40 Norton Park, Dartmouth

40 Norton Park is a chalet on a holiday park just outside Dartmouth, a comfortable self-catering base for the town, the beaches and the wider South Hams coast. The whole park is dog friendly, with open outdoor space throughout rather than a token grass strip, and the chalet itself has won over the sort of guests who come back to the same unit year after year.

Those returning guests describe number 40 as homely and welcoming, clean and well equipped, with thoughtful touches on arrival and a genuine home-from-home feel. Bringing a dog fits naturally into that. Towels are provided, there is a washing machine and iron for the muddy end of a coastal week, and the run into Dartmouth is short enough to do on a whim. The town covers the essentials, with supermarkets close by for topping up.

One caveat comes up every time, and it is the honest one. The park operates a dogs-on-lead rule, and guests report that plenty of people ignore it and let their dogs run loose. If your dog is nervous or reactive around off-lead dogs, plan for that and stay alert on the park roads and shared areas. Guests are also asked to clean up after their dogs, which matters given how much open ground there is. The access roads are badly potholed, and the approach turning has poor visibility, so take the last stretch slowly.

40 Norton Park suits a couple or family with a well-behaved dog who want a homely, low-fuss chalet base for Dartmouth and the South Devon coast, and who are comfortable sharing open park space with other people's dogs. Its 4.6 paw rating comes from repeat visitors who keep choosing the same chalet.