Dog Friendly Lake District Cottages

Dogs are welcome at all our dog-friendly cottages, plus five of our eight luxury shepherd’s huts – Oak, Larch and Maple Retreats welcome dogs freely, and we’re also delighted to welcome one well-behaved dog at both Birch and Cedar Retreats. Those last two sit in open woodland without an enclosed garden, so if your dog’s the sort to go exploring after a squirrel rather than settle by the fire, one of our cottages might suit you better.

We ask guests to keep dogs out of bedrooms and off the furniture, and waste bags and bins are provided throughout. Wythburn Cottage even has its own dedicated dog shower for muddy-paw emergencies.

Each of our three clusters comes with its own front-door walking routes, and several local pubs are proper dog-friendly stops rather than just tolerant of them – the Fetherston Arms and Crown Inn in Kirkoswald, the Boot and Shoe in Greystoke, and the Melmerby Stores tea room among them.

No charge at all, ever. Your dog stays free, and we don’t count paws when we count guests. We’d rather you brought them than left them behind.

This is genuinely still working farmland, with sheep grazing nearby and plenty of wildlife about, so we do ask that dogs are kept under control at all times and on leads wherever there’s livestock or open fields around. Many of our cottages have enclosed private gardens, which is the easiest way to let your dog off the lead with total peace of mind – worth bearing in mind when you’re choosing a property if a good off-lead run matters to you.