The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak earns a 5.0 / 5 paw rating on Four Legged Guests, calibrated from fourteen confirmed pet-traveller reviews. It is one of the most consistently pet-welcoming places in the Borrowdale Valley, and the rating reflects how rare it is to find this much specifically dog-friendly thinking baked into a country hotel.

What stands out across the reviews is a property that treats dogs as guests in their own right rather than tolerated accessories. Owners arriving with a dog are routinely greeted with a doggy treat box, and the building has a drying room for wet hiking gear that does double duty for muddy paws after a day on the fells. Several reviewers mention the way the lounge naturally becomes a social space for dog-owning guests in the evening, particularly around the daily complimentary scones at three o’clock and after dinner. The Borrowdale Valley location, with walks from the doorstep onto the Cumbria Way and across to Watendlath, makes it an unusually practical base for owners who want their dog properly stretched without driving anywhere first. Rooms have been refurbished sympathetically; some have larger floor space and triple beds, which suits couples travelling with one or two larger dogs.

There is one specific caveat that pet-travelling guests should weigh up before booking. Dogs are welcome throughout the hotel except for the breakfast and dinner dining rooms — if you want to eat with your dog you sit in the lounge with the other dog-owning guests, on lower chairs and coffee tables, rather than at a proper dining table. Most reviewers find this a pleasant social arrangement; one or two would have preferred to know about it before booking and might have chosen a hotel where dogs can join in the dining room itself. Overall, the Royal Oak suits dog owners who want a properly equipped, hiking-oriented Borrowdale base where the dog is genuinely part of the experience, and who do not mind a lounge-meal arrangement on dinner nights.