Welcome to mystery and history.

October 2021,

Somerset really offers it all, long stretches of beach, moors, and rolling hills. Are you a morning or evening person. The sun catches those dales in a magical way.

Last time we were in the car heading north! Isle of Skye, this time we decided to explore Somerset. The county where king Alfred hid from the Vikings. Where legends roam of King Arthur. Somerset will not disappoint!

We stayed at the old stables in staywell. A beautiful location with a perfect positioning. You are right between all the popular places. 20 minutes from Glastonbury, Bath And Chedder Gorge. 10 minutes from a stunning beach, that is dog friendly and horse friendly. And under an hour away from the smallest city in England called Wells. You may know it from the movie Hot Fuzz.

When we arrived we were welcomed by the owner, who has two lovely Jack Russels. He told us where we could find the local shop, and some nearby walks and pubs. And if that welcome wasn’t enough, we found a bottle of wine, and some lovely pastries in the fridge. Fire wood for the wood burner all stocked up and ready to go.

The cottage has two bedrooms, one double bed and one with two singles. Everything is on one floor which makes it fantastic for people with mobility issues such as myself. The kitchen was fully equipped, making your stay a home away from home.

Dishwasher, and even a washing machine with a dryer inside. A spacious bathroom with a very nice corner bath, and separate shower. Outside you had a fully secured little courtyard idea, with an automatic gate.

You get a key fob on arrival. Knowing your four legged friend is safe is always important.

I am coming to the best bit! Outside had a little seating area and a hot tub! You read that right! A hot tub. Oh my, it’s absolutely lovely to soak in that after a full day of exploring. In the evening you can turn on the mood lights making the experience very romantic. It is definitely the selling point of this place. And I can’t help but want one now.

Half way through the week, our host knocked on our door to present us with home made apple juice, one of the nicest I’ve ever had. The extra touches really made us feel very welcome. The area. I always thought Norfolk was dog friendly. Somerset goes the extra mile. It is super dog friendly. The cottage is only 10 minutes away from a wide sand beach where dogs can have a good run. You may also find some horses. Talyn adores the beach. Living an hour away from it myself we don’t visit as much as we would want.

After having a nice walk on the beach there are plenty of pubs for you to get a warm meal. We went to one that was in Taunton. Dogs were welcome, and the roast was sublime. But if you’re not a beach person, you can walk for hours in the hills, moors and woods. Or maybe fancy eating the world famous cheddar cheese at cheddar gorge.

The town of cheddar again is very dog friendly, you can take your dog in pubs or enjoy sitting outside planning your walking route. There is a route that goes all around the top of the gorge, it is advised for dogs to be on lead but that is for safely reasons. We didn’t go around the top, but we did find a lovely off lead walk taking you through some rocky bits. Talyn truly showed what he was bred to do here, which is navigate through the rocks to climb them! Now I can see why he really needs those extra toes! Another place worth a visit, believe me there are many. Is Glastonbury. Dogs are even more welcome there. Even in shops. In fact they ask you to come in. Glastonbury has a lovely vibe and there are plenty things to see and do. It’s got the beautiful Abby ground, where you can take your dog as well (they even serve special doggy ice cream) for the more adventurous types. You can hike up the Tor, which has a stunning view. Just not suited for those with mobility problems. But don’t worry, plenty of shops for you to explore instead. And driving around seeing the Tor from the road has something special.

Another place we visited was Wells. A tiny city with one big cathedral, and get this, you can take your dog inside as well! Talyn thought it was very exciting being in a church. Wells being very small, you can have a great afternoon there though. If you follow the moot around, you will find a great place for your dog to have a run off lead. And you can of course have a meal at the famous pub that was featured in hot fuzz.

Bath is worth the visit as well, we had already been there before so we didn’t go on this trip. But if you like to see the Roman baths, that is the place to go. 7 days in Somerset is not enough, we will most definitely be back. And would love to stay at the old stables again. What a cozy and beautiful cottage. This truly deserves to be featured on canine cottages as a prime location and stay. You are well looked after and did I mention the hot tub? If Talyn had more toes he would give those in the rating. The old stables get a 6 out of 6 toes from us. It has been such a honour to go to these places for canine cottages. We are sad our time with them is over as critics. But that’s doesn’t mean our time is over for adventures! Bring on our new adventures. And thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.