Luxury dog friendly accommodation is hard to find, especially if you have 2 dogs; but Sandhole Holiday Cottages in Crowton, Cheshire are not only incredibly Dog friendly but are Horse friendly too!
We were invited to stay with Sandhole last year just after they had opened their brand new cottages in the Cheshire countryside. Thanks to Covid and lockdown restrictions it was postponed twice but third time lucky we were fortunate enough to visit in June 2021. With holidays abroad looking a little tricky this year staycations in the U.K. are very popular, even better if you can bring your four legged family members along with you as well!
We stayed in The Old Barn which sleeps four people [Plus the option for a double sofa bed in the living room] and had everything we could need for a weekend away! Both bedrooms were en-suite and had a beautiful view over the fields, whilst downstairs was an open plan kitchen and living room space. The interior was a perfect combination of modern and traditional furniture and features. All of the cottages are cheshire red brick from the original outbuildings and I love the before and afters Sandhole share on their social media of what the rooms looked like before their restoration filled with hay bales and animal bedding.
Each cottage has an enclosed patio area with a table and chairs to sit out in the evening, as well as a 4 person hot tub to spend the evening under the stars. This is also perfect for the dogs as they could relax on the patio without wandering off. The only place they weren’t allowed was upstairs in the bedrooms but that was easy to avoid with closed bedroom doors at the top of the stairs. When the dogs are out of the cottage they are required to be on lead because the livery is on site meaning there are horses and riders around at all times. That’s no problem though as you never need to be in direct contact with the horses and the information booklet in the cottage lists walks just down the lane where dogs can run off lead which we enjoyed. There are dog towels, blankets, biscuits and even temporary tags with Sandhole details on that you can attach to their collars left for us to use during our stay. A bonus was that the dogs were allowed on the sofas, you just covered them with the blankets provided.
Not being a Horse owner myself I thought the option to bring your horse away with you is just marvellous. The Information booklet in the cottage was just as informative to Horse riders as it was to Dog owners with recommendations of where to ride and local services available.
Delamere forest is just down the road so on the Saturday we spent the day following one of the walking routes there. There are lots of car parks and road parking but we went to the main car park which has a visitors building, toilets, cafe and lots of walking routes to follow. The dogs could be off lead the whole way which was ideal, although there were a few dirty bogs and water spots we tried to avoid to keep the dogs clean. Once you got into the forest the crowds thinned out and it was quieter. The forest isn’t flat but the pathways are accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs with lots of spots to stop for a picnic along the way. Go Ape is also located here if you’d like a bit more of a challenge or just to watch from solid ground!
Sunday morning we had a lovely circular stroll along the river and canal in Barnton before driving on to the best roast ever at The Spinner & Bergamot Pub. So good that I didn’t even think to take a photo before eating it! The staff were so lovely and the dogs were so welcomed. Just down the road from the pub was Marbury Country Park which is where we spent the afternoon. Again an easy car park to find with lots of different paths to choose and the dogs could be off lead the whole way. It was gorgeous with both woodland and meadows to walk through.
We had such a relaxing time away, thank you to Sandhole Cottages for inviting us. I’d definitely recommend a trip there with you and your dogs, and even the horse! It’s a part of the country we have never visited before but will certainly be back. You can read more about Sandhole and view their other properties here – www.sandholecottages.co.uk
Thanks for reading,
Megan, Woody and Wilma
The Cotswold Spaniels 