Cottage in Ludlow

Cottage in Ludlow is a small terraced cottage for two on Upper Galdeford, a few minutes' walk from Ludlow's market square, and it is set up for dogs with more care than its size suggests. Guests travelling with dogs consistently find treats, towels and poo bags waiting alongside the milk, coffee and posh biscuits left for the humans, and the cottage draws consistent praise for cleanliness - the thing that most often slips in a small dog-friendly let.

The thing to weigh before booking is the outside space. There is a small rear yard, and it is genuinely small: guests with dogs describe it as fine for a quick step outside but not somewhere a dog can stretch out, and several have built early-morning and late-evening walks into the routine as a result. That is easy enough here, because the cottage is walkable to the centre, to a supermarket and to bus and rail links, and the riverside paths along the Teme and the woods on Whitcliffe Common are a short walk across town.

Inside it is warm, comfortable and properly equipped for self-catering, and the hosts come across as responsive. The recurring complaint is parking. There is no space at the cottage, the on-street permit zones around it have confused guests, and wardens do ticket - the pay-and-display car park five minutes away is the reliable option, though it is worth reading the signs on the machine carefully. A dog next door has been heard barking, which may matter if yours is reactive.

Smaller irritations come up too: the shower runs over the bath and takes some fiddling to get the temperature right, and the bannister meets the landing rail at an awkward angle at the top of the stairs. None of it dents the overall verdict. With a 4.6/5 paw rating, this suits a couple with one steady dog who want to leave the car behind and see Ludlow on foot, rather than anyone who needs a garden.