Little Fern, Sourton

Little Fern is a small holiday let in the grounds of a working farm at Sourton, on the north-western edge of Dartmoor, and the reason it works for dogs is the enclosed space outside the door.

That enclosure is the practical difference between a cottage that permits dogs and one that suits them. Guests arriving with larger dogs have picked it out specifically: somewhere the dog can go out first thing without a lead and without a road in sight. The entrance comes through a patch of woodland, so although the let is attached to the main farm building it keeps a genuine degree of privacy, and there are no shared corridors or other guests to steer past.

One pet can stay and a charge applies, though the amount is not published, so agree it when you book. Dartmoor effectively starts at the gate: Sourton Tors rise behind the farm, the Granite Way follows the old railway towards Okehampton and Lydford, and Lydford Gorge is a couple of miles down the road.

Two things to weigh first. The let sits close to the A30 and a service station - guests describe the noise as barely audible indoors, but the road is genuinely near, so this is not somewhere to open a door and let a dog drift. And feedback on the interior is a good deal more mixed than on the setting: an uncomfortable bed, tired fittings and, on occasion, a lingering smell come up often enough to be worth saying, and the overall guest score of 7.8 out of 10 reflects that rather than anything to do with dogs.

The 4.4/5 paw rating covers the pet side of a stay here, which is the strong part. Little Fern suits a couple with one dog, a big one included, who want a good-value and well-placed base for walking Dartmoor and will not mind a plain interior.