You don't need to leave your four-legged friend behind on your next trip to the beach – especially if you have a particularly active dog breed that needs to burn off some steam, or one that's been bred to enjoy a dip.
There are lots of UK beaches that offer spectacular scenery and plenty space for your pooch, which is particularly useful if you're training them. Here are some of the best dog-friendly beaches in the UK.
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Best UK dog-friendly beaches
Broad Haven South Beach, Pembrokeshire
Set on the south Pembrokeshire coastline, Broad Haven South Beach is dog-friendly year-round and has powder-soft yellow sand that seems made for building fragile fortifications. This National Trust-owned and managed beach is a beguiling place, with caves to explore, streams that empty into the sea and views out to the Church Rock limestone stack. Even in summer, it’s rarely as busy as Pembrokeshire’s other beaches.
But it’s not all about the destination, as the journey to reach Broad Haven South is almost as charming as the sand and sea itself. While there is a car park atop the cliffs at the western end of the beach with a footpath down to the cove, a far more pleasant way to get here with a dog is on foot from the Bosherston Lakes car park (SA71 5DR) across the Grade I-listed Stackpole Estate.
Follow the boardwalks over the ponds, which are cloaked with lily pads and their flowers in June, hike up a large sand dune before crossing a stream that flows from the ponds on to the beach. Dogs are best kept on leads here as there’s wildlife to admire, from kingfishers to dragonflies and breeding coots, but they can be set free on the beach to chase balls or splash in the surf. There are strong currents in the sea around, so any swimmers might want to paddle in the stream instead.
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Dungeness, Kent
Dungeness isn’t your typical summer beach destination. Instead of powdery sand and bright blue seas this part of the Kent coast has a distinctly bare, sometimes bleak feel. It might not sound enticing, but there’s something captivating about the sloping shingle and big skies that sit uninterrupted above the English Channel, especially with its iconic black and white lighthouse, standing since 1904, towering over the flat landscape.
The southern reaches of this beach are overlooked by a hulking great power station – a reminder of the ingenuity of human engineering – while further up you’ll find fishing boats strewn on the pebbles between ramshackle huts. Look out for the distinctive black Prospect Cottage with its yellow painted windows – it once belonged to artist Derek Jarman, who turned its garden into a living work of art.
Dungeness is dog-friendly all year, but they’re not allowed on the adjacent nature reserve.
Saunton Sands, Devon
The most striking thing about Saunton Sands in North Devon is that from one end of the beach you can hardly see the other. With around three miles of sugary yellow sand backed by the low-lying dunes of Braunton Barrows – a UNESCO Designated Biosphere Reserve – it’s one of England’s longest natural beaches.
Saunton Sands is enormously popular with holidaying families and day-trippers, with a café and lifeguards in summer, but despite bringing in the crowds it’s still entirely possible to find a little patch for yourselves. Walk even just 200 metres from the main car parking area and you’ll notice the crowds thin out, even in the peak of summer.
What you don’t see at first glance, though, is this coastline’s fascinating history. In 1943, this vast stretch of sand and the dune system became an Assault Training Centre for US Army troops preparing for the Normandy landings. Head into the grassy dunes to seek out the pillboxes and training walls used by the soldiers, and look out for the memorial that commemorates those lost to the battles in the Second World War.
Within these dunes you may spot rare plants, such as sand toadflax, or some of the 33 species of butterfly that flit between the wildflowers. Dogs are welcome on the beach and in the dunes year-round, though in the dunes they need to be kept on a lead to protect flora, fauna and grazing cattle. Water bowls are available at the beach café.
St. Columba’s Bay, Isle of Iona
Scotland has its fair share of remote islands but few feel as wild and windswept as Iona, a tiny isle off the coast of the larger Isle of Mull that is famous for its abbey. St Columba’s Bay sits on the southern tip of the island, an hour’s walk over farmland and rocky terrain from the ferry port. Its coarse white sands and cerulean seas are sheltered by bulbous rock formations, making it an ideal spot to picnic or, if you’re really brave, swim in the bracing seas.
It’s here where the Irish missionary Columba is said to have landed when he came to the region in 563 CE. With 12 followers, he founded and built the original monastery with his own hands. The church that lies in ruin on that same spot is a 13th-century Benedictine abbey, now home to the Iona Community; you can wander around its atmospheric walls.
Dogs are allowed year-round, but keep them on a lead if livestock is present.
Ceannabeinne, Sutherland
Sitting pretty between mountains and sea on the north coast of Sutherland in western Scotland, Ceannabeinne Beach is a truly spectacular sweep of fine golden sand lapped by the North Sea and bordered by dramatic craggy rocks with a grassy, sandy slope that leads up to the car park. When the tide goes out, tiny inlets and caves are accessible.
While the beach is stunning, it’s the geology here that will mesmerise the most: exposed to the elements is a large part of the Lewisian gneiss, a Precambrian metamorphic rock formation in wonderfully contrasting pinks and dark greys. This is some of the oldest rock in Britain and it’s visible all the way along the beach’s western cliffs and caves.
There’s little in the way of facilities on this remote coastline, though those seeking a little adrenaline will be thrilled by the zipline, which whizzes from the cliffs down to the sand.
Ballycastle Strand, County Antrim
Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast is peppered with beautiful beaches, but none are quite as dog-friendly as Ballycastle Strand’s mile-long stretch, perfect to race around on all year. Sitting west of the town across the mouth of the Glenshesk River and looking northwards into the Irish Sea, this coarse sandy beach has rolling surf and wonderful views to rugged Rathlin Island.
This is a place for fish and chips on the sand – get yours from Morton’s in the town marina before heading down to the beach – or morning walks with a coffee in hand from the Shorebird Coffee Hut. It’s a favourite among local dog walkers, so you won’t be alone, and plenty of families flock to its shores in summer for sandcastle building and paddling in the sea.
Of course, trips to Rathlin Island are a bonus, too: it’s Northern Ireland’s northernmost point and is home to white-sand coves, rocky cliffs and a little Robert the Bruce heritage. It’s said the Scottish king rested here before travelling back to Scotland to reclaim his crown; follow in his footsteps as you walk with the dog across its trails.
There’s a chance you could see puffins burrowing into the grassy cliffs or come across seals lolling on the beaches, so keep the dog on a lead at all times to protect the wildlife.
Bamburgh Beach, Northumberland
The Northumberland coast isn’t short of spectacular beaches – this part of the British coastline has over 30 miles of sweeping sands to explore. Bamburgh, just an hour south of Newcastle, is undoubtedly one of the best in the county though, largely thanks to its red sandstone castle that looks as if it were plonked upon the dunes and could sink at any moment.
Sink it shall not, though, as iterations of this castle have stood on this basalt crag above the beach since before the Romans landed. Inevitably, it has a tumultuous history, with links to Sir Lancelot, King Arthur’s closest compatriot, and a claim to fame as the first castle to fall under cannon fire in the 15th century. You can tour the grounds and small museum with the dog; they’re not allowed inside the castle but during peak times there’s a dog-sitting service run by a local rescue charity.
Of course, in front of this fortification lies a huge sandy beach, where at low tide you’ll have to walk for hundreds of metres to hit the North Sea. This stretch of beach tracks all the way south to the town of Seahouses, around three miles (a pleasant walk), from which you can hop on dog-friendly boat trips around the Farne Islands for guillemot, puffin and gannet spotting in summer. Dogs are not allowed on the islands due to the seabird and grey seal colonies.
The beach is dog-friendly year-round. Bamburgh village has plenty of lovely pubs and cafés for dog-friendly meals, and there’s even a dog-friendly apartment in the castle’s Neville Tower.
Traeth Llydan, Anglesey
On the Isle of Anglesey’s south coast, Llydan Beach has coarse golden sand and calm sheltered seas. While languishing on the sand is tempting in summer – dogs are allowed here year-round – this beach is ideal for messing about on the water. Local surf schools and rental outfits offer chances to try kayaking or paddleboarding with the dog. You’ll regularly see novice windsurfers taking to the water for a lesson and plenty of swimmers heading out into the Irish Sea for a bracing but invigorating dip.
Behind the beach lies a dune system that promises thigh-burning walks with the dog that can come to a happy conclusion at the Oystercatcher restaurant, where Prince William was known to drink during his RAF days. Elsewhere, snacks and souvenirs can be acquired from the village of Rhosneigr, where hole-in-the-wall ice cream shops and bijou B&Bs populate the modest centre.
Watergate Bay, Cornwall
Just north of busy Newquay, Watergate Bay has a little bit of everything we all love about British beaches: stunning cliff faces, soft sand and plenty of family-pleasing facilities. At low tide, this vast swathe of yellow sand stretches out for hundreds of metres. It’s backed by high cliffs, with layers of grey, greenish and purple slate creating dramatic diagonal stripes, and the South West Coast Path runs along their wildflower-strewn top.
This is a surfing county, as the mighty Atlantic rolls in reliable white waves year-round – ideal for both beginners and intermediate surfers and those on bodyboards. Bring your own board or if you’re a beginner join a class with one of the beachfront schools.
Joyously, dogs are welcome here all year round and they will love leaping about the surf, adventuring on the low-lying rocks beneath the cliffs and playing frisbee or fetch on the sand. They’re also allowed to join you in the seafront cafés, The Beach Hut and WAX.
You can easily make a weekend of it here as there are myriad accommodation options on the cliffs above the beach; Watergate Bay Hotel is dog-friendly. Just be sure to time your walkies with the low tide to avoid being marooned on the sand as the water creeps back in.
Blackpool North Beach, Lancashire
Once a modest hamlet on the Lancashire coast, Blackpool and its seafront grew rapidly during the 18th and 19th centuries as sea bathing became a popular pastime. Today, this town is famous for its tower and annual illuminations event each September, and the enormous seven-mile-long sandy beach that stretches out in front of its promenade when tide is out.
Dogs are welcome to walk with you on a lead along the promenade and can explore the whole beach throughout winter. In summertime, as the main beach becomes busy with families building sandcastles at low tide, dogs are restricted to only the northern section of the sandy beach beyond the North Pier.
The oldest and longest of Blackpool’s famous three piers, North Pier is a little relic of history well worth a diversion. It opened in 1863 and is still home to small wooden huts selling ice cream and gifts and a theatre at its farthest end (no dogs indoors). Walk along the decking for fantastic views out to sea and south towards the Blackpool Tower and Central Pier before heading down on to the sand.
The dog-friendly section of beach here stretches all the way to Anchorsholme so there’s plenty of space for all. Behind the promenade lies Blackpool War Memorial, an obelisk that commemorates fallen soldiers and civilians from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the conflict in the Falklands.
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