The Old Coach House, Witney

The Old Coach House sits on the western edge of Witney, close enough to walk into the Oxfordshire market town for supper and far enough out to feel like a proper Cotswold-edge base. It is a whole-house rental built for groups, and the feature dog owners keep coming back to is the garden: large, walled and enclosed, with a wide terrace that gives everyone, two-legged and four-legged, somewhere to spread out.

Dogs are welcome here, and the ground floor is well suited to them. Guests travelling with dogs describe an outdoor space they were happy to let a dog use freely alongside children, and a downstairs layout - big kitchen, sociable dining table, hard floors - that copes with muddy paws better than most period properties.

Witney town centre is a short stroll away, which makes the evenings easy: several pubs within walking distance take dogs, and the Windrush riverside paths and the town's green spaces give you somewhere to go first thing without getting in the car. The Cotswolds proper start a few miles west, so longer walks are a short drive.

The honest caveat is housekeeping. Cleanliness comes up repeatedly: floors that had not been properly vacuumed, and mess left outside in the gravel and bin area, including dog waste that had not been cleared before arrival. That matters more when you are the one letting a dog out at six in the morning. The stairs are another consideration - a spiral staircase between floors plus a further set of steps to one bedroom, which is fine for able adults and agile dogs but awkward for an older or larger dog that needs carrying.

Best suited to a group travelling together with one or two settled dogs, who will make the most of the garden and the walk into town, and who would rather have space than spotless. It earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.