We're very dog-friendly too!
We believe the family dog is just that, a member of the family and deserves a holiday too! We have a Great Dane and wherever we go we try to take her with us. We believe that if you have a well-trained, clean and well-behaved dog and want them to join in the family holiday, you shouldn't compromise on quality when it comes to your holiday cottage.
The vast majority of luxury self catering properties in the UK don't accept dogs - but we do!
We make a small charge of £20 for each dog per week or short break. All of our cottages except Number Five, Beadnell House accept 1 dog and the majority of the rest accept 2 by arrangement, as follows:
- Ceolwulph Cottage
- Coquet View
- Ember Cottage
- Estuary Cottage
- Garden Cottage
- Hotspur Cottage
- Lane End Cottage
- Lyndhurst
- Magdalene House
- Priory Cottage
- Sea Dreams
- Sunny Cottage
- Tall Trees
- Tapestry Cottage
- The Bridge Barn
- The Stables
On their best behaviour
We are very happy for you to have your pet accompany you on holiday, but it is under the strict understanding that you adhere to our booking conditions relating to the acceptance of pets to our properties.
Our properties are beautifully furnished at great expense and are presented in an immaculately clean condition for you and we wish to keep them that way - otherwise they wouldn't be 'luxury' cottages for very long!
Our high cleaning standards ensure that guests without dogs can confidently stay in our cottages without detecting doggie smells and doggie hairs! However, it would be almost impossible to maintain these high standards if our 'house rules' for dogs weren't respected, so we appreciate your co-operation.
Here are our house rules for pets:
- Pets are not permitted on any furniture, ie. sofas and beds - even with covers applied
- Pets are not permitted in the bedrooms of our cottages
- Pets are not permitted to be left in the cottage or grounds unattended
- The interior and grounds of the property must be left in a clean, undamaged condition
- Pets must be clean before entry to the cottage
- Your pet must not be permitted to cause any kind of nuisance to the neighbouring properties
Important Note
As we've said, we have strict house rules for dogs and other pets, so if you are bringing your pet, before you book a holiday with us please read our booking conditions as your booking is accepted on the basis of you agreeing to comply with our booking conditions. If we find they have been where they shouldn't - ie. the bedrooms or on any furniture - or caused any kind of damage whatsoever or caused us extra cleaning costs, then we will charge you for reinstating the house and its contents to the condition they were before you arrived. We're sorry if this sounds harsh, but we've had to become stricter after some guests have abused our hospitality and let their dogs have free reign over the furniture with no regard for the cleaning and replacement costs incurred after they have left. We pride ourselves on the quality of our cottages and furnishings and have high cleaning standards so that guests without dogs do not see any sign that one has stayed in the property previously.
Please read our booking conditions before making a booking with your pet.
What we provide and what you need to bring with you
We recommend that you bring plenty of your pet's bedding and towels with you, feeding and water bowls and poop bags, although a pet bed is provided free of charge at Virginia Cottage, they are available to hire for £10 per dog per holiday at some of the other cottages. Where they are available, the option to order one will be listed on the booking form.
Many of our cottages provide a welcome pack for your pet, comprising a dog towel, feeding bowls, poop bags and treats, and as a general rule, we offer the following:
- Buckets and dog towels for wiping them down before entry to the cottage available upon request
- Hosepipes and outside taps available at some cottages, please enquire
- Complimentary dog treats
- Water and food bowls upon request
- Dog beds upon request at some cottages - please enquire or see the booking form for your chosen cottage
- Dog leads upon request
- Doggy disposal bags upon request (complimentary at some cottages)
- Supply of pet food for the duration of the holiday upon request (chargeable)
- Storage space for pet crates
- Stairgates to restrict access within the cottage
- Enclosed outdoor space available at most cottages, but check before booking if this is important
Boarding Option
If you're not confident in your pet's manners, we can provide details of local boarding kennels which may be a better arrangement. This way, you can board your pet away from the property whilst still being able to take them out with you during the day. We can also highly recommend 'Happy Hounds' doggie day-care, where you can leave your dog in safe hands for anything from an hour to all day, or overnight.
We Offer Dog-Sitting Too
As we don't permit dogs to be left unattended in our cottages, our Housekeeping Supervisor offers a personal dog-sitting service where your dog can be looked after in the cottage for anything from an hour to all day - however long you need to visit those places where they can't go, such as stately home and castles, or perhaps to dine out at a local restaurant. Contact us for more details.
A Dog's Day Out at the Beach
Northumberland is one of the few counties in the UK to have very few restrictions on dogs accessing the beaches. The belief is that our beaches are so vast here that there is room for everyone. The only beach with a summertime restriction is at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, which is at the furthest south of our Heritage coastline.
Dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages love nothing better than a romp on a wide sandy beach, clambering up the dunes and leaping into the waves whilst not letting go of that piece of driftwood they've found!
Take a look at our page detailing just a few of the great beaches in the area. Many of our cottages are within walking distance of a great beach, including Warkworth, Amble, Alnmouth, Lesbury, Beadnell, Foxton and Cresswell. The other locations are within an easy drive.
Most of our cottages have fires (many have wood-burning stoves) for them to stretch out and snooze in front of after all that exertion! We provide dog towels and even luxury dog beds upon request to ensure their comfort.
Whilst enjoying the beautiful countryside, please be responsible whilst out with your dog, specifically you must follow the Countryside Code. The main points in the code include keeping dogs on a lead within the vicinity of livestock, not allowing them to chase migrating birds on the seashore and picking up after them - whether on the beach or in the countryside.
Take them for a pint in our Dog Friendly Pubs
All of the pubs in Warkworth, except The Sun Hotel, welcome dogs to their bar areas and most have water bowls outside so they can have a 'pint' too! Further afield you'll find a similar level of welcome across Northumberland.
Although not particularly comprehensive, the following websites give you a rough guide to dog friendly pubs in Northumberland. I know they're not very comprehensive because most of the pubs in Warkworth aren't listed and they're most definitely dog-friendly!
It's often down to the establishment to list themselves and many aren't even aware of these sites, but this might act as a guide:
Dog Friendly Britain | Doggie Pubs | Dog people.co.uk
Historic Properties and Parks
Dogs on leads are allowed into the grounds at many English Heritage properties. They are also permitted to visit the grounds (except the Formal Garden) at Cragside and the grounds and Walled Garden at Wallington Hall (both National Trust) but only on leads. There is a 1.5 mile walk along the coast from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle, where dogs are allowed on leads. Please note that livestock is often present along the route so dogs should not be allowed to roam off the lead here. Dogs are not permitted in Alnwick Garden or Castle.
Health and Safety with your Dog
When holidaying with your dog in Northumberland please remember to observe the country code and keep your dog on a lead when near livestock. This is particularly important during the lambing season. Care should be taken near estuaries as there are strong currents and some rivers have hidden, steeply shelving banks which can make it impossible for a dog to get back out of the water. Please be aware that adders can be found in the national park. They may be seen on warm days, particularly during the spring, when they are coming out of hibernation. If your dog is bitten by an adder contact one of the vets' surgeries listed here.
When you come to Northumberland on holiday, we recommend you print out our list of vets' surgeries to keep in your car, so you have the contact details of the nearest vet if you need it when you are out and about.
Don't Like Dogs or Have an Allergy? Don't Despair ....
Although most of our cottages allow dogs our hygeine standards are impeccable and we're confident you'll find no trace of any previous dog-guest in any of our cottages, we recognise that for some that is simply not enough - either due to personal taste or because of an allergy. Number Five, Beadnell House does not and has never accepted dogs, so this would be a good option if you really don't like the idea of dogs having stayed in the property before you.
We find however, that for many allergy sufferers, if a dog has not stayed immediately prior to their stay - that there has been an interval of at least a week - then they are not affected, so this may be a consideration for you. Our regular guests with allergies to dogs tell us that this makes all the difference and allows them to stay in our cottages with no symptoms. So please call us and we can advise if a dog is scheduled to visit your chosen cottage before you.
