Gwenallt, Bodorgan

Gwenallt is a small stone cottage in the lanes inland of Aberffraw, on the south-west corner of Anglesey, and its appeal for dog owners is almost entirely about where it puts you. Newborough forest and its beach, the dunes at Aberffraw and the coast around Rhosneigr are all a short drive away, and between them they hold some of the best dog-walking miles in north Wales.

The cottage has a decent rear garden that catches the sun for most of the day and is a pleasant place to sit out in the evening, and the owners are quick to pick up the phone when something needs sorting - tea, cake and a lit fire on arrival come up more than once. Inside it is small and cosy, with a multifuel fire doing most of the heating, a bathroom on the ground floor and low head height on the stairs and doorways that catches out anyone much over six foot.

Two things need saying plainly. The garden is not reliably secure: the rear wall is low and the boundary open in places, and dog owners have ended up keeping a dog on the lead in the garden rather than trusting it not to go over. It suits a settled or older dog, not a jumper. And cleanliness is the recurring complaint here - cobwebs, dust and grimy kitchen surfaces turn up in account after account, in one case including old dog biscuits left under a gas fire - and in more than one case guests have gone home early rather than see the week out.

It is worth being clear about the setting too: this is a scattered inland hamlet rather than a village with shops, the nearest supplies are a few minutes away by car, and the lane outside carries fast farm traffic, so a dog needs to be on the lead from the moment it leaves the door. Taken as a simple, cheap base for the beaches rather than a polished cottage, it earns a 3.9/5 paw rating.