Hury Lodge, Bowes

Hury Lodge is a small stone cottage high above Hury Reservoir in Baldersdale, on the County Durham moors west of Barnard Castle, and it is built around the things a dog wants: an enclosed garden, open country in every direction and walks that start at the door.

The booking listing allows up to two pets per booking and discloses no pet charge, so ask about one when you book. What guests notice instead is the welcome - a pack with chews for the dog alongside cake and milk for their owners - and owners who live next door and are on hand without ever intruding.

The garden is the feature dog owners return to. It is fully enclosed and described as genuinely dog-proof, so dogs can be off the lead in a safe space, which matters here because beyond the wall this is working sheep country and dogs need to stay under close control on open ground. Guests wanting a lead-free walk head for the old Teesdale railway path, which runs away from livestock, or the circuit around the reservoir. Hannah's Meadows is close by, and a three-mile circular walk gets you to a pub and back.

Barnard Castle is the nearest town of any size and High Force is a short drive up the dale. The roads get cleared quickly in snow, and guests have stayed through Christmas without trouble.

Two things to know before booking. There is no mobile signal and no Wi-Fi at all, so the television is Freeview and you are genuinely off-grid: most guests count that as the point, but it is not a place to work from. And while the cottage is warm, well equipped and spotless in most accounts, one guest found the lounge carpet carried a smell their dogs kept investigating and a patch of mould on the bathroom ceiling, and felt the place could use some light attention. It is a compact retreat rather than a group base - couples or a small family with a dog or two, after real countryside instead of town comforts, get the most from it.