The Flying Horse Inn, Boughton Lees

The Flying Horse Inn is an old coaching inn facing the village green at Boughton Lees, a few miles north of Ashford in the Kent Downs. Dogs are an ordinary part of life here rather than a special arrangement, and guests bringing them describe staff who make a fuss of a dog on arrival. The green opposite and the large grass area beside the inn mean somewhere to take a dog out is a few steps away, with the village cricket ground next door.

Its most useful feature for dog owners is where it sits. The inn is a short drive from the Channel Tunnel terminal, which makes it a practical overnight stop for anyone driving dogs to or from the Continent, and guests travelling with several dogs have used it for exactly that. There is plenty of parking, a key for the back door so late arrivals are not a problem, and a proper pub downstairs that locals actually use.

The rooms are the weak point, and consistently so. Guests describe them as tired and overdue for renovation, with lumpy mattresses, worn carpet, radiators that have not always worked and cleaning that has fallen short, including hair and dust left on the floor. They are also small, which guests travelling with a dog have found cramped. Food has drawn complaints on both price and quality, and the welcome at the bar has struck some guests as brusque, though others describe the owners as warm and attentive. Dog mess left in the car park by other guests' dogs has also been raised. New owners are reported to be planning an upgrade to both the rooms and the bar.

All of which lands it a 4.2/5 paw rating: a genuinely dog-tolerant pub with green space at the door and a handy position for the tunnel, best suited to dog owners who care more about those things than about the condition of the room.