Quantock Cottages
Choosing The Right Dog-Friendly Cottage For
You & Your Dog
Because Every Dog Is Different.
You know your dog far better than we do.
What one dog barely notices can be a big deal for another.
Some notice movement in the distance. Some would happily sleep through the apocalypse but can't be trusted with recall.
And some simply need a secure garden and plenty of space to enjoy their holiday.
So rather than tell you which of our retreats is “best” for a particular type of dog, we've set out the practical differences between them.
Below you'll find details about our gardens and fencing, what your dog may be able to see, our secure exercise areas, where our horses graze, steps and access, and the surrounding countryside.
You can decide what matters most for you and your dogs.
And if you're not sure, just talk to us. Tell us a little about your dog and the things that matter to you, and Simon and I will happily help you think through the options.
We designed our three cottages and La Caravane with our own dogs very much in mind.
Each retreat has its own private enclosed garden, with fencing to approximately six feet. We use a mixture of close-board or bark fencing, backed in places by additional stock fencing, and the cottage gardens have mature planting which adds to their privacy.
But the gardens aren't identical — and neither are the things your dog may be able to see from them. So here's the detail.
What can my dog see from the gardens?
Coleridge & Greenway
From the main patio gardens and upper garden areas, there is very little for your dogs to see beyond the gardens themselves.
The east garden is slightly different. Here, part of the fencing drops to approximately four feet so that you — the lead holder! — can enjoy the glorious sea views.
There is a six-foot gate between the garden areas, so if you'd prefer your dog to remain in the more enclosed part of the garden, you can simply close the gate.
The Quantock Hide
The Quantock Hide has our largest garden, arranged over three levels.
There's a secluded courtyard garden with established subtropical planting, a middle level with the covered hot tub and an upper wildflower meadow.
From the lower two levels there is very little for your dogs to see beyond the garden.
At the top of the wildflower meadow, the boundary is six-foot deer mesh. From here, your dog may occasionally be able to see Simon or me, or guests staying at La Caravane, using the nearby track.
If you'd rather your dog didn't have access to that area, you can close the six-foot gate leading to the wildflower meadow. There's still plenty of room on the lower levels for them to mooch, sniff and scamper.
La Caravane
La Caravane sits within its own enclosed woodland setting, approached via its own drive.
Once you've driven in and closed the six-foot entrance gate, the enclosure is surrounded predominantly by bark fencing, with additional stock fencing for security.
In the “front garden”, the lower section of the boundary is formed by a log wall of approximately four feet, with specialist deer mesh continuing above it to around six feet.
What are the secure dog exercise areas like?
We have three secure dog exercise areas for guests staying at Quantock Cottages:
Central Bark
Mini Bark
The Woodland Scent Zone
They are for the use of our staying guests only and are not open to the general public.
You have sole use of the exercise area while you're in it, giving your dogs somewhere secure to run, sniff, play and enjoy some off-lead freedom without needing to rely on perfect recall.
But, just as with the gardens, the three areas are different.
Central Bark & Mini Bark
Central Bark and Mini Bark are separate, securely fenced exercise areas positioned next to one another. They have wonderful open views across the countryside and towards the coast.
Because of those views and their position, they aren't visually isolated spaces. Another Quantock guest may be using the neighbouring exercise area, and the field below is one of the places where our two elderly horses may graze.
The Woodland Scent Zone
Our Woodland Scent Zone is very different.
It's a secure two-acre woodland where dogs can sniff, explore and generally investigate everything a wood has to offer.
Being within the woodland, there is much less to see beyond the exercise area itself.
At the top of the wood, behind the boundary fence and a bank, there is a track used by our two neighbours to reach their homes.
Depending on your dog's height, position and determination, they may occasionally be aware of movement beyond the boundary.
We have two elderly horses on our private country estate.
We don't have herds of livestock or other farm animals on the estate, and the horses are never put into an exercise area while guests are using it for their dogs.
They may, however, graze in the field below Central Bark and Mini Bark.
Very occasionally we may use Central Bark for the horses overnight to graze the grass down. However, we would arrange this with you in advance — and we have two other secure exercise areas available.
If seeing horses is something that matters for your dog, let us know and we will sort something out for you. Don't worry, the horses are very used to being barked at, and it does not worry them at all!
Each dog exercise area/field/wood is fenced to 6ft.
If steps are something you need to consider for your dog — or for you — it's worth knowing that the retreats are slightly different.
Coleridge is arranged on one level.
Greenway is also arranged on one level internally, although there are five garden steps that need to be navigated to reach the property. There is a handrail, but if you think these might cause a problem, talk to us as there is an alternative way of managing access.
La Caravane has two small steps to get inside.
The Quantock Hide has a garden arranged over three levels, with steps between the different areas.
If mobility is an important consideration, please ask us before booking. We can talk you through the layout rather than trying to decide for you what will or won't work for your dog.
One of the loveliest things about staying here is having the Quantock Hills right on the doorstep.
It's a wonderfully peaceful part of Somerset, with miles of heathland, wooded coombes and countryside to explore.
But the Quantocks are open countryside — not a controlled dog exercise environment.
You may encounter the odd other walker with their dog, as well as wildlife and livestock including sheep, red deer and the occasional group of ponies.
If your dogs don't have reliable recall around wildlife, livestock or interesting smells, we'd strongly recommend using a long line.
And, of course, you're under absolutely no obligation to spend your holiday marching across the Quantocks...
Your dog has secure spaces here to run and sniff, and you have a sofa, a fire and a hot tub. Going nowhere is also an entirely respectable holiday plan!!
We want to be completely open about what staying here is — and what it isn't.
Our Quantock Cottages are on our private country estate. It is peaceful and private, but we are in the countryside, and that naturally means there is wildlife around us.
You may see birds, rabbits, squirrels or deer, and once you're out exploring the Quantock Hills you may also come across the odd walker with their dog and some sheep.
That doesn't mean your dog/s has to rely on the open countryside for their exercise.
Back at our Quantock Cottages, you have our secure dog exercise areas, giving your dog enclosed spaces where they can run, sniff and enjoy off-lead freedom without you having to worry about recall.
You have sole use of the exercise area while you're in it.
We can't promise a completely “trigger-free” holiday — every dog is different, and countryside life isn't something anyone can entirely control!!
What we can give you is good information, secure spaces and plenty of room.
