Eyam Cottage - Darwin Lake Holiday Village

Eyam Cottage sits within Darwin Lake Holiday Village, a quiet cluster of self-catering cottages set around a private lake in the hills above Matlock. For dog owners the appeal is obvious: the Peak District starts at the front door, the site itself is calm and low-traffic, and there is water and open ground to walk before breakfast. Guests travelling with dogs consistently name the setting as the best thing about the stay.

It is worth understanding how the pet welcome actually works before booking. Darwin Lake designates certain cottages as dog-friendly and Eyam Cottage is one of them, with a charge of £30 per dog, per stay on top of the rental. Inside, dogs are restricted to the ground floor and are not permitted upstairs, which is a real constraint for owners whose dog normally sleeps in the bedroom - it has led to couples splitting up for the night rather than leaving the dog alone downstairs. If your dog sleeps in your room at home, plan for that.

Two practical gaps are worth knowing. There is no enclosed garden or secure outdoor space attached to the cottage, so dogs are on the lead whenever they go out, including for a quick toilet break last thing at night. There is also no outdoor bin for dog waste bags, which means carrying them or storing them until you leave. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are easier to plan for than to discover on arrival.

The cottage itself is well thought of - comfortable, well presented and good value, with the lake view doing much of the work. Owner contact is light, so expect to sort yourself out rather than be looked after. Eyam Cottage earns a 4.1/5 paw rating: a genuinely lovely Peak District base for an easy-going dog who is happy on the lead and content sleeping downstairs, and an awkward one for a dog who is neither.