Pet friendly holiday cottage, sleeps 5 - Pencombe, Herefordshire

This elegant converted barn on an established working fruit farm is perfect for a family or group of five friends, plus three canine companions, who want to enjoy a quiet getaway in the Hereford countryside. With castles, quaint rural towns and two national landscapes within reach, you’ll have plenty to do during your getaway. In the evenings, you can socialise in the open-plan living space, wander around the expansive grounds and dine alfresco in the garden.

As you enter the property, you’ll notice the original hand-carved beams in the open-plan lounge/kitchen/diner with country-style decor and a pop of red and purple throughout the neutral-toned space. The well-sized ‘U’-shaped kitchen with white cabinets and granite worktops boasts a peninsula with a breakfast bar. Beside the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors is a round dining table with five chairs.

Continue into the lounge area to find a comfortable sofa in front of the Smart TV. Climb the wooden stairs to reach a family bathroom plus three boutique-style bedrooms – an en-suite super-king-size zip-and-link, a king-size with countryside views and a single bedroom. Outside is an enclosed garden with furniture and a BBQ.

Start your day with a dog walk around the waymarked paths through the farm, which sits on the fringes of Pencombe village – here, you can find a dog-friendly, traditional countryside pub (1.5 miles). Visit Bodenham Lake (5.5 miles), which is near Hampton Court Castle (6 miles) and the canine-welcoming Queenswood Country Park Gruffalo Trail (7.5 miles). Spend an afternoon in the market town of Ludlow (21.5 miles) and see the imposing Ludlow Castle.

Head east to reach the panoramic hilltop trails of the Malvern Hills National Landscape (12 miles) or south for the forests of the Wye Valley National Landscape (12 miles).