Rufus and Heidi, aka the Pet Inspectors, have been on their travels again. This time they stayed at Tiggers Cottage, one of PetsPyjamas’ most popular cottages in the charming village of Bray, Berkshire – a gourmet destination full of Michelin star restaurants and gastro-pubs.
Beds and blankets, pet food and treats tumbled out of cupboards and into the car and we were all off on another adventure – this time it was just going to be a short trip, just 45 minutes, to our destination, the beautiful village of Bray. Our owners Denise and Rory were taking along Denise’s daughter Camilla and her boyfriend Hugo to celebrate Camilla’s birthday and they brought along their rescue Cavachon, Lulu to join the party.
We whizzed along the M40 and in no time we turned, we had reached Bray. The cottage is very easy to find as it is just off the main high street, a short stroll away from all the gourmet haunts. Christina met us at the door to the cottage and showed us around. It was quite a luxurious cottage with a lovely big kitchen with a huge raised bed for us plus an individual treat for each of us dogs with a personal message! We realised that this was a very dog-friendly cottage. There were also treats and the most beautiful garden for us to explore. The humans were delighted as it was so cosy and there were flowers everywhere, lovely comfy beds, drinks, cake and ingredients for a full English breakfast in the morning.
Christina gave us a list of lovely walks and suggested going for lunch at the pet-friendly pub the Bell and the Dragon in the lovely village of Cookham. It was really sunny so we sat in the large garden and had a delicious crab salad. After that, we headed off the nearby Burnham Beaches – a nature reserve and Special Area of Conservation. There is a lovely cafe there and we went on a circular walk for about an hour and a half. We were all off the lead when suddenly Lulu and Heidi sprinted off into the undergrowth. Luckily we found them and they were put back on the lead for the last part of the walk.
When we got back to the cottage we were so tired – we had tea, a few treats and a little snooze while the humans had a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate Camilla’s birthday. There was also bottles of honeybee and sloe gin and an array of soft drinks.
Oliver, the manager of the cottage, had booked us into the Crown – Heston Blumenthal’s gastropub. One special advantage of booking one of our Bray cottages is that the owners are able to get preferential bookings at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurants and gastro pubs including the Fat Duck, the Hind’s Head and the Crown. We decided to stay at home in our snuggly bed in the kitchen although dogs are allowed at the Crown. In any case, the Crown is just a few hundred yards away from the cottage so we knew the humans weren’t too far away. The owners of the cottage also offer a pet sitting service if you would rather someone stayed with your dogs.
Next morning Rory and Hugo had to get an early train from Maidenhead so Denise prepared a full English breakfast for them of bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomatoes and bread which had helpfully been left in the fridge. We headed back to the cottage and we had a leisurely breakfast with Denise and Camilla before packing up. It was another sunny day so we decided to walk around the village and then have a run around off the lead on the village green. We called in at Story, a delightful pet-friendly gift shop, where Denise and Camilla bought some earrings and a candle. After that, we headed off to the Crown for lunch. We got lots of attention so we were really pleased.
We loved Tiggers Cottage as there were so many lovely pet-friendly touches like the big snuggly pet bed and the individual treats. We really felt very welcome and will hopefully be invited for another celebration. Woof! Woof!