Threecrofts Farm, Dumfries

Threecrofts Farm is a self-catering annexe on a smallholding at Lochfoot, a few miles west of Dumfries, and it is a rustic country cottage rather than a polished holiday let. There is a Rayburn and a Belfast sink in the kitchen and sitting room, a solid-fuel stove on each floor, quarry tiles underfoot and shelves of books, records and antiques. The setting is open, quiet and thoroughly rural, with easy access back onto the main roads.

Dogs are welcome and the lawn is well kept and big enough for a proper run around. What most dog owners remember, though, is the livestock. The smallholding has its own dogs, free-range chickens and horses, and the house dogs come out to say hello. Plenty of guests find that part of the charm, and mention their own dog and the resident ones getting along happily. If yours is not sociable with other dogs, or is likely to go after poultry, this is not the right choice.

Be realistic about the condition. Some guests love the cottage exactly as it is, but the reviews are more mixed than most. Arrivals have found it cold with the heating off, the fridge switched off and damp bed linen still hanging up. One longer account describes the place as tired throughout: flaking paintwork, a very small wet room, poor lighting, a single kitchen socket and a musty animal smell. The stairs to the bedroom have been flagged more than once for a loose or missing handrail and a low beam partway up. Wifi is effectively non-existent and the mobile signal only really works upstairs.

Arriving takes a little care too. The roadside sign is easily lost in long grass and more than one guest has driven past it, and the track down to the house is narrow and potholed.

Best suited to owners with an easy-going, farm-tolerant dog who want somewhere genuinely rural and inexpensive within reach of Dumfries, and who will take the cottage on its own rustic terms. It earns a 4.3/5 paw rating.