Where our office dogs want to go in 2023

We do love a beach and have spent a lot of time in Cornwall, being based in the south west. Crantock is a particular favourite for the massive dunes and the tidal river that the dogs can safely swim in. Rory has got his swimming down now too, so we can go paddleboarding without me panicking about him falling in. Next year we’re looking to ditch the south-west bias and explore some beaches in other parts of the UK. Kent and Norfolk both come to mind as places we’ve yet to visit.

We’ve got our eyes on: The Cook’s Cottage, for a spring break when it starts to get warm again.

We love getting off grid and wild camping Dartmoor was a real highlight of the past year. Yoshi is never happier than when he has A LOT of space to play in, so zooming round the woods and the moors, then finding rivers and streams to crash through was heaven for him. He likes getting into a hammock with us too, which is great... once he’s settled! Next year we’re going to put ourselves right next to water, so he can spend all day splashing in and out and we can watch him when we get tired, which is long before he does.

We’ve got our eyes on: Hazel at Cynefin Retreats for the spring flowers in the woods

Otto is a beach dog, which is great apart from his habit of taking a very close look at other people’s picnics. He’s very sociable too, so the fact that there are commonly lots of other dogs scrapping in the sand is a massive bonus. Oddly, he’s not that bothered by the actual sea, as much as we try to encourage him in. He’s happy just to run on the sand all day, and then lick at the dog bowl full of ice cubes we always take with us for when he inevitably overheats.

We’ve got our eyes on: The Cosy Cowshed for a bit of style and sand this summer

We’re Cornish coast regulars, for all the free fun the ragged rocks bring. We’ll both happily walk for miles and scramble down to explore coves we find along the way. If there’s a pub to settle in at the end of the route, so much the better. While I know he loves the sea though, I suspect Raphie loves Cornwall more because it feels like everywhere is dog friendly, to the point that he gives the staff in any pub or shop puppy eyes, knowing that they might well have treats to hand.

We’ve got our eyes on: Duke at Spring Park for our summer in 2023. It’s a cool space, but we’ll mostly be outdoors!

Rupert and I love roaming around the Cotswolds. He’s always up for jumping into any stream or bog he can find and then lying as flat as he can, even if it’s freezing. As mystified as I am by it, it’s quite handy because it means we don’t have to go everywhere in summer!

We’ve got our eyes on: Asphodel Cottage for an autumnal getaway that’s all cosy fires, wooden beams and, for some reason, cold stream swims

We spent a week in Dartmoor this year, which was the perfect mix of exploring vast open spaces and pretty towns and villages. We even found a dog-friendly vineyard, Sharpham, which was one of both mine and Luna’s favourite spots! We travel everywhere with her favourite blanket, so she settles quickly wherever we go, but next year we’re not planning anything too dramatic in terms of geography. Instead, we fancy something a bit unusual.

We’ve got our eyes on: Owl Treehouse in Devon for autumn, to see the turning leaves from REALLY close up!

Nero and I love the highlands and visiting Scotland in general. It’s got the tall Cairngorms peaks and wild spaces that we both love, then forests and splashing for him, wildlife watching for me. I’m always on the lookout for eagles and ospreys, he’s more of a squirrel fan. It was well worth the time it took to build up his tolerance for longer drives, so now that we CAN explore Scotland, we don’t want to go anywhere else!

We’ve got our eyes on: The Dairy at Denend for a scenic and adventurous winter break

This year, we made our first trip to Northumberland and, while learning that tiring Odin out with a walk before putting him in the car was a good plan, we fell in love with Alnmouth. The white sand beach is dog friendly year-round, there was a good selection of restaurants, cafes, pubs (even an art gallery and a second-hand bookstore in nearby Alnwick), all of welcomed dogs with open arms and the friendly locals showered Odin with compliments, which he absolutely revelled in.

We’ve got our eyes on: Crookwath Cottage for a winter return to northern England, to see it in a totally different light.