marshes, with Walberswick, Dunwich and the beaches at Southwold all a short drive away, so there is no shortage of long, open ground to cover. There is a pub immediately next door, parking is on site, and the owner is easy to reach by phone and quick to help.

Two caveats. The cottage fronts a road that gets busy, and traffic noise at peak times comes up regularly in guest feedback, which is worth a thought if your dog is reactive to engine noise and worth keeping the lead on between the door and the car. The house is also used by dog owners often enough that it shows: guests arriving without a dog have noticed the smell of one. Read that as a sign the welcome here is real rather than nominal, but it is the honest picture if you are sensitive to it yourself.

Up to two dogs are allowed. Nothing is published about a pet charge, so agree that with the owner when you book. Dog-owner feedback is still sparse, so the 4.4/5 paw rating rests on a small amount of first-hand experience. On what there is, Tollgate Cottage suits people who want a whole house to themselves with safe ground attached, within easy reach of the Suffolk coast, and who do not mind a bit of road noise for the location.