The Old Shed, Benderloch

The Old Shed is a small cabin conversion at Keil Farm, a few miles north of Oban in Argyll, and it has the single feature that matters most to a lot of dog owners: a completely enclosed garden. Guests travelling with dogs return to this point more than any other, describing a dog let out to sniff around the plot with no lead, road or livestock to think about. For a nervous or recall-unreliable dog, that changes what a week away looks like.

The beach is about five minutes' walk, and it is the quiet kind rather than the busy kind, with the shoreline at Ardmucknish Bay wide enough to lose a ball on. Dog treats are left for arriving dogs, and the owners live close by, which guests describe as helpful rather than intrusive. The deck and front porch see a lot of use, and the interior has been decorated with enough care that people mention it before they mention the location.

Dogs are charged at £5 per stay, one dog per booking, and the property can only take a dog up to 10 kg. That weight limit is the thing to check first, because it rules out most breeds above spaniel size, and it is easy to miss when everything else about the place reads as dog-friendly.

The other caveats follow from the size. This is a compact one-room space, so cooking anything ambitious is difficult and the dining table is small. The bed has been described as slightly short. Access is the practical one: the turning is hard to find, and the last stretch is around 150 metres of farm track, which is fine in an ordinary car taken slowly but worth knowing about in the dark or in a low vehicle.

Best suited to a couple with one small dog who want seclusion, a secure garden and a beach within walking distance, and who are content to eat out or keep cooking simple.