A luxury dog friendly stay at Cossington Park in Somerset leaves us wanting more!
As the crow flies, Somerset isn’t far from us in landlocked Wiltshire. However, when it comes to dog-friendly destinations, it’s never really been on my holiday hot list.
Bordered by Devon and Dorset, Somerset is often the forgotten relative when it comes to the Southwest coastline. Yet, there is so much to explore, what with the Somerset levels, and the stunning backdrop of the Mendip Hills and the Quantocks.
Dog friendly luxury awaits at Cossington Park
The dogs and I were lucky enough to be invited to stay at Cossington Park. This fabulous country estate comprises two luxury cottages which are situated in the picturesque village of Cossington. The cottages can be booked separately or can be rented together to celebrate a special occasion.
You can even get married at Cossington Park where the stunning house and gardens would provide the most romantic setting for the perfect wedding.
The estate has been owned by the same family for hundreds of years. It is maintained to an impeccable standard, and every last detail has been carefully considered to create a truly special holiday experience for its guests.
A warm welcome and pawsome hampers!
On arrival at our luxury pad, my two intrepid explorers were keen to sniff out their new surroundings. After checking out the enclosed walled garden, it didn’t take them long to discover the welcome hamper that was waiting for them!
Brimming with treats, toys, towels, poo bags, and even guest ID tags, Winnie soon bagsied the squeaky duck toy!
The hamper for humans was just as impressive and packed with locally sourced produce. Homemade jam, fair-trade chocolate, freshly ground coffee, Border biscuits, Dorset cereal, and Somerset apple juice awaited us.
There was also milk, butter, and cheese in the fridge.
Both the dogs and I felt incredibly spoilt, and we couldn’t have received a warmer welcome. Cossington Park really does take the expression ‘home from home” to a totally new level!
Park Cottage
The cottage is immaculately clean, and oozes style and sophistication. Tastefully decorated and beautifully furnished, Park Cottage feels rather like something from an edition of Country Life magazine.
The rustic earthy tones and sympathetically combined textures and patterns of the soft furnishings create a warm and welcoming ambience. With a nod to the exotic, and an eclectic mix of antiques, memorabilia, and fascinating artwork, this luxury cottage takes some beating when it comes to dog-friendly destinations.
It is the perfect recipe for rest and relaxation.
Everyone is welcome at Cossington Park
With practical solid wood flooring and disabled access throughout the ground floor of the property, it’s not just our four-legged friends that have been carefully considered at Cossington Park.
For those with limited mobility, there is a downstairs wet room that boasts the most incredible Mira shower. There is also an elegant king-size bedroom, comprising a beautiful feature fireplace, that overlooks the courtyard garden.
Upstairs, there is another exquisite king-size bedroom, a twin room, and also a luxury family bathroom.
The living space
The downstairs living space is open plan, and the modern kitchen has every mod con and appliance you could wish for to self-cater in style.
With a farmhouse table that looks out onto the patio area, it’s the ideal spot to relax and have breakfast, whilst contemplating your dog-friendly adventures for the day ahead.
Adjacent to the kitchen/ breakfast room is the sitting room. With two comfy sofas and a reading chair in one corner, it lends itself perfectly to chilling out, hunkering down, and watching your favourite movie, or snuggling up with a good book.
An enclosed garden for dogs
Both Winnie and Gertie seemed to spend a lot of the time with their noses firmly pressed against the bifold doors at the rear of the property!
The charming cottage garden feels like an extension of the living room. It is fully enclosed and its high walls provide privacy from the neighbouring cottage. Making it the ideal sun trap to soak up those rays when the weather allows.
Understandably with accommodation of this calibre dogs are not allowed on the soft furnishings or upstairs in the cottage.
However, due to one of the master bedrooms being downstairs, there was no need for us to use the first floor of the property at all. We were perfectly self-contained, and there is a stair gate to prevent any unwanted wanderings!
Out and about at Cossington Park
To be honest, you could quite happily spend a whole week just relaxing at Cossington Park. And with 22 acres of well-tended gardens and grounds to sniff out it really is the epitome of a dog-friendly paradise.
But with a handy online app to guide you, and so many wonderful places to explore nearby, the dogs and I were itching to get out and about.
Location is everything when it comes to dog-friendly getaways, and Cossington Park is perfectly situated to explore the local area. Glastonbury, Burnham-on-Sea, Cheddar, and the Somerset coast are all within easy reach.
Brean Sands and Downs
Whilst Brean has a reputation for holiday parks and kiss-me-quick hats, the beach and downs make for a perfect doggy day out. Particularly when you visit out of season.
The beach is dog friendly all year round. However, like many beaches along this coastline, at low tides mudflats are exposed, so you need to be mindful of sinking sand.
It still leaves plenty of beach on which to play though, and Brean Downs is a lovely walk, that’s not to be missed.
With stunning panoramic views across the Bristol Channel, the walk via the ancient hill fort makes a superb circular route.
Dogs do you need to be on leads at all times on the downs, as there is quite a sheer drop in places. But with Winnie heavily into loose lead training, this provided the perfect opportunity to brush up on those skills!
The café in the National Trust car park is dog friendly too. So after working off a few calories, we piled them straight back on with a flapjack and flat white to round off our walk!
Kilve Beach
Kilve Beach is famous with fossil hunters and is dog friendly all year round.
If you’re after a good run around and stretch of the legs, it’s maybe not ideal as it’s extremely pebbly and covered in rock pools.
Nevertheless, the dogs found it suitably entertaining and spent a good hour or so splashing about in the water and sniffing around!
There is also a 3 mile cliff walk that you can do from the car park and there is a nice little café for a cream tea afterwards.
Glastonbury Tor
Synonymous with myths and legends, Glastonbury Tor is a spiritual magnet for Pagans and Christians.
Just a few miles down the road from Cossington Park, I felt compelled to make the pilgrimage to the summit whilst I was in the area. [Albeit with my wellies on, unlike many who were hiking up the hill in bare feet!]
Parking for the Tor is limited unless you park in the town centre, which involves walking along a main road.
We parked in a residential side street and followed a public footpath that joins steps up to the Tor. With two eager terriers giving me a helping paw, it only took about 20 minutes to reach the summit!
The views from to top are pretty impressive and well worth the climb.
Cheddar Gorge
Cheddar Gorge is a tourist hot spot and is the perfect doggy day out! With rocky paths, sweeping views, and an iconic landscape, it makes for a truly memorable walking experience.
Renowned for being one of Somerset’s finest hikes, The Cheddar Gorge Trail is about 5 miles long and is a circular route that takes in both sides of the Gorge, starting from the centre of the village.
I’d recommend popping into the local tourist information centre and grabbing a map of the route just to be on the safe side. [If your navigational skills are anything like mine!]
The ascent takes you through scenic woodland and up to the pinnacle of the gorge, where you’ll get breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. Whilst the route is a little lung-busting in parts, it’s well worth it for the sense of achievement and photo opportunities at the top!
The village of Cheddar is relatively small, but with dog-friendly cafés and gift shops aplenty, it’s perfect for a post-gorge mooch! We were particularly taken with Cafe Gorge who do a pretty mean cream tea!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading all about our stay at Cossington Park. If you’d like to see more of our adventures please check out our story highlights on our Instagram page.
We’ll be back!
Cossington Park is a truly special place. If you are looking for a dog-friendly holiday with lashings of luxury, the dogs and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Whilst we were given a complimentary stay in return for an honest review, I would pay to go back in a heartbeat.
There is so much of Somerset that I would still love to explore, and I cannot imagine anywhere could top this charming country estate.
If you fancy revelling in luxury at Cossington Park, why not check out their website and book yourself a dog friendly stay to remember.
Woofs and wags
Kate, Gertie and Winnie
xox
