Suffolk - WHAT TO DO

All About Bringing Pets to The Grove Cottages

Dear Dog owner.

We are very glad you are considering visiting us with your pet.

This page contains the Costs, the Ground Rules and a run down of the Individual Cottage Suitability for your Pet.

The Cost

We are very happy to accept pets.

However there is a price to pay for this luxury and our owners would like the extra costs involved in housekeeping to be absorbed by guests who bring pets.

In return we go to special lengths to ensure that you and your pet really enjoy yourselves at our cottages with our Pet Welcome Pack

The Pet Welcome Pack includes:

A Pet washing station (outside hose).
Pet Poo bags
Local dog walks maps
Information about dog friendly pubs
Pet Supplies information
Vet information
Emergency dog towels, if things get out of hand
A Doggie bowl and a treat.

Pets are charged at £15 per pet per short stay of 5 nights or under and £25 per pet per week.

- and just so there are no miss-understandings here are the ground rules.

Dogs Are Welcome normally to a maximum of 2 in a cottage and in some circumstances 3 in Gun Cottage.

Except The Lavenham Cottages: Penny, Mint and Pound and Primrose Cottage which unfortunately cannot accept pets
The Coach House can only accept one small doggie.

First of all please understand that we are very happy to welcome guests with dogs and we will do everything we can to ensure that this opportunity remains open to you.

But a lot is up to you as a dog owner to help us to make sure everything runs trouble free and is an enjoyable experience for everybody.

Why:

Because we know that guests with dogs are going to enjoy themselves here as the area is so dog friendly; with so many pretty footpaths, lots of dog-friendly pubs and so little livestock in the fields around for your pet to get into trouble with.

But not on the Furniture or in Bedrooms:

We have to be sensible about the next guests who may be allergic to animals and about the general wear and tear of the furniture - so we feel it is completely reasonable of us to ask that your pet is not allowed into the bedrooms or on any of the furniture.

Why not bring a Dog Travel Cage & Bed:

We ask that you take care to ensure that your pet does not sleep on the furniture but what should we do about the antique silk carpets and my collections of kilims, I don't want to deprive guests of them but I would rather they did not become dog beds.

It is always a great relief to us when guests bring those handy travel cages with them, their pets seem to settle down much better and nobody has to worry about a sneaky sleepover on the sofa.

Here is a link to the travel cages - many of our guests who regularly take their pets on holiday with them have one�

www.doggiesolutions.co.uk

www.dogcage.net

www.ideas-4-pets.com

www.pet-supermarket.co.uk

These are not only a safer way to travel with your pet but give it a feeling of added security to them when sleeping in a strange place - prices range from £25 up.

Dogs Alone:

It is quite understandable that if you leave your dog in the cottage alone it will howl and fret - this would be unfair to other guests or neighbours, so please take your pet with you and don't leave it alone. Most damage to doors, paintwork and sofas happens when dogs are left on their own.

The Gardens at The Old Grove Farm:

We have an acre of grassy dog excercise area here at The Old Grove Farm, it is in the Orchard by our car parking area - poo bags are providided and there is room for your doggie to run around in, but this is not a fenced off area and you will need to keep your pet on a lead in all other areas as we have free range ducklings, bantams, bees, cats and other guests dogs to take into consideration.

There are walks straight from the gardens into the field or along quite country lanes and footpaths leading to the local pubs and church, so this is a good place to bring your pets.

With so many pet guests visiting our cottages it is essential that pee-ing stations are not established in the gardens - so please do not allow your dog to pee in the gardens which are anyway for guests to enjoy.

As pee scourches; or if its a female dog, can kill the grass, please avoid this problem on all the guest gardens.

Obviously we do not want dogs to foul or damage the gardens at all.

We all try very hard to keep the cottage gardens as pretty for our guests as possible and they all have herbs growing in them which everybody is free to use and sometimes even vegatable areas for you to pick from - so please help us with this.

Control:

Of course we would just love to let your pet run around unhindered but you will have to take into account that this is probably not possible because of the cottage you are staying in and the garden not being dog proof or it being used by other guests with their pets and the house pets like cats, flightless ducks, bantams and wildlife.

Which Cottage is best for my dog ?

This is a list of the cottages and which ones may be better suited for your pets requirements.

Spadgers

This cottage is on a main road in a very picturesque village, it has a good sized back garden that is totally secure with lovely walks straight from it to open fields.

So this is ideal for taking your dog to.

Two medium dogs are welcome to stay in Spadgers.

Chat(eau) Lunatique

Next door to Spadgers is Chat(eau) Lunatique it is on a main road in a very picturesque village, it has a good sized back garden that is open at the back with lovely walks straight from it to open fields.

This cottage has the added advantage of a sunny and good sized conservatory with french doors from the kitchen.

So this is ideal for taking your dog to.

One medium dogs are welcome to stay in Spadgers.

Fey Cottage

This cottage is on a main road in a very picturesque village, it has a good sized back garden that is totally secure with lovely walks straight from it to open fields.

So this is ideal for taking your dog to.

Two medium dogs are welcome to stay in Spadgers.

Queenies

This cottage is on a main road it has a large back yard and a garden sitting area but because of the road it would be unwise to let your dog roam But the yard leads directly into the Nature Reserve.

So this is ideal for taking your dog into and using as your own garden with your pet running wild. There are wonderful walks through 2 forests and down to the sea at Aldeburgh.

One Large or 2 medium or 2 small dogs are welcome to stay in Queenies.

The Pump house

This is situated right in its own large Wildflower Meadow with a tiny stream running through it, it is as secure as any normal field so of course doggies would be able to wriggle their way through the hedges, but this is perfect for those who want total freedom for their pet, but please use a doggie bag otherwise the meadow won't be fun to play in.

Please be aware that The Pilgrims Way runs through the other end of this meadow and your pet should not harass any walkers or their pets.

The next field often has Horses and live stock in it, so please bear this in mind as well.

The walks straight from this cottage are in every direction and are the prettiest in Suffolk and this is a very special Location.

Two Large, medium or small dogs are welcome to stay in The Pump House.

Cissy's Cottage

This cottage is on a main road it has a large back yard and a garden sitting area but because of the road it would be unwise to let your dog roam But the yard leads directly into the Nature Reserve.

Cobbs Cottage

This has a big garden for your dog to run about in but please use a doggie bag and remember that the hedge is far from dog proof and there will be horse riders, walkers and cats from the neighbour's cottages to protect. There are also a lot of deer wandering around.

The lane is a tiny single track by-lane and you can go walking straight from the cottage.

Two Large, medium or small dogs are welcome to stay in Cobbs Cottage

The Old Grove Farm:

Snow Cottage - No dogs accepted - sorry

Rose Cottage - No Dogs accepted - sorry

The Bakery - 2 medium dogs accepted

Dons Barn - 2 medium dogs accepted

Gun Cottage - 3 large dogs accepted

Orchard Cottage - 2 large dogs accepted

The above cottages make up the old Grove Farm and they all share the Orchard Cottage Gardens a herb patio and a big grassy Orchard with a car parking area.

There are 2 Pond's, 2 house cats and numerous bantams and flightless ducks as well as 200,000 bees (don't worry you won't see them) and lots of wild-life to take into account (the deer occasionally sleep in the garden) as well as other guests pets and guests (even an occasional child) - so roaming dogs can get into more trouble than can be imagined.

The cottages are all designed to offer each guest a large amount of privacy but the gardens are communal - most guests are out all the time doing things - or in doing things, not so many lounge about in the gardens - so the gardens are invariably quiet with just the ducks enjoying them.

But if there were 6 guest dogs having a little 'roam about' things would be very different� So, at The Grove Farm please keep your dog on a lead - the countryside starts just 15 steps away.

We do have a new large guest car park in about an acre of orchard meadow at the back of the barns and we are happy for you to excercise your dogs off the lead there - we provide doggie bags - but only if you can manage to keep them from hurtling off to the pleasures of the pond and chicken areas.

Holmwood Cottage

This has a large pretty Cottage garden with a shallow pond, the house is semi-detached and the border with the adjacent house is only a flower bed - so roaming dogs will cause problems with the neighbours - the hedge to the road is not dog proof and the road is a main one, so please keep you dog under control here and please do not let it damage or foul the garden.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage.

Two Large, Medium or small dogs are welcome to stay in Holmwood

Cobblers Cottage

This cottage is in a small picturesque village, the garden is reasonably secure but it is also very much a `show' cottage garden and it has a vegetable area for guests to pick vegetables so it is fine to lounge around with your pet but not to leave it unattended in.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage - you are in countryside after 60 yards.

One Large or 2 Medium or small dogs are welcome to stay in Cobblers

The Old Forge

This cottage is also in a small picturesque village.

There is no garden.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage and there is a very pretty nature reserve at the end of the village.

One Medium or two small dogs are welcome in The Old Forge.

The Old Monkey

This cottage is on the edge of a small market Town, there is a guest area in the garden which is secluded and fine for a quiet outside place to read of the newspapers but not much more, however the fields are opposite and it is a 3 minute walk to the lovely disused railway line which is part of the South Suffolk Cycle route and a lovely, danger free, dog walk.

Two Medium or two small dogs are welcome in The Old Monkey

The Old Reading Rooms

This cottage is in a small picturesque hamlet, the small patio garden is completely secure.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage and the fields are only 50 yards away.

Two Medium or two small dogs are welcome in The Old Reading Rooms.

Gabriel's Place

This cottage is in a small picturesque village, there is a tiny patio garden which is not secure.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage.

Two Large or Medium or small dogs are welcome in Gabriel's Place.

Scrumpy's Barn

This cottage is on the edge of a 6 house and church hamlet, it faces open fields with beautiful views over the river valley for miles. the small patio garden is completely secure.

Two Large or Medium or small dogs are welcome in Scrumpy's Barn.

Mill Cottage

This cottage is on a smallholding in its own valley, half a mile from the nearest road.

The 70-acre organic farm has free-ranging Bantams running about and there are sheep in several of its meadows, so you will have to keep your dog on a lead at all times, but there is an adjacent 11 acre woodland which is completely fenced, where your dog can run around freely away from any potential problems - there is a barn tower in this field and when they are nesting this field will be out of bounds for doggies..

The owners are establishing their own wildlife Nature Rerserve and three other Nature Reserves back onto the valley, so dogs will love it here.

There are really lovely dog walks straight from the cottage and this is a great place to take your pet just so long as you keep him (or her) under control on the farm.

One medium or two small dogs are welcome in Mill Cottage.

Bromans Barn

This cottage is on a lovely old farm, there are some horses stabled in a nearby barn so doggies will have to be kept under control in the immediate vicinity and there is no enclosed garden area just some nice sitting and eating places with bowers and rose arches for extra privacy.

Dog walks are straight from the cottage through the owners fields and down to the sea - adjacent to the Barn is the famous Cudmore Grove Nature Reserve: this is a great place for doggies as there are acreas of grass to hurtle around in and a network of footpaths leading around the island. you can walk straight into the park from Bromans and down through the park to the beaches.

Two Large or Medium or small dogs are welcome in Bromans Barn.

The Coach House

This lovely cottage can only take one small pet because of the high standard of interior finish, but there is a beautiful 'walled garden' which is secure and a large wildflower meadow to relax in.

There are lovely dog walks going straight from the cottage into the open countryside.

One small dog is welcome in The Coach House.

Woodfarm House

This lovely Farm House takes Two large doggies, it is set well back from the country lane it is on and has a large garden but is open to the lane via the driveway, the lane is not busy and there are fields opposite and a business park behind (well fenced off).

There are lovely dog walks going straight from the cottage into the open countryside.

Penny Cottage - Mint Cottage - Pound Cottage are all 5 star cottages in Medieval Lavenham and are unable to accept pets - sorry

Primrose cottage is also unable to accept pets.

This lovely cottage can only take one small pet because of the high standard of interior finish, but there is a beautiful 'walled garden' which is secure and a large wildflower meadow to relax in.

There lovely dog walks going straight from the cottage into the open countryside.

One small dog is welcome in The Coach House.

Conclusion: �A place to have a holiday and be able to take your pet� Not �A place for your pet to go on Holiday and you come along�.

I know very well that the vast majority of pet owners are very aware of their responsibilities and we have hundreds of happy guests here who bring their dogs and return time after time, but as the cottages are so popular with pet owners just one thoughtless 'Chancer' can seriously ruin the holiday of others and leave the place a wreck for the next guest.

If you have any questions about this or any helpful suggestions please contact me, I only want everybody to have a great time here.

Mark.