White Hart Hotel, Dumfries

The White Hart is a small inn on Brewery Street, a couple of minutes' walk from the centre of Dumfries and the River Nith, and dogs are part of the ordinary run of things here rather than an exception. Guests who have brought a dog describe it being made welcome on arrival alongside them, which is roughly the tone the whole place operates in.

The property sets out no written pet policy of its own - no fee, no size or breed limits, no cap on numbers - so confirm what you need at the time of booking, particularly if you are travelling with more than one dog.

The hosting is the strongest thing about it. The couple who run the inn come up again and again for going out of their way: breakfast cooked fresh and to order, an ironing board put in a room ahead of arrival, an umbrella handed over when the weather turned. Arriving late or off-schedule does not appear to be a problem.

With rooms above a pub, the obvious worry is noise. Recent guests consistently report the opposite, describing rooms that stay quiet despite the bar below - a clear improvement on older feedback, which did flag it. The town-centre position puts the Nith riverside paths within a short walk, which keeps the early and late walks easy without getting back in the car.

It is a budget inn and presents like one. The street it sits on is unglamorous and puts some arrivals off before they get through the door, the staircase up to the rooms is steep enough to be worth thinking about with an older or heavier dog, and the rooms are clean and comfortable but showing their age. There has been at least one report of a room without working heating.

Best suited to dog owners who want a friendly, walkable base in the middle of Dumfries and care more about a warm welcome, a big breakfast and a quiet room than about polish.