Pet-friendly Holiday Lets 
Leaving your pet behind, while you go on holiday is always a difficult decision. You worry if the boarding location is taking good care of your dog. Are they getting enough exercise, proper food, and water? Is someone providing the love you give your dog, to help make them feel reassured and too lonely? If you choose a pet-friendly holiday in Dartmoor, you won’t have to worry whether your dog is receiving the care they need because you will be able to provide it personally.
Dogs love Dartmoor
Dartmoor offers a dog-friendly national park, and there are lots of country cottages that are pet-friendly and would make ideal holiday homes for you and your cherished pet. You and your dogs can enjoy a self-catering luxury holiday at a cottage that allows you and your family to come and stay for a week or a short break. There is a range of self-catering accommodation to rent from budget up to lavish depending on your choice. Take a look at some pet-friendly holiday lets near Dartmoor. Although it is wonderful to stay within the national park boundary, rental costs tend to be a good bit more expensive than renting a holiday home on the outskirts. And since most holidaymakers arrive by car, it is easy to go to the places in Dartmoor that you would prefer to see.
Dartmoor has 450 miles of tracks, bridleways, way-marked cycling and walking trails, and open moorland for you to walk on, bike, or horseback ride on. You can also enjoy climbing, orienteering or geocaching, if you wish. You will want to stop at one of the Dartmoor visitor centres to ascertain where the best walks are and safety information. Local people always have specialist knowledge for all seasons and it’s good to know where the best displays of flowering heather can be found or where to go bird watching to see certain types of bird.
You will also be able to obtain the best advice at the visitor centres about where you can and cannot take your dog for preservation reasons and people’s favourite routes. There are walks off the leash in the Bellever, Fernworthy, and Soussons woodlands on Dartmoor. Look out for the Soussons stone circle and other standing stones that are dotted about Dartmoor. Other paths will require your dog to be on a leash, particularly on public land and access land, which are also occupied by cattle.
One aspect of the Dartmoor national park is that despite acres of wilderness, there are plenty of villages with pet-friendly pubs dotted about. One of the pleasures during a self-catering break is lunch at a country pub with the dogs.
As a dog owner in the park, you are required to control your dog at all times to ensure he/she does not scare the animals. Lots of people visit to go birdwatching and holidaymakers with dogs are requested to keep dogs on a leash around nesting sites. Dartmoor wild ponies are also a good reason to visit. Responsible dog owners are aware of their duty in the countryside, even when on holiday. Your dog should have regular worming to protect it and other animals. Also be responsible by bringing disposal bags to clean up after your dog – no one wants to walk in dog mess, not even in woodland.
A few of the dog friendly walks in and around Dartmoor include:
• Tavistock Town Walk
• The Princetown Railway Walk in west Dartmoor
• Cranmere and Ted Hughes Memorial Walk
These three walks are guided and held at special times; however, you can also take your dog along the same path, without a guide when visiting the area if you prefer to just observe the area at your own pace. The advantage of a guide is getting the local history and in-depth information about Dartmoor.
Tavistock is a good place for pet-friendly holiday lets near Dartmoor
Tavistock, which is located on the western side of Dartmoor National Park, can offer you a place to stay, as well as dog friendly places to walk. Consider enjoying a luxury cottage that allows dogs, so you can take walks in the park, around town, and visit other sites in the area. There are also town houses, pine lodges and apartments to rent – of which about 50% allow pets to stay.
Tavistock has a beautiful old parish church on the Tavistock Town Walk which is worth admiring. The town is also known for its historic Pannier Market where you may be able to find souvenirs of your holiday in Dartmoor and recall happy memories of a holiday with your dogs in years to come.