The Priory, Middleham

The Priory is a small bed and breakfast on West End in Middleham, a quiet Wensleydale village better known for its racing yards and its castle than for tourism, and it is the kind of place where a dog is treated as another guest rather than an item on a form.

Dogs can stay in three of the four bedrooms, plus the coach house, so most of the property is open to them, though it is worth naming the dog when you book to make sure you get one of those rooms. The owner is the reason this page rates as highly as it does: guests travelling with dogs consistently report that the welcome extends properly to the animal, with the same attention given to the dog as to the breakfast and the bedroom.

The rooms are spacious, spotless and decorated with some care, and the breakfast draws more praise than anything else, including from vegetarian guests who are used to being an afterthought. There is a courtyard with a garden beyond, which gives you somewhere to stand with the dog first thing without going out onto the road.

Middleham suits a walking holiday. The market square, the castle and a couple of pubs are a short walk from the door, the gallops above the village are a local landmark, and wider Wensleydale opens up within a few minutes' drive towards Leyburn. It scores 9.8 out of 10 across guest reviews.

The practical limits are those of a four-bedroom B&B: there is no restaurant, so dinner means walking into the village, and the property is small enough that a boisterous dog would be noticed. Fees and any size limit are not published, so settle those when you book. With a 4.7 out of 5 paw rating, The Priory is best suited to one settled dog on a short Dales break, where the personal quality of the welcome is the whole point.