The estate's golden retriever, consulted
Ask Winston
Winston has been here since 2021 and considers the ground, the walks and the arrivals to be his department. Ask him about dogs at Martins Farm and he answers from what the estate already knows — never from guesswork.
Ask him anything
Winston, in conversation
Ask in your own words, in your own language. For anything about Martins Farm, Winston answers from what the estate has published and says so plainly when it has not; for ordinary questions he will help as best he can. Dates, prices and anything live go to a human or the booking page.
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Find it on the site
Search every public page and published Journal piece. Drafts stay private, and live dates and prices still belong to the booking page.
Or ask one of these
Answers come from AI and can be wrong. Your question and his reply are saved by Martins Farm Estate — please do not enter sensitive details.
Read the full note
Answers are produced by AI and can occasionally be wrong: Winston cannot see live availability, prices or your booking, so please check anything important on the linked pages or with the estate. Your current question and the recent conversation are sent to our managed AI service, and your question and his reply are saved as an estate record so we can see what guests ask; if you send an enquiry or a booking request in the same visit that record may be joined to it — so please do not enter personal or sensitive details. Closing Winston clears the copy of this conversation held in your browser; the estate record remains either way. How we handle this
The Winston Mud Index
What the ground is doing this week
A running field note kept by the people walking on it. Guests file a reading when they get back and every one is read before it counts, so where there is not enough evidence there is no reading at all.
Reading the ground…
The four states
- 1Distinguished PawsDry underfoot. The dog returns roughly as it left, and the boot room has an easy evening.
- 2Towel TerritoryDamp, a little grass, one towel by the door will do it.
- 3Boot-room ProtocolBoots off, dog held at the threshold, warm water involved before anyone comes inside.
- 4Full WinstonTotal immersion. The highest state there is, and the reason the drying rack exists.
Winston's notebook
Everything he has been told, written down
The complete set, in plain sight and readable without a single click — the same answers the box above gives, in the same words.
Can we bring our dog?
One well-behaved dog is welcome on every stay at The Oast, and Winston takes a keen professional interest in every arrival. There is no need to ask first for one dog: bring it, and tell us on the booking so we are expecting it.
Can we bring two dogs?
The house is set up for one dog. More than one is not a flat no, but it is a conversation rather than a booking: write to us before you book and we will tell you honestly whether it works for your dates.
How muddy is it at the moment?
Read the Winston Mud Index above: it is an average of approved guest reports, not a forecast, and when fewer than three reports have come in this week it says so rather than inventing a number. Winston's own position is that mud is an achievement.
Where can we walk the dog?
The Oast has a private, fully enclosed garden, and guests are welcome to walk the wider enclosed fifteen-acre estate. Deer and other wildlife can be present in the fields, so dogs should remain on a lead outside the Oast garden. Beyond our boundary, follow the signed public rights of way: the surrounding farmland and the neighbouring parkland are private.
When does the dog need to be on a lead?
The Oast garden is private and fully enclosed. The wider estate is enclosed too, but deer and other wildlife can be present in the fields, so dogs should remain on a lead outside the Oast garden. Keep them on a lead near livestock and on the lane as well; close gates behind you and carry waste out with you.
What do you provide for dogs?
A dog welcome of bed, bowls and towels can be put out for your arrival — it is one of the estate extras, so ask for it when you book rather than assuming it is already in the house.
What happens when we come back wet and muddy?
A practical boot room and laundry facilities expect you: they take wet coats and muddy paws and hold a washing machine, a tumble dryer, an electric drying rack and a towel rail. Nothing wet needs to travel further into the house than that.
What are the house rules for the dog?
Two, and they are the usual two: dogs are not left alone in the house, and they stay off the beds and the furniture. Everything else is common sense, which most dogs have more of than their owners.
What should we pack for the dog?
Boots you do not mind ruining, a towel more than you think, a lead for the lane, and a torch if you are walking up to the village after dinner. A bed, bowls and towels can be requested here, so there is no need to pack a whole household.
Can we walk to the village and the pub?
Frant village is roughly ten minutes on foot up the lane — the green, the church and The George, the pub we send guests to first. It is a country lane with no pavement for part of the way, so walk it in daylight, take a torch after dinner, and check the pub's current hours and dog policy with them directly rather than taking our word for it.
How do we book with a dog?
Check dates on the booking page and tell us about the dog as you go. Bookings are made with us directly rather than through a listing site, which is also how you ask for the dog welcome of bed, bowls and towels.
Who is Winston?
A golden retriever, on the estate since 2021, who regards greeting arrivals as part of his duties and the Mud Index as his life's work. He is friendly, and he is large, and he has opinions about the weather that he keeps to himself.