Elm View, Blockley

Elm View is a traditional stone cottage in the Cotswold village of Blockley, a few minutes from Chipping Campden and within easy reach of Moreton-in-Marsh, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water. It sleeps up to six across three bedrooms, and what makes it work for dog owners is what sits just outside the back door: a properly enclosed garden and footpaths that start almost at the gate.

The garden comes up again and again from guests travelling with dogs. It is fully enclosed, so a dog can potter or play without any chance of wandering off, and there is a practical spot at the back with its own sink - useful for rinsing muddy paws and refilling water bowls after a wet Cotswold walk. Owners rate the walking just as highly, with routes leading straight into the fields and dog-friendly pubs within a short drive.

Dogs are charged at £25 each, payable at the property. Guests have mentioned that the allowance has been cut to one dog for future lets, so anyone bringing a pair should confirm the current limit before booking rather than assume. The owner has a name for being accommodating about pets more generally, on at least one stay extending to a small caged pet travelling alongside a dog.

There are honest caveats. Dogs next door are vocal, and several guests have been woken by early-morning barking - worth knowing if your own dog reacts to that, or if you are a light sleeper. The cottage is characterful rather than smart: steep stairs and low beams come with a building of this age, and the top bedroom sits under a ceiling low enough that taller guests have struggled with it. Upkeep is the other thing that comes up repeatedly. Guests have arrived to crockery that had not been properly washed, a garden that needed cutting, a musty smell and hot water that took some working out, and the furnishings are showing their age. More recent stays have been happier on that score, but this is not a polished holiday let and should not be booked as one.

For dog owners who want a real countryside base - secure garden, walks from the gate, somewhere a wet dog is not a crisis - Elm View earns its place. Anyone expecting boutique standards of finish should look elsewhere.