Wansbeck Riverside Caravan Park, Ashington

Wansbeck Riverside sits on the bank of the River Wansbeck just outside Ashington, and it is the setting that makes it work for dogs. A footpath runs from the site along the river all the way to the coast at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, so a morning walk can be twenty minutes or two hours without ever needing the car. The site itself is small, quiet and well kept, with glamping pods and lodges rather than rows of statics.

The dog welcome is practical rather than decorative. Blankets are left in the pods to throw over the sofa and the bed, which dog owners consistently pick out as the detail that shows the site has thought about it. The cafe on site is dog-friendly, so you are not tied to eating in, and the hosts hand out recommendations for river walks and dog-friendly pubs nearby, one of which is reachable on foot along a lit stretch of the riverbank.

The one thing to get right is the booking. Dogs only are allowed, at a charge of GBP 5 per pet per stay, up to two pets, and only one unit on the site is pet-friendly. The pet-friendly accommodation therefore has to be chosen deliberately when you book rather than added afterwards, and with a single unit it will not always be free. Arriving with a dog against the wrong booking is the obvious way to have a bad trip here.

Otherwise the caveats are small: a riverside pod can rattle in a strong wind, and cooking facilities in the smaller pods are limited. Best suited to couples or solo travellers with one or two dogs who want a quiet riverside base for south-east Northumberland and the coast, and who book early enough to secure the right pod.