Stamp Howe, Troutbeck

Stamp Howe is a four-star cottage in Troutbeck, the long hillside village a few miles north of Windermere, and the feature that stands out for dog owners is the garden. It is enclosed, so the dog can go out for five minutes without a lead and without a plan. On this side of the Lakes, where most self-catering sits on an open plot beside a road, that alone is worth a premium.

One dog can stay, for a flat fifteen pounds covering the whole stay rather than a nightly charge, so a week costs no more than a night. The owners are clear about the house rules: dogs downstairs and off the furniture, no bedrooms, and never left alone in the property. That last one shapes the trip, so plan days out you can take the dog along on.

The house itself is set up for real Lake District weather. Guests mention thoughtful touches like torches left out for the walk back from the pub and lighting that comes on automatically overnight, which sounds trivial until you are letting a dog out at two in the morning on an unlit hillside. The village pub is a few minutes away on foot, and the Garburn Pass and Wansfell paths climb straight out of the village, so a serious half-day round is possible without moving the car.

The caveats are about the building rather than the dog policy. It is an older cottage on a slope, and the upstairs shower has been flagged as slippery underfoot, so a mat of your own is a sensible thing to pack. The single-dog limit also rules it out for anyone travelling with a pair.

Best for a couple with one well-behaved dog who want an enclosed garden, a pub within a few minutes' walk and fell paths from the gate.