Holidays cottages for you and your best friend

Helpful Holidays have around 310 holiday homes throughout Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, which welcome man’s best friend to come and share some wonderful walks, wide open spaces and golden, sandy beaches.

Many of the properties accept pets entirely free of charge while others welcome two at a time saving on kennelling costs that can easily start at around £10 per day for a medium sized dog. All of the Helpful Holidays team have visited the cottages and can advise on special doggie needs such as an enclosed garden in which to play; acres of moorland to explore and the nearest dog friendly beach.

Taking your dog to the West Country will enhance both your holiday and your pet’s – most pubs welcome well-behaved dogs; owners can share shaggy dog stories while their four-legged friends get acquainted under the bar. Dogs can also enjoy a day out at many of the West Country’s top attractions.

Larger dogs and those with lots of energy will relish a week’s holiday on Exmoor or Dartmoor with long walks and climbs over heather-clad hills and tors. While you pause to admire the stunning views, your dog will rummage and pick up exciting scents from unseen creatures. Dartmoor holiday homes such as the Red Barn, near Lydford (ref A51, from £653 per week or £109per person per week for six sharing) and Blissmoor, near Manaton (ref A109, from £309pw or £39pppw based on eight sharing) all offer an excellent base while the Roundhouse at West Anstey (ref F1, from £277pw or £35pppw based on eight sharing) is a lovely cottage from which to explore Exmoor.

For the less energetic, smaller or older pets the West Country is criss-crossed by gentle, waymarked trails which keep away from traffic passing by verdant hedges and through woodland. Amongst the holiday homes which would suit are two 18th century cottages at St Kew, North Cornwall (refs P26 from £297pw or £149pppw based on two sharing and P27, from £246pw or £62pppw based on four sharing) and a former threshing barn near Moreleigh in Devon’s South Hams (ref L28, from £355pw or £60pppw based on six sharing).

Helpful Holidays also have many places on the coast for water-loving pets including chalets and smart apartments sitting right beside beautiful dog-friendly beaches such as the Burgh Island Causeway Apartments at Bigbury-on-Sea, which also have spectacular views to Burgh Island (refs L536/L542 from £456pw or £114ppp week based on four sharing and L535 from £456pw or £76pppw based on six sharing).

Pendowr House is a quarter of a mile from the beach in North Cornwall’s Watergate Bay (ref Q321, from £412pw or £42pppw based on ten sharing) and there is a selection of chalets at Gwithian Towans with its beautiful four-mile stretch of sand just south of Newquay including a single storey beach house (ref Q432, from £267pw or £67pppw based on four sharing).

For details and to book online, visit Helpfulholidays.com. Prices for a week’s stay with your best friend start from just £298 per week (£25pp) for twelve staying in a large 18th century house at Barbrook on Exmoor (ref F16) during the low season. Short breaks are also available in many of the cottages from October to March.