Dog Friendly Beaches
I am often asked (and of course delighted to assist) with the question: 'Which beaches are dog friendly?' Read on to find out!
As a dog owner myself I always end up having to check the beach restrictions if I end up venturing further afield than my local Widemouth Bay Beach (South beach known as 'Black Rock').
Black Rock is year round dog friendly with no restrictions at all - how lucky is that for us and our guests! This is the ideal beach for our guests to quickly pop down for an impromptu stroll and perhaps even a cup of coffee at the Black Rock Cafe (also very dog friendly - they even do doggie ice cream).
There is no clear line between the South and North part of Widemouth Beach but it is generally considered the division is where the cliff is at its highest in the middle where the cliff juts out. Be careful not to stray onto the North side accidently between 10am and 6pm 15 May - 30 September as dogs are banned from the beach during this time. It is very easily done if you have entered the beach from Black Rock and aren't aware of the restrictions and I have a lot of sympathy when I see this happening as it is far from clear when you are actually on the beach itself. Don't be surprised if someone or a lifeguard quietly has a word with you (we are very proud of our Blue Flag status) which is far better than a fine from the Dog Warden!! I myself have been 'caught out' by this accidentally happening when a flock of seagulls were seen to be fair game by Molly who took off to see them off the beach!! Thankfully it was a brief crime that was committed and with the help of the whistle and a tasty treat she was back on 'legal land' again.
Just North of Widemouth Bay is the main town of Bude where you will find Summerleaze Beach (as pictured) and Crooklets Beach. Summerleaze Beach allows dogs all year but they must be kept on a lead between 15 May - 30 September 10am-6pm. Crooklets Beach has a dog ban between 15 May - 30 September 10am-6pm.
I came across a very helpful website Cornwall Beaches - Cornish Beach Guide (cornwall-beaches.co.uk) which list all the beaches in Cornwall and provides information about the beach, whether it is lifeguarded, whether it is dog friendly and what restrictions there are, what facilities are provided, car parking, tide times, map, postcode and much much more. It is well worth looking at if you want to explore further afield.
We recently had guests who visited Holywell Bay (just South of Newquay) and when they mentioned it to me it immediately came to me that this is a fantastic beach but one that I had completely forgotten about when they had asked me about the best sandy dog friendly beach to visit. This is what triggered writing this blog - so thank you. I always love hearing where our guests have visited as it really helps me to help future guests. Feel free to 'catch me' for a chat if you want or drop me a message with your 'great places to visit' or even suggest future blog topics that you would like to see.
One of my favourites is Saunton Sands up the coast in Devon Saunton Sands Beach | Saunton Beach This beach has an amazing 3 mile stretch of golden sand and is perfect if you all have different 'wants' from a beach day. It will take you about an hour to get there but it is well worth it.
Wishing you all great exploring of our fantastic beaches!
