Ty Cerrig, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen

Ty Cerrig is unusually well set up for dogs, and the giveaway is the outdoor dog wash - a fixture almost no self-catering cottage bothers with, and the first thing guests arriving with a muddy dog tend to mention. The house sits in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen on the western edge of the Black Mountain, close enough to Bannau Brycheiniog for a proper hill day and within reach of the Gower beaches.

Up to two pets are welcome per booking. The garden is enclosed and the parking is off-road and easy, so the practical business of arriving with a dog, walking it and cleaning it up afterwards is all sorted without improvisation. Two parks are within walking distance and there is a field nearby where a dog can be let off the lead.

What lifts the place above merely well-appointed is the care the owner puts into it. Guests are given a tour of the house on arrival, an information pack covers the local area, and the welcome extras run to milk and bread in the fridge rather than a token gesture. There are books, games and a stocked cutlery drawer for children. The interiors are described as immaculate, the bathroom and its shower draw specific praise, and the terrace has a built-in barbecue and decent furniture - worth knowing if the plan involves long evenings outside with the dog at your feet.

The one persistent gripe is road noise, which the position makes unavoidable. It has cost the property marks from guests who are otherwise entirely happy, and it is worth a thought if your dog reacts to traffic. The trade-off is that shops and takeaways are a walk rather than a drive away.

Best suited to walkers with one or two dogs heading for the Black Mountain, who will get full value out of the dog wash, the enclosed garden and the terrace.