Lake View Farm, Matterdale

Lake View Farm is a converted barn above Ullswater, about seven miles south-west of Penrith in the Matterdale valley, and the view is genuinely the reason to book it. Cleanliness is the thing guests travelling with dogs mention most: they repeatedly say there is no trace of previous pets anywhere in the place, which is the sort of detail only people who have stayed somewhere with lingering dog smell think to raise.

One dog can stay and a charge applies, though the amount is not published, so ask when you book. The barn is private and quiet, separate from the owners' house, with heating good enough to make it a credible winter booking and a driveway light that comes on by itself, which is a small mercy when you arrive after dark with a dog to unload.

The consistent caveat from dog owners is about getting out on foot. The drive meets an A road with no footpath on either side and a bend that limits visibility, so walking the dog from the door is not realistic and most guests end up driving to a start point, where the car parks are pay-and-display. There is a cattle grid at the bottom of the drive too, which turns slippery in the wet and which smaller dogs need carrying over. Grass close to the barn is limited, although the owners have offered guests the use of their own garden, so it is worth asking.

Once you accept the car, the location earns it back. Ullswater, Aira Force and the Gowbarrow and Matterdale paths are all a short drive, and Pooley Bridge and Glenridding give you lake shore and steamer piers that take dogs. Guests are warm about the welcome touches and the standard of the fit-out generally, with only a tired sofa and a weak shower drawing criticism.

Best for a couple with one dog who are happy to drive to their walks and want a spotless, private barn with a big Lakeland view to come back to.