A dog-friendly Scottish Lodge-stay

A great Easter base for us for access to Perthshire, Sterling with the Wallace Monument and Sterling Castle, and only an hour's drive to lovely St Andrews for the world-famous golf and stunning wide beaches.

These lodges - The Woods are in a quiet location on the outskirts of Alva, with super views overlooking the Ochil Mountains, locally known as the Hillfoots were the perfect place for a few nights with our Molly-dog!

Lodges are modern, spotlessly clean, warm (a necessity in April), well-decorated and well- maintained and a big plus for me ... are dog - friendly!

Two local pubs that are also dog-friendly in the area: The Birds and The Bees (Causewayhead) and Torbrex Inn (Sterling) offered great pub-grub and a welcome for Molls too!

We loved St Andrews, the beaches here are fabulous for dogs and many cafes and restaurants are also dog-friendly, offering water-bowls outside and a warm welcome inside.

Top tips:

Stop in Sterling for a bigger supermarket shop, the shop on site is very small, and limited supplies in Alva itself.

Take a walk down to the river close to the lodge park, you may spot a swan or two, or even a canoeist battling the slalom posts!

The small village of Dollar is within an easy 10-minute drive for more upmarket eateries and shops.