Cobblers Cottage, Sidmouth

Cobblers Cottage is a small self-catering cottage on Mill Street, in the middle of Sidmouth and a couple of minutes' walk from the seafront. Having the whole place to yourselves is what makes it easy with a dog: no shared corridors, no reception to walk past, and your own front door onto a quiet street in the centre of town.

One dog can come along at £40 per pet, per week, and the owners ask you to tell them at the time of booking rather than arriving with a dog unannounced. It is worth raising anything specific at that point, since there is no formal pet policy beyond the charge and the one-dog limit.

Sidmouth is a genteel Regency resort that suits dog walkers well. The esplanade runs the length of the seafront for an easy morning stroll, the South West Coast Path climbs out of town in both directions towards Salcombe Hill and Peak Hill, and the Byes, a riverside parkland walk following the River Sid, starts a short way inland. Plenty of cafes and pubs in town are happy to have a dog under the table, and there is a bakery a couple of doors from the cottage and a convenience store round the corner for stocking up. Seasonal restrictions apply on the town beaches over the summer, so check the current dates before heading for the sand.

Two things to plan for. There is no yard or garden, so every toilet trip is a walk rather than a step outside, and parking is in a public car park a few minutes away rather than at the door, which means carrying bags and dog gear at either end of the stay. The cottage is compact and best suited to two people. For a couple with one settled dog who want to walk everywhere from the front door, it is a sound Sidmouth base and earns a 4.3/5 paw rating.