Straw Plaiters Cottage

Straw Plaiters Cottage sits on South Street in the middle of Wendover, a Chilterns village where the Ridgeway National Trail passes through and Wendover Woods start a short drive away. It is a whole cottage rather than a room in a shared building, with wooden beams, a log burner and a private garden, and dogs are welcome throughout.

For dog owners the garden is what guests come back to. It is private and sunny, so the dog can be let out without organising a walk first. From the front door it is roughly five to ten minutes on foot to the station and to the start of the Coombe Hill path, which means the first outing of the day does not need the car. Guests travelling with dogs describe the cottage as comfortable and genuinely dog friendly, and mention the high street being two minutes away with a free car park nearby.

Two things are worth knowing before you book with a dog. The front door opens straight into the living room, with nowhere to leave boots or wet kit, so a muddy return from Coombe Hill lands directly on the sitting-room floor and a towel by the door earns its place. The cottage also fronts a busy road, and guests have been consistent that the noise carries into the front bedroom and takes the edge off the living room.

Reports on housekeeping vary. Most stays describe the cottage as spotless, but arrivals have also found dusty glassware and surfaces with no fresh cleaning products to hand, and maintenance niggles have been logged: a leaking bath tap, a loose light switch, a stiff key box. Washing is by bath and hand shower only, with no separate shower, which matters if you were counting on rinsing a muddy dog. The induction hob is slow to boil.

Best suited to a couple or small family with one dog who want a walkable Chilterns base and will not mind road noise. It earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.