The Sunday Times - UK (2022-04-10)

The Sunday Times April 10, 2022 5

Travel Dog special

We love our lockdown dogs, but where can you go on holiday with them? Kicking

off our canine travel special, Lottie Gross picks the UK’s best four-legged outings

own the place amid its walled

gardens, manicured lawns

and miles of trails. The Stables

tearoom offers water for

dogs, and tea and cake for

their entourage.

Details One night’s

self-catering for six in a

cottage on the Belle Isle

Estate and private island,

Lisbellaw, from £137 per

night (belle-isle.com)

OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

IN WEST SUSSEX

Not many dog walks come

with an opportunity to see

Victorian classrooms, Tudor

kitchens or medieval

homesteads, but the Weald

& Downland Living

Museum offers just that

(wealddown.co.uk). With

40 acres of footpaths, it’s

peppered with historic houses

and farm buildings that are

packed with artefacts from

rural life through the ages, and

it’s a great educational day out

with the dog and children in

tow. Seasonal events include

natural navigation walks,

traditional bread-making

demonstrations, and

midsummer celebrations.

You’ll recognise the black

thatched barn from the BBC’s

hit show The Repair Shop.

Details One night’s

self-catering for four at

Benbow Pond Cottages

on the Cowdray Estate

from £153 (cowdray.co.uk)

GAD ABOUT TOWN

IN LINCOLN

Handsome, historic Lincoln

prides itself on being one of

the UK’s most dog-friendly

cities. Time your visit with one

of the monthly dog-friendly

days at the enormous Norman

castle, home to an original

copy of Magna Carta, and

walk its ancient walls for views

over the medieval town. Nip

over to the behemoth gothic

cathedral, an architectural

masterpiece that’s dog-

friendly inside and out, then

settle down witha pint and a

Lincolnshire sausage in one

of the city’s many pubs;

the Wig & Mitre is a

particular favourite.

Details Two nights’

self-catering for up to ten at

Holly Farm cottage on the

Doddington Hall estate just

outside Lincoln from £700

(doddingtonhall.com)

MESS ABOUT IN

BOATS IN RUTLAND

Rutland Water, the 3,100-acre

reservoir in the centre of the

county, is a haven for wildlife.

Swans, ducks and kingfishers

populate its waters, and you

can join them with the dog on

a paddleboard, canoe or

kayak. Keep an eye out above

you too — the regal osprey

was reintroduced here in 1996

and there are now ten

breeding pairs gracing the

skies here. Dogs must stay

on leads if you want to spend

time on the reservoir’s

footpaths, but there’s an off-

lead exercise area at Sykes

Lane car park.

Continued on page 6→

Granny Dowbekin’s tearoom

in Pooley Bridge before taking

the boat back.

Details One night’s

self-catering in a two-person,

pet-friendly camping pod at

the Quiet Site, Ullswater,

from £60 (thequietsite.co.uk)

POOCH PROMENADE

IN CO FERMANAGH

The smartest pups in Northern

Ireland should make for

Florence Court, now owned

by the National Trust. The

18th-century mansion has a

mysterious history — few

records about its origins exist,

meaning there’s little known

about its original owners or

who built it. Fantasise that you

THE CAIRNGORMS

WITH YOUR CANINE

Down a single-track lane,

about 15 minutes’ drive south

of Aviemore, Loch an Eilein

draws fewer crowds than its

larger neighbours but is

equally — if not more —

enchanting. This small but

diverse nature reserve has a

pleasingly simple four-mile

trail around the loch, with

viewpoints overlooking its

island and castle ruins. Dogs

must remain on leads to stop

them scaring any red

squirrels, but there’s an

exercise meadow where they

can run free. Bring a picnic

and settle by the shoreline for

lunch, and don’t forget your

water shoes for a swim.

Details Three nights’

self-catering for ten at

Tom’s Lodge, Aviemore, from

£1,789 (petspyjamas.com)

DOGGIE FESTIVAL

IN THE NEW FOREST

If it wasn’t clear that we’re

a nation of dog lovers, the

annual Dogstival event in the

New Forest makes the point

loudly ( June 4-5 2022;

dogstival.co.uk). A raucous

festival of pooches, it has dog

shows, flyball sessions, gundog

displays and even a dog

modelling competition. If it’s

hot, you’ll want to queue for

the K9 splash pool to keep

your pet cool, and if your dog

needs to run off some excess

energy, give the Crufts-style

agility course a go. Edible

treats abound for dogs and

their owners.

Details Three nights’

self-catering in a six-person

safari tent at Green Hill Farm

from £1,088 (lovatparks.com)

TRAVEL BY STEAM

IN YORKSHIRE

With ancient woodlands and

sandy beaches, the North York

Moors offer a setting ripe for

exploration. Visit in August

and September and the

heather-covered hills will be

painted pink and the fields

filled with sheep chomping on

wildflowers. You might never

tire of walking the dog along its

trails, but you mustn’t miss a

vintage steam train ride on the

North Yorkshire Moors

Railway from Pickering to

Whitby and back. Pooches are

welcome, apart from on dining

services (nymr.co.uk).

Details Three nights’

self-catering for two at

Fox & Rabbit cottages,

near Pickering, from £299

(foxandrabbitcottages.co.uk)

PADDLE DOWN THE WYE

Test your dog’s sea (or river)

legs on the waters of the

winding Wye, the river that

inspired artists such as

Wordsworth and Turner to

create some of their most

famous works. Hire a canoe at

Kerne Bridge and paddle

south towards Symonds Yat —

where scenes from the hit

Netflix series Sex Education

were filmed. You’ll pass

heather-clad Coppett Hill,

leafy Lower Lydbrook and

eventually finish near

Symonds Yat Rock, worth

hiking up to for views over the

twisting river and this area of

outstanding natural beauty.

Details Two nights’

self-catering for two in a

cabin at the Roost Glamping,

Mitcheldean from £435

(theroostglamping.co.uk)

SAIL AND HIKE

THE LAKE DISTRICT

You’d be hard-pressed to

walk the entire 20-mile

Ullswater Way in a day —

even your most energetic

terrier might tire after

scaling its gentle slopes. But

book yourself a ticket on

the Ullswater “Steamers”

and you can enjoy

sections of it on foot and

by boat. Start out at

Glenridding and take the

boat — a former steam-

powered vessel — to

Howtown where you

can begin a hike north

along the lake’s eastern

shore. Expect classic Lakes

scenery and reward yourself

with hearty pies or

ploughman’s lunches at

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Above, Bamburgh Castle

and, inset, an Ullswater

steamer. Below, walkies

around Loch an Eilein in

the Cairngorms

DAVERHEAD, BARBANNA/GETTY IMAGES; STEPHEN FLEMING, DGDIMAGES/ALAMY