The Forge, Crondall

The Forge is a small, self-contained conversion in the heart of Crondall, a quiet village on the Hampshire and Surrey border a few miles from Farnham, and it is one of the easier places to take a dog because you get the whole building to yourself. There is a private garden with seating, parking at the door and no shared space to cross on the way in, which suits an anxious dog and makes life straightforward with two.

The host is a genuine part of why it works. Access and instructions are clear, questions get answered, and the place is set up as somewhere to settle rather than a room to sleep in. It is characterful rather than smart - an old building with the quirks that implies - and the bed is consistently rated as comfortable.

The one structural thing to plan around is that there is no kitchen. That is by design: the Plume of Feathers is a minute's walk away and does food and drink, and the village shop is seconds from the door. For a dog owner it does mean thinking about the evening in advance, either eating somewhere that will take your dog or bringing food that needs no cooking. A small hob for breakfast is the improvement guests ask for most.

Crondall itself is the draw for walking. Footpaths run straight out of the village into farmland and woodland, with the Hampshire downs and the Basingstoke Canal towpath both a short drive away for a longer day. The village is genuinely quiet, and the garden is a useful place to let a dog out last thing without getting dressed for it.

One thing worth knowing before booking: military helicopter training sometimes passes low over the village at night, which is a real consideration for a noise-sensitive dog. Otherwise the picture is consistently good, and the 4.4/5 paw rating suits owners of one or two dogs who want a private village base, walking from the door and a pub in place of a kitchen.