South Hill Farmhouse, Stow-on-the-Wold

South Hill Farmhouse is a big, beautifully equipped Cotswolds house on the edge of Stow-on-the-Wold, built for the kind of gathering that needs two kitchens and a games room, and dogs are welcome alongside the rest of the party. For extended families and groups of friends who normally have to leave the dog behind, that combination of scale and a dog-friendly policy is genuinely hard to find.

Dogs stay for a charge of £25 per dog, payable at the property. The feature owners return to most is the large enclosed garden, which comes up again and again as the thing that made the stay work - somewhere the dogs and the children could both be let loose without anyone watching the gate. Guests also mention a generous welcome hamper on arrival, a boot room by the door that earns its keep after a muddy walk, and country walks that start from the property itself.

There is one caveat that dog owners should weigh before booking, because owners raise it more than anything else: the farmhouse sits directly on the main A-road into Stow, with no pavement on the house side. The garden keeps your dog safe on the property, but crossing to reach the pavement and walk into town is a real judgement call with a dog on the lead, and it is the one thing owners consistently flag as the drawback here. Owners of steady, road-savvy dogs manage it comfortably; if traffic would unsettle your dog, treat it as a deal-breaker rather than a niggle and plan to drive the couple of minutes to quieter Cotswold walks instead.

It is also worth casting an eye over the garden fencing when you arrive: dog bookings are a relatively recent addition here, and the boundary suits a dog that will stay put better than a determined escape artist. South Hill Farmhouse works best for large families and groups who want a top-quality Cotswolds base with secure outdoor space for the dogs, and who are comfortable planning around a roadside location. It earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.