The Dairy, Brampton

The Dairy is a converted farm building on the edge of Brampton, and it suits dog owners who want a base for long Cumbrian walks rather than a town-centre bolthole. It is a whole-house rental, so there are no shared corridors or lobbies to negotiate with a dog in tow, and the owners live close enough to meet guests on arrival - dogs included.

The pet terms are set out plainly: one well-behaved dog is welcome, at £10 per dog per week. That is at the modest end for a self-catering cottage of this size, though the limit of one dog rules the property out for anyone travelling with a pair.

Walking is the reason to come. Guests travelling with dogs return again and again to Talkin Tarn, a country park a couple of miles south with a circular lakeside path and cheap parking, and the Hadrian's Wall paths north of the town are an easy drive. Brampton itself has shops, inns and an antique centre, so a short day fills itself without the car.

Two things are worth weighing before booking. The garden has not matched the enclosed space some guests expected from the listing, so a dog that will not recall reliably needs a lead or a long line outside. Parking is on grass and limited, which is awkward in wet weather with a muddy dog to load.

Housekeeping reports are mixed. Most guests call the cottage exceptionally clean and better furnished than the photographs suggest, but curtains, blinds and soft furnishings have drawn complaints, and pet hair has been left on the sofa from an earlier stay. The owners lay on tea, coffee, milk and a bottle of wine on arrival, and there is a hot tub shared with the neighbouring property.

Best suited to a couple or small family with one dog who plan to walk it hard every day and want somewhere unfussy to come back to.