Hound and Human Holidays

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Hounds and Humans - Yew Tree Cottage
Reviewers: Jenni and Arran Eley

We had high hopes for our three-night stay at Yew Tree Cottage on the Suffolk/Norfolk borders. For one, we had the luxury of a spacious, detached cottage sleeping up to six for just the two of us, but also it was made clear that Woody’s comfort was as high a priority as ours. We all know by now that a happy hound equals a happy human holiday.

The pretty cottage is on a quiet lane in a conservation area in the village of Redgrave, with country walks from the doorstep. We had to first motivate ourselves to leave the cottage, because inside there are creature and human comforts galore. For Woody this meant multiple dog beds dotted around the house for a snooze wherever it took his fancy, a wooden chest full of freshly cleaned toys for his perusal, stacks of ethical dog treats, plus a brand-new tennis ball. There were dog tags, dog bowls, poo bags, drying robes and spare leads. These were of less interest to Woody than the seemingly never-ending supply of new toys from the wooden chest. As for us, exploring the cottage was also a delight. From the spacious master bedroom and bathroom with luxurious deep bath, to the unique furniture and artefacts and the library room with its range of books, with a dedicated dog section.

Victoria, the owner, left comprehensive welcome information for us including handy notes and tips from her four dogs, the previous canine residents. Woody was excited to learn that he was welcome in all living and sleeping places, and that blankets were provided so he could lie on the sofas or even the bed. We didn’t spoil his fun yet by showing him the bespoke doggy bathtub in the back garden, although I had a hunch that he would encounter it before our stay was done.

We reluctantly left the warmth of the house for a sunset stroll out onto the fields at the end of the lane and were rewarded with deer-spotting opportunities in abundance.  We put Woody on a lead just in case the urge for a Fenton deer chasing moment became too much, but thankfully he seemed content enough with all the new sights and sniffs. Back at the cottage we settled in for a cosy night by the log burner, with Woody enjoying the freedom to roam between relaxing on a huge dog bed in the lounge, to lying on the underfloor heated flagstone flooring in the dining room, with periodic checks on squeaky pink pig, one of his favourite toys.

On Saturday, we visited the nearby Angel Café in Diss for brunch. This bustling and popular café is dog friendly indoors and out, and serves homemade, local food. Woody sampled the local sausages and agreed with the many Tripadvisor reviews that they were thoroughly delicious and that all the staff were very welcoming.

Fully fuelled, we set off on a four-mile walk. There are six circular walks of different lengths in the area to try, all prepared by the local pub, and laminated copies are available in the welcome pack. We chose the Botesdale Loop, which from Redgrave crosses the valley by streams and open fields and into the village of Botesdale. We didn’t see a soul for most of the walk and enjoyed the views and peacefulness of the surroundings. Woody had the freedom to explore, paddling in a few streams, getting muddy and avoiding his favourite pastime of fox poo rolling for at least the first half of the walk. 

As predicted, this gave us an opportunity to try out the doggy bathtub in the garden on our return. There’s a handy mixer tap so although Woody wasn’t exactly pleased, it was warm water and the shampoo provided was strong enough to combat even fox stink. The back garden is fully enclosed with high fences, and during our visit the blossom tree was glorious in full bloom. The bees were taking advantage of the insect houses dotted about and there is also a hedgehog house in the front garden. It seems that Yew Tree Cottage has an open-door policy to creatures great and small. 

There’s a solid sustainable and ethical ethos that can be seen everywhere from the ‘dog toilet’ septic tank in the garden, reducing the need for waste bags, to the natural human toiletries and ethically sourced tea and coffee. Post bath time Woody’s displeasure at being clean was somewhat soothed by his enjoyment of trying a drying cape for the first time. 

After a snooze by the fire, we returned to Botesdale to pick up some takeaway wood-fired pizza from The Greyhound Pub. This quirky village pub is a hub of the local community and very welcoming of dogs in the bar. We loved watching our pizza being made in the oven almost as much as we enjoyed eating it.

On Sunday, we forced ourselves to get up a bit earlier (the bed is very comfy) to try out a longer walk route of six miles with lunch at the village pub, The Cross Keys afterwards. The sun had made a welcome appearance and as we walked into the village it seemed like the perfect set for a quintessentially British TV drama. Characterful thatched cottages with daffodil displays around the village green, a duck pond, community run shop, the pub, and even a traditional red phone box converted to book exchange. 

This varied walk saw us cross over into Norfolk, then took us on a circular route through Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Redgrave and Lopham Fen reserve, across the river Waveney and back into Redgrave. Once again there were plenty of opportunities for Woody to explore off lead, with occasional deer sightings and wildlife in the fen – geese, swans, and marsh harriers. Redgrave and Lopham Fen is well worth a visit. Dogs are welcome but must be on leads in the reserve to protect the habitats. It is free entry with nine miles of trails to enjoy. 

The Fen is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and supports a diverse range of plants and animals, including one of the rarest spiders in Britain, the Fen raft spider. The protection of this vulnerable species was the reason this site originally became a nature reserve. It was while showing my husband a picture of said spider, explaining that it can literally walk on water and is the biggest in the UK – about the size of an adult palm – that I realised he had hurriedly marched ahead muttering about getting to the pub in time for lunch. Unfortunately, or fortunately, we did not see the Fen raft spider on this visit.

Back at Redgrave we enjoyed lunch and a well-earned drink in the Cross Keys, thanking the owners for their brilliant walk routes. We asked if Woody was allowed in and were rewarded with an enthusiastic ‘yes of course’ before spotting the Dog Friendly sticker intheir window. We sat outside and enjoyed lunch by the village green, while Woody enjoyed a lot of fuss from anyone who happened to pass by. 

Our stay was nearly over, and we hadn’t ventured very far from the cottage at all. We hadn’t needed to. For those who want to, there is lots more to explore: the Norfolk Broads, English Heritage sites, or even the coast a bit further afield.

Despite our tired legs we had to fit in a visit to Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, the top recommendation in our welcome pack. Managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, it is a huge reserve with open heath, forest, river walks and wild ponies. 

A fifteen-minute drive from the cottage and Woody was in a very happy dog place in the dedicated dogs off-lead and pony free pine trail. There is free parking close to the off-lead trail, away from the main nature reserve car park. Woody by name and by nature, woodlands are most definitely his thing. Ours too, Knettishall Heath is a fantastic place to explore for hounds and humans alike.

For us the rural village location, the many walks and local pubs made this a perfect relaxing staycation. Lets be clear, though, the star attraction here is the cottage itself. It has a warmth and generosity to it that is not just from the log burner, the richly painted walls, or the cosy underfloor heating. Perhaps it’s the contented energy of the many happy dogs and humans that have lived and stayed here before. We loved it and agreed with a previous guest’s feedback that they can’t imagine another dog friendly cottage trumping this one.High praise from us and, of course, from Woody, currently lazing in front of the log burner with pink squeaky pig from the chest of delights. One very happy hound.

Hounds and Humans – Yew Tree Cottage, review by Jenni and Arran Eley  and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 78.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine