Holidaying with Your Four-Legged Friend

When you have a favourite furry friend, going on holiday without them can be really tough. In fact, lots of people prefer to go on holiday in the UK instead of going abroad because then their dog can come with them. It is a trend that has been steadily increasing for way over a decade and is only due to keep on growing. 

 

Here at Blue Lagoon Cottages, we know how much people love their dogs. Everyone knows that dogs are man’s best friend. People are always going on holiday with their best buddies, so why can’t you take your best mate away with you on your next trip? When you book a week or two away with Blue Lagoon Cottages, you can do just that because our cottages are fabulous and dog friendly. 

 

So if you do decide to book a week away with Fido, where can you go? What can you do? Read on to get the lowdown on taking your best friend away so you can avoid those big brown mournful eyes the next time you get the suitcase out. 

 

We have two cosy cottages in two incredible locations, so we are going to take a look at the best things to do with your best friend when you are staying at each stunning location. 

 

Snuggly Odd Cottage is set in the picturesque village of Lower Oddington in Gloucestershire, close to the verdant county’s border with Oxfordshire. The cottage has two double bedrooms (sleeps 4) and an enclosed garden. It is the perfect oasis of calm in a beautiful 11th century Cotswolds village that makes you feel like you have just walked on to the set of a period drama. With its log burner in the living room, it is the perfect place to withdraw to at the end of a long exploring the countryside. 

Lower Oddington is a very quiet village with two excellent, friendly country pubs. However, it is just two miles away east of the small market town Stow-on-the-Wold, which has plenty to keep you busy during your stay. Then half an hour west of Lower Oddington is the regency spa town of Cheltenham. 

 

If you are a lover of walking or cycling, this is the ideal base for a holiday with your dog. There are so many activities and places to visit that you will want to keep coming back time after time. 

 

One of our absolute favourite things to do, which we recommend to guests of Odd Cottage, is the AA Walks: Empires and Poets at Adlestrop and Daylesford walk. This fabulous but very comfortable ambling walk through the countryside is a brilliant way to take in the history of the area and enjoy the glorious countryside. What’s more, you can take a break on the walk to grab a bite to eat and drink at the famously luxurious Daylesford Organics Farm shop. It is regularly frequented by the likes of Blur’s Alex James, Liz Hurley and Kate Moss. Who knows who you might bump into whilst you are there? 

 

In the nearby regency spa town of Cheltenham, there are plenty of dog-friendly attractions from the impressively landscaped Pittville Park to dog-friendly shop-come-cafes like Be More Bob and Archie’s. 

 

There is so much to do on a dog-friendly holiday in Gloucestershire that you won’t know where to begin. However, Painswick Rococo Gardens and Cotswold Wildlife Park are also brilliant outings to head off to with your canine companion. 

 

Quirky Hog Cottage is located just outside the pretty market town of Wirksworth, once a mill town, in a small hamlet called Gorsey Bank, Derbyshire. The cottage has two double bedrooms (sleeps 4) and an enclosed garden. It is a calm and peaceful spot in the middle of the glorious countryside. Set up on a hill, you will be able to relax with a glass of wine and enjoy sweeping views of the town and rolling fields. 

Wirksworth was once a mill and mining town that features “imposing stone buildings and [an] intricate network of narrow lanes, yards and alleys”. Nearby Haarlem Mill (where the town’s fortune came from) is rumoured to have been the inspiration for nineteenth-century author George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss and Adam Bede’s Snowfield on the town of Wirksworth. Its links to classic literature don’t just end there - DH Lawrence once lived and wrote in the town. 

 

When you are not exploring the countryside, then you can discover the glory of the Peak District by hiking or cycling to any of its many attractions, lots of which are dog friendly. Chatsworth in Bakewell is just a 30 minute drive away and this has to be the most dog-friendly place in the area. In 2019, they even erected an 8-metre high sculpture of a dog made from scaffolding on the South Lawn. Then there’s Treak Cliff Cavern where you can see fabulous natural minerals close-up. Or you could visit Crich Tramway Village near Matlock where you and your pooch can take a ride on a vintage tram through the recreated village street in the National Tramway Museum. 

 

Both of our pretty country cottages mean that dog owners can take their furry friends on holiday with them to enjoy discovering the UK’s glorious countryside together. April, June and September are warm, quiet months outside of school holidays meaning that you and Fido will get the restorative break you needed. 

 

Whether you stay in either our Derbyshire country cottage or our Cotswolds country cottage, it is the ideal sanctuary for a May bank holiday or August bank holiday weekend away. If you needed any further encouragement to book a week away with your furry best friend, then look to Pedigree UK’s Twitter @wearefordogs who remind us to “Take care of your dog, and let your dog take care of you”. Your dog deserves a luxury holiday cottage retreat, and so do you. 

 

Contact us on 07714 230118 or fill in our contact form to book your holiday in our dog-friendly cottages.