Nestled in the heart of England, the Cotswolds is renowned for its rolling hills, charming villages of honey coloured stone, and timeless beauty. But beyond its picturesque landscapes and historic allure, the Cotswolds stands out as an exceptionally dog-friendly destination. Recently we spent a few idyllic days at Wild Thyme and Honey, a 24 bedroom, dog friendly boutique country inn in Ampney Crucis near Cirencester. I am not exaggerating when I say I was blown away by how welcoming to dogs this stunning hotel is, literally you and your pooch will want for nothing if you choose to stay here.
We stayed in one of the hotel’s Riverside Suites which had wonderful views of Ampney Brook and the cricket pitch beyond. The room itself was absolutely gorgeous, seamlessly blending rustic charm with modern comforts, think natural wood flooring (a dog send with dogs) exposed Cotswold Stone, a free standing bath and separate shower room with a heavenly power shower.
Dogs are greeted with a warm welcome with a comfortable dog bed, blanket and dog bowl for each canine guest to ensure they feel just as pampered as their human companions. There were also complimentary Forthglade Treats awaiting the girls in the room, as Forthglade Ambassadog’s, Maya and Lucia found this particularly exciting!
It was extremely refreshing not to be met with a long list of dog don’ts. Make no mistake Wild Thyme & Honey is a hotel where you can really relax with your four-legged friend without having to worry if your pooch jumps on the bed or returns the odd woof greeting to a neighbouring guest. The general ambience around the hotel is so relaxing that although there were several doggy guests in residence there were only a few of these muffled woof greetings exchanged in the whole time we were there, of course Maya and Lucia acknowledged the other dogs presence on occasion, well it would have been rude not to, right?
From a human perspective the room was just gorgeous and the attention to detail was second to none, from the comfy bed dressed with fine linens to the wonderful Verden luxury bathing products, white fluffy towels and bath robes, a Nespresso machine and the decanter of Sloe Gin, everything was perfect. The Wild Thyme & Honey theme is subtly included in aspects of the hotel’s design such as the honey bee motif handles on the bedroom furniture draws, and some beautiful planting along the outside walls of the Inn.
A unique touch, well I have never encountered it before anyway, was the ‘Honesty Pantry’ this was stocked with cold water, small bottles of milk and extra coffee pods etc that you could help yourself to if needed.
Another nice touch was that there was a lit lantern outside every occupied room and a small bottle of fresh milk was left outside you door in the morning.
Perhaps the real highlight of Wild Thyme & Honey is the cosy private courtyard for guests, with throws and an open fire and the outside bar area that with its wooden benches and throws is reminiscent of a Swiss ski resort. We absolutely loved relaxing in this area with a coffee or a cocktail in the evenings.
Dogs are welcome to dine with you too in the adjoining Crown Pub, this is an experience in itself and deserves it’s own post – keep your eyes peeled!
As far as Maya and Lucia were concerned their favourite thing about this hotel was the cricket pitch which was literally 10 metres away just over the bridge from our room. I think most of the doggy residents agreed and all took full advantage of this space to play a game of fetch on their way to the public foot path just across the grass. The hotel even have Hunter Wellies available for hire just in case it is wet, so there is no excuse for pet parents not to get out there haha. Seriously though, what a fabulous asset for those necessary late evening walkies and there is even a dog poop bin situated just as you cross back over the bridge.
I’m not sure there is anywhere in the UK that is quite like The Cotswolds to take a dog-friendly holiday. There are so many attractions that welcome dogs, we visited The Cotswolds Wild Life Park and Broadway Tower but there are numerous other choices such as Cotswold Lavender, Cotswold Beach and Country Park and Westonbirt Arboretum.
There’s no shortage of beautiful places to walk your dog either and we enjoyed walks at Barrow Wake, Leckhampton Hill and Cleeve Common during our stay.
No visit to The Cotswolds would be complete without visiting one of the famous picturesque Cotswold Villages such as Lower Slaughter or Bibury, which incidentally is only a few miles from the hotel. There are many dog-friendly pubs and cafes in these chocolate box worthy places but be aware in summer they are incredibly busy.
All in all Wild Thyme and Honey is probably the most dog-friendly hotel we have ever stayed at, in fact I have struggled to find anything that did not exceed our expectations so for the first time ever on this blog we are going to award it 10 paw plus!
A huge thanks to Wild Thyme & Honey for inviting us to stay.
Love Sal, Maya & Lucia xxx
* We received a complimentary stay at Wild Thyme & Honey in return for an honest review
