Boston House

Boston House is a big Windermere group house that happens to be genuinely set up for dogs, which is a rarer combination than it sounds. Most properties willing to take four dogs are remote cottages down a farm track; this one sits on The Terrace in Windermere town, a couple of minutes from the railway station and a supermarket, so a large party can arrive by train and still get the dogs out before dinner.

The house takes up to four dogs, with a charge added for each one at check-out rather than at booking, so it is worth asking for the per-dog rate before you commit. Space is the main reason it works: groups have used it for four couples with children and a dog, and for family gatherings of fourteen, and there is enough lounge and kitchen room that a dog is not underfoot wherever it stands. A cinema room and a hot tub give everyone somewhere to be on a wet Lakeland afternoon, which matters when the walk gets cut short.

The location is the strongest part of the offer for dog owners. Windermere town centre is on the doorstep, the walk down to Bowness and the lake shore is straightforward, and Orrest Head, the short climb that gives you the classic view over the lake, starts a few minutes away. Guests describe the house as clean and well kept throughout, with owners who step in quickly when something goes wrong.

Two things to weigh. The outside space is small for the size of the house, so there is no garden to let four dogs loose in and everything happens on lead from the front door. And because the property is priced and configured for a full group, a couple with one dog will find better value elsewhere in Windermere. For a large party bringing dogs to the Lakes without a car, though, it earns its 4.4/5 paw rating.