A Bed and Breakfast especially for dogs – with adults only in tow
Posted - 02/07/2007
The title says it all ! Phil and Sheila Ingham opened their bed and breakfast for dogs (and their owners) in Finavon, Forfar in June 2007.
Based in glorious Angus countryside, the house is situated on the edge of the Grampian Mountains and the Angus Glens and only a short drive from beautiful dog friendly beaches.
All three bedrooms (one double with views over the country side, one very large double and one twin room with amazing views) have en-suites with large shower cubicles and power showers.
Phil and Sheila also own dogs – their two golden retrievers and a Newfoundland are always ready to make new friends!
Look in their guest book and the comments portray a wonderful place to stay –“An extremely comfortable home from home. A delight to find a ‘place’ that says dog’s welcome and means it! Food outstanding as was the welcome.”
There’s plenty to do during your stay, places of interest include Glamis Castle (ancestral home of the late Queen Mother), RMS Discovery - Permanently berthed in Dundee (Antarctic ship of Captain Scott), Grampian and Cairngorm National Parks, Arbroath Abbey (Scotlands birthplace).
As Phil and Sheila say – “our idea of heaven is our house full of happy people and happy dogs !!”
To find out more, visit www.braeheadbandb.co.uk
A Cottage for Three (dogs)
Posted - 13/04/2007
We felt like a break and we wanted to take the dogs, but with three larger dogs (a retired greyhound, saluki and a staghound) it isn’t that easy to find somewhere that welcomes us all!
My wife searched on the Dog Friendly’s Cottages4You site and we found an idyllic looking thatched cottage in Winfrith Newburgh, Dorset, a County that we did not know well and we were keen to find out more (and they accepted our dogs!).
We arrived at Patch Cottage on a sunny afternoon and the description on the Dog Friendly site was accurate – it was a perfectly Dog Friendly cottage, the garden was secure and the kitchen has stone flooring, always re-assuring just in case of minor accidents!
From a human perspective, my wife and I only had two minor gripes, firstly the stairs were incredibly steep (but I guess that’s how they were in the 17th Century) and secondly the cottage is right on the road and although it is not a busy road, the traffic noise was still a little annoying at night.
But this didn’t spoil our holiday one bit. There is wonderful dog walking country in Dorset, the views on the coast are absolutely stunning and most walks have dog loos usefully positioned along the way.
One walk you mustn’t miss is the climb (and it is a steep climb) to look over Durdle Door. What a site!
The Blue Bell Hotel
Posted - 28/09/2006
Driving up the A1 towards the village of Belford, I began to realise why Northumberland has been described as “The Secret Kingdom”
It is a gem of a place. Idyllic countryside, wonderful views and beautiful deserted sandy beaches.
The village of Belford is just a couple of minutes off the A1, just past Bamburgh.
As I entered the village, I found the Blue Bell Hotel enjoying a prominent position overlooking the small market square.
The Blue Bell, dating back in parts to the 17th Century, has a beautiful, ivy clad frontage and has plenty of parking right outside the front door.
The reception area is warm and inviting, just as the welcome was from the staff on reception.
Always re-assuring to see doggy pictures and ornaments around the place!
The Blue Bell has seventeen bedrooms, all are en-suite (most with bath and shower, others with only shower). One of the bedrooms has disabled facilities and there is a very large family room with its own separate sitting room.
The bedrooms are clean, tidy and very light – with comfortable fittings, colour TV and drink making facilities.
Sitting in the lounge, enjoying a cup of coffee, I realised how homely the hotel was – and above all quiet.
The Blue Bell welcomes responsible owners and their dogs. You can bring up to two small to medium sized dogs for no extra charge and they can be left in the room unattended, but are not allowed on the furniture.
There are very large beautiful rambling gardens where you can walk the dogs and plenty of walks that are close to the Hotel.
A five minute drive away is Bamburgh castle, set high on a rocky outcrop overlooking miles of beautiful sandy beaches.
Part of the same group, and also dogfriendly, are:
The Adderstone Hall Estate in Bamburgh, a superb residence and grounds with self catering cottages –
01668 213 543 - FANTASTIC FOR DOGS!
Belford Court, self-catering apartments in the High Street, Belford – 01668 213543
Helme Park Hall Hotel, Bishop Auckland, County Durham 01388 730 970
“We have visited the Blue Bell seven times in the last eighteen months. Our dog Harvey (a chocolate miniature poodle) absolutely loves it. When we pull up outside, he jumps out of the car and he’s in the hotel before we even get the bags out of the boot. Harvey thinks the Blue Bell is his second home. He loves the staff, and they love him.
The hospitality of Northumbrians is legendary, and I can say that the staff at the Blue Bell live up to the legend.
The area is wonderful for walking. We always visit Bamburgh and Holy Island – and of course Harvey comes with us every where.
The hotel is great, we have recommended it to all our friends and family, in fact we have taken our closest friends and they love it too. We would recommend it to anyone, and especially if they have a dog!”
Tony, Margo and Harvey
The Olde House
Posted - 15/02/2006
My wife and I, two boys and an ageing (and very stubborn) retired racing greyhound, were heading south west to Cornwall in the middle of the summer holidays.
As you would expect, the traffic was terrible, but when we pulled into the Olde House holiday complex, we knew the drive had been worth while.
My sons liked the look of the indoor heated swimming pool and the tennis courts, I liked the look of the Jacuzzi and the farm walks, my wife liked the look of the farm animals, and our greyhound liked the look of the resident black labrador and the springer spaniel.
We had chosen one of the bungalows to stay in and it was more than adequately furnished, with dishwasher, cooker and fridge and a telly for the thankfully few rainy days.
The bungalow had two bedrooms and an open plan lounge, kitchen and dining area.
We would recommend the Olde House to any family with young children and with dogs - there are plenty of wonderful walks, but you do have to keep
your dogs on a lead as there are farm animals about and dogs cannot be left alone in the cottages.
We had a great time - lots to do, whatever the weather, just one small gripe - it was expensive, but it is cheaper out of season.
The Ivy House Country Hotel
Posted - 02/02/2006
Having visited the Ivy House several times on business in the past, I was delighted that my wife suggested we try their “January Jolly” special offer and take our three dogs, two retired greyhounds and a rescued (and rather nervous) Saluki cross.
Booking the Jolly was a simple process, and the kind lady on reception didn’t seem particularly phased when I said that we had three dogs.
We were advised that the dogs would be charged £7.50 extra per dog per visit – which seemed reasonable to me.
We arrived at the hotel mid afternoon on a Thursday and checked into the reception. Such a friendly and warm welcome – makes all the difference! The lady showed us to our room, which was warm and welcoming (I emphasis the warm, because it was freezing outside).
The room was large, with a double bed and a single bed, a spacious bathroom and most importantly, a doggie box – with three dog bowls, raw hide chews (enough for all the dogs for both days), poo bags, a map detailing dog walks around the hotel and three large blankets for the dogs. Oh, and a large rechargeable torch so that we didn’t fall into the ditches at night.
We settled in quickly, and at 7.30pm we left the dogs in the room and went to dinner in the Crooked Barn Restaurant. The food was, as expected, wonderful. Mainly local produce, the set menu was good value, and the A La Carte was superb.
Next morning, we enjoyed possibly one of the best English breakfasts I have ever had – nothing fancy, just good food.
The walks around the hotel are beautiful. The Oulton Broad is only ten minutes and the walk is clearly signed.
My wife and I can fully recommend the Ivy House – and the dogs loved it too. We’ll all be back soon I hope.
Campaign aims to turn more landlords into pet lovers
