Sun Inn, Pooley Bridge

The Sun Inn sits in the middle of Pooley Bridge at the northern end of Ullswater, and it is about as straightforwardly dog-friendly as a Lakeland pub gets. Dogs are welcome throughout the whole pub rather than in one corner of the bar, and they stay in the bedrooms too. For anyone who has spent a wet evening working out where they are allowed to sit with a dog, that alone is worth a lot.

What guests with dogs mention most is how easy it is. Log fires are lit in the bar, staff are relaxed about dogs underfoot, and nobody gets moved on. There is a large car park, which is unusual in a village this small, and a beer garden with a play area that works for families travelling with children and dogs together. The food is traditional pub cooking in generous portions, and half board is available.

The location does most of the work. The Ullswater shoreline path towards Howtown starts nearby, the steamer pier is a short walk, and the fells above the village give a full day's walking straight from the door. Shops and other pubs are a few minutes away if you want a change.

The building is an old pub and the rooms reflect that. Several are small, the decor and furniture are dated, and a few guests have felt the price was high for what they got. Rooms can get hot with windows that open only a little, and noise from the bar carries upstairs until closing. The flip side of a pub where dogs go everywhere is that you can hear other people's dogs through the walls, which matters if you or your dog are light sleepers.

For dog owners who want an unfussy Ullswater base where the dog is genuinely welcome in every room of the pub, the Sun Inn earns a 4.2/5 paw rating.