The Corn Store

The Corn Store is a converted farm building in the hills above the Dee Valley, about ten minutes on foot from Carrog and a short drive from Corwen. It sleeps six with room to spare, and guests arriving with large dogs are consistent that there is space inside for everyone: the living areas are generous and the views over grazing land do the rest.

Up to two dogs can stay per booking. Inside, the cottage is comfortable and cosy, with a log fire that becomes the centre of the evening once the temperature drops - it is worth arriving with extra kindling and fuel, as the supply provided does not last a week. Parking is easy and the kitchen is properly equipped.

The thing to weigh carefully is what lies immediately outside. This is working farmland, and sheep and cattle graze right up to the property, so there is nowhere close to the house where a dog can safely go off the lead. Guests with dogs raise it more than any other point about the stay, and their practical advice is to travel with a long or extending lead. The decked area is enclosed and secure, which covers a quick trip outside, but it is a deck rather than a garden and it is not somewhere you want a dog relieving itself first thing in the morning. A dog that gets wound up by livestock will be meeting cows and sheep at close quarters.

For walking proper, Carrog village is ten minutes away on foot and the Dee valley gives long, easy riverside routes on the lead, with Llangollen a short drive further. The other grumbles are small: the en-suite shower cubicle is cramped for an adult, and the boiler is noisy when the kitchen tap runs. It earns 4.6 out of 5 on the strength of the accommodation itself, and it suits a group that will drive out to walk each day with a dog that is settled on the lead around livestock.