Dogs

Dogs are a thorny problem for those who run guest-houses, and especially for those who also run walking holidays in Wales. However, we like to make those who enjoy walking with their "best friends" feel welcome.

Our policy therefore is that guests may bring dogs, provided they sleep in their owner's car and are not taken upstairs. They may be brought into the lounge in the evening provided that they are clean, and that other guests have no objections.

They can be exercised off the lead in our field, or in the nearby woods, but we do insist that elsewhere in the vicinity of the house dogs are kept on a lead, as sheep may be encountered, and even if no sheep are in evidence, our neighbouring farmer is unlikely to take kindly to the sight of one of our guests' dog romping off the lead!

Nearly all our walks are partly or entirely over rights of way or open land where sheep are grazed. Again one leaves oneself open to the possibility of heated exchanges with landowners if one's dog is not very obviously under close control; for many farmers, this means on a lead, and whatever the legal rights and wrongs of that position, trying to make them change their minds is unlikely to lower the temperature!

For most dog-owning prospective Hillscape customers, all this will be merely stating the obvious - at any rate it's what we do when we are on a guest-house-based walking holiday! If, however, it all looks unnecessarily restrictive and unfriendly, then perhaps your dog is not going to appreciate a Hillscape holiday.