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DOG-FRIENDLY STAYS
The Felin Fach Griffin, Felin Fach, Powys
The Inkin brothers’ stylish, free and easy pub between the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and the Black Mountains serves excellent, imaginative food with produce from the kitchen garden. Biscuits, bowls and towels are provided at no extra charge. Dogs are allowed at one table in the bar, and if that is taken, they can sit under a table in the Tack Room if other guests don’t raise a stink.
Doubles from £183 B&B. Set-price menu £39/£48 (2/3 courses), eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk
Biggin Hall, Biggin-by-Hartington, Derbyshire
There is a homely feel about James Moffett’s 17th-century Grade II Peak District hotel. Bedrooms have character, the food is excellent and substantial. Prices for bed and board are competitive, but dogs get the best deal, staying free in a lodge or courtyard annexe room – and although they’re not allowed in the main house, they can join you in a dining pod. In the morning, take a free packed lunch and go walking up hill and down dale. A hose for muddy paws awaits.
Doubles from £140 B&B. Set-price menu £30/£37.50 (2/3 courses), bigginhall.co.uk
Rose & Crown, Romaldkirk, County Durham
A menu of locally sourced pub grub is available at this 18th-century village inn in Teesdale, owned by a local farming family. Most rooms are dog-friendly (maximum two), but those in the courtyard annexe benefit from direct outdoor access. There is great walking from the front door, and a hosing/drying area for muddy paws. No charge is made unless for damage or special cleaning. For shaggy dogs, prone to shedding, a room in a cottage annexe has a tiled floor.
Doubles from £150 B&B. À la carte £35, rose-and-crown.co.uk
Randy Pike, Ambleside, Cumbria
Andy and Chrissy Hill’s property (a former hunting lodge) outside Ambleside has three spectacular, slightly bohemian-feeling suites and a standalone pavilion, styled with flair, featuring handbuilt and upcycled furniture and fabulous bathrooms. The rococo Vallelay suite has a double-ended slipper bath and gothic-arched glass doors to the courtyard. Breakfast is brought to your suite. Dogs stay free (maximum two, which is usual), and great country walks begin the moment you step outside. There are plenty of dog-friendly pubs around where you can dine.
Doubles B&B from £240, randypike.co.uk
The Meikleour Arms, Meikleour, Perthshire
This cottage orné-style (a rustic style dating from the late 18th century) Georgian coaching inn is set in woodlands and has fishing rights on the River Tay. It is an endearingly quirky hotel, where dogs are welcome in uncarpeted downstairs bedrooms (maximum two, beds available on request) and throughout. There is a £15 nightly charge if you book through a third party, though it reserves the right to invoice for damage or extra cleaning. Towels and a hose can also be provided after a walk around the estate. Field-to-plate menus are a feast of ingredients from farm, kitchen garden and the wild.
Doubles from £110 B&B. À la carte £40, meikleourarms.co.uk
PUBS WITH ROOMS
The Howard Arms, Ilmington, Warwickshire
All’s well that ends well for this flower-bedecked 400-year-old pub, a short drive from Stratford-upon-Avon. It was saved from closure in 2015 by local residents, who spruced it up and adorned the walls with vintage photographs. You sense they enjoyed styling the bedrooms, choosing antiques to mix and match with smart fabrics. The dual-aspect Village Room has a half-tester bed with a view of the spreading chestnut on the green. The food is superior pub grub and more modern dishes – maybe venison with braised lentils, celeriac, girolles and blackberries. When the weather is fine you can eat in the large garden.
Doubles from £145 B&B. À la carte £55, howardarms.com
The Crown Inn, Chiddingfold, Surrey
Whether you opt for a contemporary bedroom or a suite with an antique carved four-poster, you’ll feel connected to history at this wonky, creaky, half-timbered Grade II 14th-century inn, overlooking the green of a picturesque village. The interiors are atmospheric, with oak beams, log fires, cosy nooks and crannies, while, in the panelled dining room, the seasonal menu mixes pub classics with dishes such as a seafood platter and spiced lamb rump. There’s a children’s menu, and you can bring your dog into the bar or lounge if you just want a drink.
Doubles from £149 B&B. À la carte £43, thecrownchiddingfold.com
The Crown & Anchor, Ham, Wiltshire
Rescued from redevelopment and refurbished by two local families, this is a real-ale community hub at the foot of the North Wessex Downs, close to the Hampshire border. You can eat in the (dog-friendly) bar with log burner, beams and wood panelling or in either of two dining rooms. The bedrooms – styled by one of the owners, art consultant Clemy Sheffield – have a simple, pared-back chic, with botanical or bird prints. If you’re looking for a burger and chips, you won’t be disappointed, though truffle-stuffed gnocchi with aged parmesan, or monkfish tail with prawn-stuffed courgette flower and shellfish oil may change your mind.
Doubles from £130 B&B. À la carte £47, crownandanchorham.co.uk
The Gin Trap Inn, Ringstead, Norfolk
In a village just inland from Hunstanton, this 17th-century coaching inn has been a foodie destination since chef Gareth Rayner arrived in 2023. The characterful bedrooms have their charms and idiosyncrasies, but it’s the cooking of local ingredients that is so outstanding. You can eat casually in the pub, with its wood burner, low beams, and gilt-framed portraits, or in a Mediterranean-inspired garden. In the conservatory restaurant and dining room, the seasonally inspired menus include such dishes as seabream, brown shrimp, bonito beurre blanc; roast Delica pumpkin agnolotti topped with candied pumpkin seeds and vadouvan spices.
Doubles from £120 B&B. À la carte £65, thegintrapinn.co.uk
The Lord Poulett Arms, Hinton St George, Somerset
The Poulett family motto above the pub door reads Gardez la Foi – an exhortation to keep the faith, not to guard your liver, because where’s the fun in that? And fun is what this pub – one of four owned by the Beckford group – is about. The formula is deceptively simple: bright young staff, great food, affordable, uncluttered, shabby-chic bedrooms with Bramley products. In a bar adorned with portraits of past Earls Poulett, and in the garden, a short menu includes the usual and unusual, maybe pan-roasted cod, shellfish and ginger sauce, carrot puree.
Doubles from £95 B&B. À la carte £46, lordpoulettarms.com
HOTELS IN WALKING COUNTRY
The Castle, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire
Henry Hunter’s pet-friendly, good-value coaching inn, built on the bailey of a medieval castle, about a mile from the Welsh border is a walker’s dream. The Shropshire Way, Offa’s Dyke, the Bishop’s Castle Ring, Carding Mill valley and Kerry Ridgeway all await. Early breakfasts, packed lunches, leaflets, maps and route guides are available, while a hose for muddy boots, drying facilities, a smart bedroom and hearty gastropub fare are there for the happy wanderer’s return. May will see the 25th anniversary of the Bishop’s Castle walking festival, with local volunteers leading guided walks for all abilities.
Doubles from £130 B&B. À la carte £36, thecastlehotelbishopscastle.co.uk
The Traddock, Austwick, Yorkshire Dales
Tuck the great Alfred Wainwright’s Walks in Limestone Country into your backpack, and head for the Renyolds’s small Georgian-cum-Victorian country house in the Dales. It is dog- and walker-friendly. They’re happy to lend maps, can help you plan routes, and the staff will gladly share their local knowledge, whether you want a gentle circular amble from the door, or are game for the Three Peaks Challenge. Fuel up with a full English or full veggie, request a picnic, and return for a dinner of brasserie dishes or a tasting menu.
Doubles from £130 B&B. Tasting menu (Tues-Sat) £80, à la carte 3-course £50, thetraddock.co.uk
Tŷ Mawr, Brechfa, Carmarthenshire
In a secluded spot in the Cambrian Mountains, with gardens bordered by the Afon Marlais, Gill Brown and David Hart’s small, dog-friendly, 17th-century country house is on the edge of the 6,400-hectare (16,000 acres) Brechfa forest, with a variety of walks from the threshold. The hosts can provide walking itineraries, as well as a packed lunch if you want to make a day of it, and you can use the boiler room or laundry to dry your clothes should you get caught in the rain, before a top-notch, locally sourced dinner. Land Rover safaris can be arranged for non-walkers.
Doubles from £165 B&B. Set-price menu £30/£38 2/3 courses, wales-country-hotel.co.uk
Coorie Inn, Muthill, Perthshire
Formerly Barley Bree, this coaching inn is in a historic village in the foothills of the Highlands. It is now a dog-friendly restaurant with rooms and a comfort haven for hikers, with drying facilities, deep sofas and log fires in the bar and lounge to return to when it’s smirry and dreich. Bedrooms mix solid traditional furniture with contemporary comforts. Chef-proprietor Phillip Skinazi, former executive pastry chef at nearby Gleneagles Hotel, takes pride in sourcing local ingredients for his modern Scottish menus. A walk along the River Earn and through woodland to Crieff takes in the local countryside.
Doubles from £155 B&B. À la carte £58, coorie-inn.com
Lindeth Fell, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
An Edwardian country house with Arts & Crafts detail overlooking Windermere, this guesthouse stands in formal and informal gardens that melt into the landscape. The stylish bedrooms have an espresso machine, homemade shortbread and locally made toiletries, while the restaurant serves a short menu of pub classics. Planned walks from the door might mean a gentle saunter by the lake and through temperate rainforest, while those who make the short, steep ascent of Gummer’s How – a “fell walk in miniature”, according to Wainwright, and “a little beauty” – are rewarded with views across the Lake District, Morecambe Bay and the Pennines.
Doubles from £183 B&B. Set menu (2/3 course) £35/£40, lindethfell.com
SEASIDE STAYS
Polurrian on the Lizard, Mullion, Cornwall
In a spectacular setting on the cliff edge above its own beach, this family- and dog-friendly hotel is an Edwardian rebuild of a Victorian railway hotel, which counts Guglielmo Marconi, Winston Churchill and Clark Gable among previous guests. The ambience is carefree, with alfresco dining, a health club, gym, swimming pools, hot tub and tennis court. You can enjoy sea views over a cocktail in the bar, a cream tea, sandwich, pizza or fish and chips from an eclectic menu in the Vista lounge. Bedrooms are simple and contemporary. There are watersports for kids and baby listening at night, so parents can chill.
Doubles from £184 B&B. À la carte £50, polurrianhotel.com
The Cricket Inn, Beesands, south Devon
It’s a twisty drive to this unpretentious, dog-friendly village pub with rooms that’s on the South West Coast Path and above a blue-flag shingle beach. Vintage photographs celebrating village life and Beesands’ fishing heritage are dotted around. Three of the New England-style bedrooms, most with a sea view, can sleep a family. All have an espresso machine and smart TV. In a restaurant with sea-facing sliding glass doors, locally caught fish and shellfish appear in such dishes as Porthilly mussels, seafood linguine, and, of course, fish and chips, along with steaks from the Josper grill and veggie options.
Doubles from £135 B&B. À la carte £50, thecricketinn.com
The Ship Inn, Elie, Fife
This pub overlooking the Firth of Forth is renowned not just for its fish and chips but for having its own beach cricket team. Happy punters sit on the terrace with a pint and a Waygu beef burger, or lobster linguine and a glass of chilled white wine, as the home team takes on the South Street Swingers or the St Andrews’ Old Seagullians on the sands below. Among the coastal-chic bedrooms, two are dog friendly (£25 per stay, not a day). All rooms have an espresso machine and Laura Thomas bath products.
Doubles from £125 B&B. À la carte £50, shipinn.scot
Porth Tocyn Hotel, Abersoch, Gwynedd
The sweeping view over Cardigan Bay is just one of this hotel’s charms. Run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since 1948, it has a homely aspect. The staff are “warm and welcoming, the rooms charming and quirky”, say regular returnees. The bedroom style is a mix of classic and contemporary; most have an over-bath shower. There is kids’ high tea and grown-up dishes as pan-fried sea trout, spring greens, crab cakes, samphire, aioli and heritage tomato sauce vièrge.
Doubles from £160 B&B. À la carte £68, porthtocynhotel.co.uk
Alkham Court, South Alkham, Kent
In rolling farmland just minutes from Dover, Wendy and Neil Burrows’ luxury B&B is more than just a stopover on the way to the continent: it is a terrific base from which to explore the underrated east Kent coast. Three stylish bedrooms have fresh flowers, a coffee machine, silent mini fridge and posh toiletries, use of a spa barn with hot tub and sauna. After a range-cooked local breakfast, served at a refectory table, White Cliff walks, Dover Castle, trendy Deal and Folkestone are nearby. Glampers can book a shepherd’s hut with hot tub and firepit.
Doubles from £155 B&B, two-night min stay, three-night min over bank holidays, alkhamcourt.co.uk
The new Good Hotel Guide is online at goodhotelguide.com