The George at Woolley

The George at Woolley is a village inn on the edge of Bradford on Avon, and it runs the kind of operation where a dog is expected rather than tolerated. Designated dog-friendly rooms are part of the setup, and couples travelling with two dogs report no difficulty at all. The food is the other half of the appeal: dinner and breakfast both draw steady praise, and several guests rate them among the best they have eaten in a while.

Pets cost £30 per stay with a maximum of two. That is a flat charge for the visit rather than a nightly one, which makes a long weekend better value than most inns manage. Rooms are spacious and full of character, and some come with their own living area and kitchen, which gives a dog somewhere to settle out from under your feet.

Bradford on Avon is a short trip away, a hillside town of stone terraces with the Kennet and Avon canal towpath running through it. The towpath is flat, long and easy underfoot, and it is the walk most guests with dogs end up doing.

A few things to plan for. The inn closes on Sundays, and guests have been caught out by it, coming back from a walk to a locked building with the dog food shut inside the kitchen, so confirm your days and ask where to keep food. The staircase up to the rooms is steep, which is awkward for a larger breed. The dog-friendly room can carry a faint kennel smell, noticeable enough that guests without a dog have remarked on it, though most owners will not mind. Rooms also get hot in summer and the fans provided do not do much. At 4.5/5, The George suits owners who want a proper dinner, a comfortable room and a canal towpath, and who check the opening days before booking.