The Old Pantry at Hill Farm

The Old Pantry is a self-catering conversion attached to the farmhouse at Hill Farm, a working farm outside Penley in Wrexham county, just on the Welsh side of the Shropshire border. It suits dog owners for a simple reason: space is not in short supply. There is a fenced garden of its own by the property and the owners' fields beyond it, and guests who walk their dogs there tend to describe it as the best part of the stay.

The accommodation is small but finished to a high standard, and reviews are near unanimous on how clean it is. The kitchen is well equipped for a few days of cooking, the bedding is good, and the welcome is the other thing guests consistently pick out: fresh eggs from the farm, biscuits and a proper selection of teas and coffees on arrival, with owners close at hand without being intrusive. A farm shop on site sells coffee, cakes, eggs, butter, cheese and ice cream, which saves a drive for the basics.

For walking, the surrounding countryside is quiet and open, and having the farm's own land to hand means a dog can stretch its legs without a car journey first. Being a working farm does come with the usual conditions: there is livestock about, and several guests have mentioned the farm cats making themselves known, so a dog with unreliable recall is better on a lead once outside the enclosed garden.

A couple of practical points. The booking listing does not publish a pet charge, a weight limit or a maximum number of dogs, so agree those with the owners when you book. Guests have also noted that sitting space indoors is limited, and the place is set up more for eating and sleeping than for long evenings in. That aside, a guest score of 9.8 out of 10 across 49 reviews marks this out as an exceptionally well-run little place, and it earns a 4.6/5 paw rating for dog owners who want fields, quiet and a fenced garden.