Pack you doggy bag

By Gill Williams 4/04/2008

It’s National Pet Month, so forget the kennels or cattery and take your dog or cat on holiday

WALES
DOG-FRIENDLY pubs and attractions in Pembrokeshire are listed in a new
website for families with pets. You can find it at www.woofguide.co.uk and it is run by Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire, whose dog-friendly holiday homes are
given a “paw rating” for their canine suitability.
Pet packs containing food for the week and a special beach-toy are also bookable. A week at Swallows Nest (sleeps five plus pet) at Saundersfoot, where there are good dog walks through pine woods to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and beach, costs £314 from April 26 to May 17. See www.thewoof guide.co.uk or call 01437 772760.

IRELAND
PETS travel free with their family (and don’t need a passport) when travelling to Ireland with Irish Ferries. The line’s holiday company has self-catering cottages and holiday centres where dogs are welcome.
Take Fido for a week’s scamper along the beach at Courtown in Co Wexford this spring – a three-bedroom cottage at Woodside Holiday Homes costs £483 total. Price includes Holyhead-Dublin or Pembroke-Rosslare crossings for car, two adults, up to four kids and dog.  There’s a second week free for families from April 14 to the end of May. See  www. irishferries.com or call 08705 171717.

HOLLAND
HIGH-seas kennels are an option when you pack up your pooch for a Dutch family holiday with Stena Lines. Or your pet can make the six-hour crossing to the Hook of Holland in the car if you like.
Crossings costs £10 each way for a pet and £188 return for two adults and two kids with car in May. Stay at the
pet-friendly Hotel Ibis in the centre of Amsterdam. Rooms £100 per night (£50pp when two share) including breakfast and there’s a £3.50 charge per dog each
night. See www.stenaline.co.uk or www.ibishotel.com

DEVON
COMFY dog beds, healthy treats, toys, feeding and water bowls are included when you book a holiday in a pet-
friendly mobile home at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parcs.
This centre in North Devon will even provide you with pooper scoopers, and guests also receive a guide to coastal walks, dog-friendly pubs and listings of local vets. A week in a two-bedroom mobile home close to footpaths or exercise areas costs from £100 for a family of four, rising to £475 in peak season.  A sum of £20 is payable for each dog. Go online to www.woolacombe.com or call 01271 870343.

BRITTANY, FRANCE
WALKIES along the banks of the River Odet are promised when you pack his lead for a cross-Channel break in lovely Brittany. Stay at one of 14 holiday homes near the coast with Brittany Travel.
These include an 18th Century former chapel in the grounds of Manoir Kergalatu. The house sleeps four (plus pooch) and a week’s stay from May 17 will cost you £290. The crossing on Brittany Ferries costs £190 return for a car and four passengers and there’s a £37.50 fee for the dog. Go to www.brittanytravel.info for more details.

YORKSHIRE
FOUR legs are good when you take your pet to holiday homes run by Yorkshire Cottages on the North York Moors. The company make no extra charges for dogs when you stay at properties such as Bousdale Old Stables on the moors.
This house has solid oak floors (no hoovering-up of dog hair required!) and there are footpaths outside the door which lead to woodland and on to Roseberry Topping and Gribdale.
The three-bedroom cottage sleeps six (plus two dogs) and is priced from £410 for seven nights in May rising to £635 in peak season. Short breaks start at £200 for three nights. See the website at www.yorkshire-cottages.info or call 01228 406701.

CHANTILLY, FRANCE
THERE are miles of paths for long walkies deep into the beautiful local woods when you stay with your dog at the Chateau Mont Royal in France’s Chantilly forest. And while he snoozes off the exertions afterwards, you can spend time in the spa or on the tennis courts of this four-star resort hotel. A three-night break this spring at the Mont Royal starts from £217pp  when a family of four travel with their dog – that’s when you book through www.seafranceholidays.com. The price includes your Dover to Calais ferry crossings and accommodation on a bed-and-breakfast basis. For more info call 0871 222 2500.

STAFFORDSHIRE
A PROFESSIONAL pet artist will produce a cartoon of your dog when you book a holiday at Bellamour Cottage at Wolseley Bridge, near Rugeley in Staffordshire. The cottage is one of a pair with beams and and a cosy fireplace. It overlooks the canals and countryside surrounding Cannock Chase. The property takes one dog and has a pet exercise field and an enclosed garden.  Price of a week in the holiday home, sleeping four, ranges from £253 low season to £553 total. Visit www.hoseasons.co.uk (it’s property number 3323) or call 0844 847 1100.

ISLE OF WIGHT
BEACHES open to dogs, pooch-friendly pubs and great trails for long dog walks are listed in an online fact sheet by Wightlink Ferries for pet owners visiting the island (go online to www.wightlink.co.uk/dogs for more details). Take the family and pet to Orchard Lee, winner of the island’s Green Island Tourism Accommodation of the Year award in 2007. These two-bedroom holiday homes are near Yarmouth and a week’s stay this month costs £432 for a family of four with dog. The price includes your Wightlink ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington. Three-night breaks cost £290 – go online to www.wightlink.co.uk/greengetaways for more info on the breaks available

LAKE DISTRICT
YOU’LL find an agility course for dogs and a canine hydro pool – we kid you not – right next door to Mouse Hole Cottage when you take your own pampered pooch to this lovely spot in the Lake District.  And if you’d like to get away for a few hours without your dog, the cottage owner can arrange comfy kennelling for the day or evening.  The holiday home (book through Hoseasons) sleeps four and costs from £262 (low season) to £509 high season. For info go online to www.hoseasons.co.uk (it’s property number 4246), or call 0844 847 1100.