It's not a cottage. It's a flat which was very clean but it was in the middle of a lot of other people. We had our dog with us and the accommodation rules said we couldn't have her in the bedroom but as she is blind and deaf, she relies on knowing where we are and she is used to sleeping in our room so we had to defy that rule. She sleeps on the floor in her bed in any case. There are gardens around for her but again, these were public spaces and there are NO dog bins anywhere. We had to put the poo-bags by the car and collect them when we went out. There is no rubbish collection and although we were instructed to recycle there were no recycling bins close by. The instructions in the welcome book could have been clearer on this, I think.
Keswick is breathtakingly beautiful, surrounded by hills and 100's of walks for even the most inexperienced walkers. Most restaurants, shops, and pubs are dog-friendly and dog water bowls were outside almost every shop. Podgy Paws rents out a dog pushchair which we rented for our dog as she is old and doesn't walk far these days (but we still do!) so that came in handy for the 10-mile circular walk around Derwent Water. The walk was a bit hairy in places with the pushchair but we made it! Also, parked at Under Skiddaw car park for the short trek to Latrigg viewing point overlooking Keswick and Derwent Water and another lake. Spectacular views and we stayed up there for over an hour soaking up the hot sun (I know!! What a treat that was!) and enjoying the view and watching the fighter jets flying below us. Tarn Hows and Buttermere Lake walks were also highly recommended and beautiful.