Soldiers Cottage, Hereford

Soldiers Cottage is a small cottage in the Herefordshire countryside near Madley, a few miles west of Hereford, and the dog welcome here is a real one rather than a tolerance. Guests arriving with a dog find a towel, bowls and a bag of treats put out alongside their own tray of homemade cakes and fudge, and the garden is fenced and secure, so the hot tub can be used without keeping one eye on the gate.

The owners live on site, and they are the reason the place earns a 4.7/5 paw rating. They cook optional breakfasts and evening meals delivered to the cottage door, and dogs are folded into that hospitality rather than merely permitted - a welcome chalkboard and a hamper for the dog come up in account after account. Guests travelling with anxious dogs, and those away with a puppy for the first time, consistently say the setup made the trip straightforward.

One thing worth knowing before you book: the owners keep a cat that lets itself into the cottage through a cat flap. Most guests are delighted by this and several mention it as a highlight of the stay, but the flap can be locked shut, and it is worth asking about if your dog is reactive around cats.

The setting is properly rural, with fields in view from the decking and the hot tub in its own sheltered corner, and it works as a base for Hay-on-Wye, Abergavenny and Symonds Yat. The catch is the lane outside. It is busy, there is no pavement, and traffic moves quickly, so the first stretch of any walk means going along the road until you reach a footpath. Some of those footpaths get overgrown with nettles and brambles by mid-summer, which is worth a thought with a short-legged dog. Best suited to a couple with a dog or two who want a hot tub, home-cooked food and open countryside, and who are content to keep the lead on until they are off the lane.