The Lodge In The Vale

The Lodge In The Vale is a modern, good-value lodge at Thirlmere, a few miles from Keswick, and it is built for the kind of guest who arrives with walking boots and a dog. Dogs are welcome across most of the building, walks start straight from the door with Helvellyn within reach, and guests who stay with dogs repeatedly describe the staff as friendly and accommodating towards them.

Dogs are taken on request, so confirm yours at booking. The fee is £10 per dog for a single night or £15 per dog for a longer stay, charged to cover extra cleaning. Dogs can join you in the lounge, the licensed bar and the other communal areas, but not in the breakfast area, and staff have been known to keep an eye on dogs in the lobby while owners collect breakfast. A door code lets you in and out after 9pm for late and early walks.

Small practical touches come up often. There is an outside tap for rinsing off a muddy dog before going in, and the dog-friendly rooms are kept apart from the non-dog rooms, which suits owners whose dogs tend to bark. The sister inn, the King's Head, is about a mile along the road for evening meals and a cooked breakfast, and dogs get a warm reception there too.

The drawbacks are consistent. Rooms are small, and several guests with larger dogs found them cramped, with some feeling the lodge suits small dogs far better than big ones. There is no dedicated dog exercise area on site, walls and doors are thin, and rooms facing the road pick up traffic noise. Beds divide opinion, a few guests noticed a lingering dog smell in their room, and the roadside walk to the King's Head after dark needs a torch.

Best suited to walkers with one or two small or medium dogs who want an affordable base at the foot of Helvellyn and do not mind compact rooms. It earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.