It may be on the very edge of London, but get into the wide open countryside to the south and west and you’d never know it. Forget commuter country or urban sprawl and think unspoiled landscapes which feel untouched by the modern world – and loads of space.

The perfect place then, for the owner of a boisterous dog to escape to the country for fresh air, exercise and hopefully, good food in relaxing surroundings.

So on my never ending mission to find the perfect dog-friendly getaway, within easy reach of Oxfordshire, I found myself on a summer Sunday in the lovely town of Farnham, checking into a ridiculously historic inn called simply, The Bush.

This ivy-covered independent hotel opened its doors to guests in 1618, so has had plenty of experience of accommodating dogs and their owners.

Driving into the pretty market town after some twisty forested roads made us forget about the worries of the week, and even the the stress of delays caused by a broken down lorry on the A34, instantly vanished.

Everything was starting to look good – not least the old quirky pubs we passed on our way to The Bush.

The Bush in Farnham. Picture by Ed Nix

Having an energetic dog, we were relieved to find a good sized car park, but had an even better surprise when we parked up and wandered round to find the front of the hotel.

The front is very impressive with a huge-lawned front garden. Inside was an interesting mix of old world and new. It is beautifully designed with lots of wood, big open fireplaces, pillars and narrow corridors leading to big open spaces for relaxing, drinking and dining.

There are some seriously posh rooms here if you have a few pound coins to spare, but we opted for a dog friendly garden room in the more recently built section of the hotel – marvellous if the spaniels needed a wee in the night being on the ground floor with doors opening outside.

A dog bowl was waiting for us in the room and even dog treats. Happy spaniel!

With the sun actually showed up my wife and I had ice cold drinks on the front lawn. And when it started pouring with rain we headed inside to look for a roast dinner.

There’s a very large restaurant at The Bush but for dog people you need to sit in the bar area. And rightly so. Dogs are for pubs and bars not high-end restaurants. We didn’t see any other dogs in the bar area but we did meet lots and lots of staff and guests who all came over to say hello to the spaniel. It turns out The Bush is very dog friendly indeed.

The spaniel did try and eat my dinner though, so not all good.

There are various menus. If you’re in the bar area then it’s the bar and Sunday lunch menu – which was exactly hat we were after.

And there was loads to choose from – from roast strip loin of beef and slow cooked pork belly to roast vegan wellington, fish and chips or burgers. There were a good few starters to choose from too – but we were there for their chicken roast dinner.

The Bush in Farnham. Picture by Ed Nix This featured half a roast chicken each with butternut squash puree, roast veggies, roast rosemary and garlic potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, steamed greens and gallons of gravy. No wonder the spaniel tried pinching some when my wife wasn’t looking and I’d stupidly popped to the loo.

Bad dog! Reminding her that it was definitely mine, I tucked in. And it was very good. Clearly they have some brilliant chefs in the kitchen at this hotel – and we’d like to thank them!

Chicken dinners were happily washed down with a bottle of Las Piers 2020 Malbec. We managed to also wash down a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, and an apple and berry crumble with more vanilla ice cream. So good.

The Bush in Farnham. Picture by Ed Nix After a nice big walk up a nearby hill to a park, and back to the town again, we starting wondering why we didn’t just live there and never have to deal with the A34 ever again. We are still thinking.

Not only was The Bush fabulous, but Farnham was lovely too – and great for dog owners.

All the pubs we visited were dog-friendly and just very friendly in general. Some, like The Queen’s Head even had live music which kept things lively and fun.

Farnham proved a wonderful place for a stay – with lovely countryside, a great town, welcoming pubs – and, in The Bush, a brilliant hotel!

THE FACTS

The Bush, The Borough, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7NN

Book: 01252 715237 or go to farnhambush.com

Rooms: prices from £161 which includes breakfast based on a classic double room for two people. Further room upgrades are available at a supplement.

Eat and drink: Traditional but served with flare and with high quality produce. The roast chicken dinner was £19 and puddings are £7.50. A bottle of very good Las Piedras 2020 Malbec was £32.95.