Our Top 10 Dog Friendly Hotels UK for Shooting Season
This article has been updated in February 2024.
With the shooting season in full swing, we begin travelling across the country to the best hunting spots and we often turn it into a longer stay. Whilst it may be easy to find ideal hotels for humans, it’s not always easy finding exciting hotels that will allow you to bring your four-legged shooting companion.
We have decided to do some research in order to find the perfect hotel for you and your doggie hunting partner to make sure that you can choose accommodation that will suit your needs. You want dog-friendliness, with good access to shooting estates, hotels which offer both luxury and comfort for you and your canine companion.
The Most Instagrammable Dog-Friendly Shooting Hotels
So, where in the UK offers the most luxurious stay this shooting season? Using social media data, counting up hashtags on Instagram, we’re able to reveal the most photogenic, most luxurious, dog-friendly hotels you need to visit this autumn and winter shooting season.
Please note that all prices were accurate at the time of writing. Please refer to each hotel's official website for the most up-to-date pricing information.
1. Beaverbrook, Surrey
This wonderful hotel is the former home of 1st Baron Beaverbrook. Located in beautiful Surrey, Beaverbrook is close to all of the best hunting grounds the South of England has to offer. The hotel itself has a house restaurant with fantastic food, offers gorgeous country views, and will happily (and safely!) store your guns.
Now onto the most important information about this hotel - there is no extra charge for having your shooting dog stay with you in the room. What’s fantastic about this hotel and estate is that it not only allows dogs, it will allow you to dine in the Garden House restaurant with your four-legged companion!
2. Stapleford Park, Leicestershire
The breath-taking architecture of Stapleford Park is reason alone to stay in this hotel, not to mention the fantastic grounds which include 500 acres of countryside to walk your dog. This hotel is renowned for its grand shooting weekends and is home to grand shooting weekends. Here you will be close to some of the finest shoots in the Midlands with partridge, duck, and goose shooting weekends starting in September and pheasant starting in October.
Stapleford Park offers access to a spa and many wonderful amenities around the house and its grounds.
The hotel is open to well-behaved dogs and charges a fee of £20.00 per night, per dog. Whilst your pooch is welcome in the house, and must be walked on a lead, the hotel asks that they are not taken to dining rooms or left unattended in bedrooms.
3. Heckfield Place, Hampshire
Right down the road from the Royal Berkshire Shooting School, Heckfield Place is a fantastic hotel to stay in during your shooting getaways. This hotel has been renovated to a rustic and more modern version of the house, bringing in wonderful country undertones allowing you to rest and relax between your outings.
Heckfield Place is prepared for hunting enthusiasts with a secure gun room and staff that is always dressed in tweed - very reassuring for us tweed lovers! The hotel boasts two wonderful restaurants, Marle and Hearth, with locally sourced produce - much of it from the farm near the house.
Dogs are welcome in the hotel with rooms especially prepared for our animal companions, but there is a small cleaning charge per stay.
4. Hotel Endsleigh, Devon
With interior design led by Olga Polizzi, of the Polizzi Collection of Hotels that Endsleigh belongs to, this grade I-listed historic house is set in a hundred acres of woodland and designed to a classical English taste full of elegance and delicate touches of country.
Endsleigh was once the choice of the Duke of Bedford for his shooting and fishing lodge and has been recently restored for use as a hotel perfect for hunting season. The premises have a gun cupboard for secure storage and are close to local shooting grounds with stunning woodland and a river. Perfect for West Country shoots, every room is suited for dogs and it looks like there is no charge to bring one along!
5. The Fife Arms, Cairngorms
Fife Arms is in the village of Braemar which is in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park, a highland gem for shooting and country walks. If you are looking for beautiful, dog-friendly suites that have been styled to represent regal suites then you will feel at home in this Scottish gem of a stately home.
Famous for its on-site art collection, Fife Arms is home to artists ranging from Picasso to Lucian Freud, the hotel lavishes guests with Clunie Dining Room and best Scottish produce as well as arranged helicopter flights to take you to your moor… if you choose to travel by air.
Almost all suites are prepared to welcome a dog companion and there doesn’t seem to be any extra charge for bringing along your little hunting partner.
6. Another Place, Cumbria
Located in the heart of the Lake District, Another Place sits on the shores of Ullswater with gorgeous fells nearby. Whilst its in an ideal location for game hunting in the local areas, Another Place is perfect for clay pigeon shooting and many other sports local to Ullswater. The hotel itself has anything from massage treatment rooms to swim clubs to help you relax after a day out in the country and wood.
With 18 acres of the Lake District National Park as part of the hotel, there is plenty to do and see with your four legged friend. There are 16 pet-friendly rooms available, as well as a few family cottages, with a charge of £15 per night for the first dog and an additional £5 per night for another dog (a maximum of two, well behaved dogs are allowed!). Dogs are welcome in living spaces and on the terrace, there are also plenty of grounds for your hound to enjoy the outdoors.
7. Lake Vyrnwy Hotel, Powys
This fantastic Victorian country house and luxury spa in Wales is a perfect getaway location for shooting weekends. Lake Vyrnwy Hotel is surrounded by grounds measuring 24,000 acres and overlooks an impressive reservoir which you can take in from one of the many balconies around the country home.
Rooms have kept their original Victorian look and are prepared to welcome dogs, as the heritage of the hotel is centred around sport and our pooches are a big part of that. Whilst your dog may not be allowed to roam the hotel, they are allowed on the terrace and into the reception area. For a small fee of £15 per dog, per night you can bring your friend to join you for Lake Vyrnwy Hotel’s famous clay shooting lessons and events, as well as other sporting activities around the grounds.
8. The White Horse Hotel, West Sussex
Set amongst the gorgeous foothills of the South Downs, The White Horse Pub and Inn is a fantastic dog-friendly hotel to stay. The owners are keen shooters with a love for dogs, and they know exactly how to cater to providing fellow hunters with a wonderful stay.
This is a must visit quintessential English shooting lodge equipped with log fires and safe gun cabinets. During your stay in this contemporary lodge you’ll be able to bring along up to two dogs with a charge of £20 per dog, per night. There is a private dining room to enjoy, local food, and of course the opportunity to join a shooting party at Goodwood Estate.
9. The Dundas Arms, Berkshire
Enjoy riverside rooms, overlooking the beautiful river Kennet, whilst staying at The Dundas Arms in Berkshire. Styled in a luxury country house décor and offering an on-site true British pub and restaurant, this fantastic hotel is a perfect stop for shooting weekends. If you want to change things up, The Dundas Arms is only an hour away from London, placing you in an ideal spot between city and country.
Whilst the hotel itself offers clay pigeon shooting packages, there are also plenty of national trust parks and shooting grounds around the area to enjoy. Each room is pet-friendly so to stay with your four-legged friend you’ll need to book and alert the hotel, there is a charge of £20 per dog, however, you will be provided with a dog bed and bowl on request.
10. The Duncombe Arms, Derbyshire
It wouldn’t be a complete list without a hotel in the Peak District. Nominated for the Best Dining Pub in Staffordshire in 2018 and 2019, The Duncombe Arms is a gastro pub experience with luxury room and cottage stays. Most of the rooms have their own cabinet and are dog-friendly, as the locals love to enjoy the shooting season at this hotel.
As the hotel has only 10 rooms in the building and two luxury cottages for larger parties, this really is an exclusive experience with fine dining. Whilst the grounds and local areas are gorgeous, be aware that the hotel has a small farm with sheep that love to join the guests in and outside the hotel - so bring a lead!
Picking Your Perfect Luxury Hotel During Game Hunting Season
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 10 most Instagrammable and dog-friendly hotels in the UK and found one that fits just what you’re after.
If you want to make sure you keep all the places in one place, we have put all of our data into a handy table below:
|
Rank |
Hotel |
Location |
Country |
|
|
1 |
Beaverbrook |
Surrey |
England |
10,584 |
|
2 |
Stapleford Park |
Leicestershire |
England |
5,473 |
|
3 |
Heckfield Place |
Hampshire |
England |
4,536 |
|
4 |
Hotel Endsleigh |
Devon |
England |
3,763 |
|
5 |
The Fife Arms |
Cairngorms |
Scotland |
3,336 |
|
6 |
Another Place |
Cumbria |
England |
2,577 |
|
7 |
Lake Vyrnwy Hotel |
Powys |
Wales |
2,184 |
|
8 |
The White Horse Hotel |
West Sussex |
England |
682 |
|
9 |
The Dundas Arms |
Berkshire |
England |
466 |
|
10 |
The Duncombe Arms |
Derbyshire |
England |
458 |
Once you’re ready to book and plan your trip for the shooting party, don’t forget to pack a good pair of boots and tweed jacket. Take a look at our selection of shooting clothing to inspire you and your wardrobe this shooting season!
Matthew Holland brings a wealth of expertise and passion to the world of shooting. Residing and working in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, Matthew not only writes about shooting experiences but lives them firsthand. As a member of a regular shoot, he draws from his personal experiences to share insights and recommendations for this country sport. Combining his practical knowledge with a genuine love for country living, Matthew is your trusted guide to all things shooting and hunting.
1 comment
Hello Sarah,
You missed out on this beautiful dog-friendly 17th century country house hotel in County Durham, Headlam Hall.
Good Hotel Guide Editor’s Choice for Country House Hotel 2021!
Family run hotel and spa with 9 hole golf course.
(and I have no connection)
Cheers,
Alan.
https://www.headlamhall.co.uk/hotel/