Marl House, Glasserton

Marl House is a big country house on the Machars peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway, a couple of miles south-west of Whithorn, and it is the garden that sells it to anyone arriving with a dog. Guests describe it as football-pitch sized and, more to the point, safe and enclosed, so a dog can be turned out while fourteen people work out who is cooking.

The house takes very large groups - parties of twelve to fifteen are normal - and has two of almost everything: two sitting rooms, two dining rooms, two dishwashers, two washing machines and two tumble dryers. That last pair is the underrated one on a wet week with a dog. There is a games room as well, and the whole property is yours, so there are no shared spaces to negotiate. Up to two pets are welcome per booking.

The setting is quiet in a way that is hard to find. A pebble beach is within walking distance, the Galloway coast gives bracing walks in either direction, and this is dark-sky country - the stargazing gets mentioned almost as often as the garden. Gardens to visit and the early Christian sites around Whithorn fill the days that are not for walking.

Two things to plan for. This is a remote corner of south-west Scotland, so the nearest sizeable town is a drive and it pays to arrive with the week's food; the welcome pack is generous and consistently praised, but it is a welcome, not a shop. And a house this size only makes sense for a group - a couple with a dog would rattle around in it and pay for space they cannot use.

The standard of cleaning and the kitchen equipment come up repeatedly, and the owners are described as easy to deal with and quick to help.

Best suited to a large family gathering travelling with one or two dogs who want an enclosed garden, a beach walk from the door and very little else going on.