Wisteria Cottage, Marldon

Wisteria Cottage sits at Castle Barton in Compton, a hamlet in the parish of Marldon a few miles inland from Paignton, and the appeal for a dog owner is simple: a whole cottage to yourselves, open Devon countryside at the door, and Torbay's beaches a short drive away. Compton Castle, the National Trust's medieval manor house, is essentially next door.

One dog is welcome per booking. Owners who have brought a dog describe an unusually warm reception from the hosts, with wine and cake on arrival the sort of detail that comes up, and there is enough outdoor space for a dog to stretch out and exercise without loading it back into the car. Being a self-contained cottage rather than a room in a larger property, there are no shared corridors or communal areas to negotiate.

The wider area rewards a dog-friendly trip. Torbay has a good spread of cafes and pubs that take dogs, several of the beaches allow them outside the summer restriction period, and the Dartmouth Steam Railway's winter Train of Lights is within easy reach for anyone visiting in December. Inland, the lanes around Marldon and Compton give quiet walking well away from the coast crowds.

The caveat is that no pet charge, weight limit or breed rule is published for the cottage, so those are worth a direct question when you enquire, particularly if your dog is large. Being inland rather than on the seafront also means driving to the beach rather than walking to it.

Wisteria Cottage earns a 4.6/5 paw rating and suits a couple or small family with one well-mannered dog who want a quiet countryside cottage within reach of the South Devon coast, rather than a base in the middle of a resort town.