Ploughman's, Hoxne

Ploughman's is a small, characterful cottage in Hoxne, a village in north Suffolk with a green, a well-regarded pub and footpaths in most directions. Dog owners book it for the back garden, which is properly enclosed and comes up in review after review as the reason it works: a covered seating area beyond the kitchen, room to sit out, and no gap for a dog to slip through. The Swan in the village welcomes dogs, and there is a cafe on one of the walking routes that does the same.

It suits some dogs much better than others, and the honest picture matters here. The front door opens directly onto the road, which is quiet most of the day but carries heavy traffic at the morning and evening commutes, and guests with dogs have found getting in and out at those times genuinely awkward with lorries passing. The staircase is a tight cast-iron spiral, steep and narrow, and not every dog can manage it, so a dog that expects to sleep upstairs may not be able to. Cats, by contrast, have settled in easily, with long-stay guests between house moves reporting no trouble at all.

Cleanliness has been a recurring complaint rather than an isolated one. Guests have arrived to find dog hair left on the rug and soft furnishings by previous parties, and on at least one occasion mess not cleared from the lawn. Reports on the fabric of the place are mixed too: storage heaters that run hot in summer, skylight blinds that let the light in early, and lighting faults in several rooms.

For an owner with a ground-floor-happy dog who wants a secure garden, village walks and a dog-friendly pub two minutes away, Ploughman's does the job. Anyone with a nervous dog, a road-shy dog or one that needs to be upstairs at night should look elsewhere. It earns a 4.1/5 paw rating.