Dog friendly destinations

Here in the UK, we are a nation of animal lovers. In fact, according to a recent survey by YouGov and PDSA, 50% of UK adults own a pet and 24% have a dog, with an estimated population of 9.9 million dogs in total.

Everybody loves a holiday, but for dog owners it can be difficult leaving your best friend at home – we understand your pets hold an important place in both your hearts and homes as they are part of your family. Our recent survey found that 17% of Brits have avoided booking a holiday abroad due to not wanting to leave a pet with a sitter.

To make sure you can include all members of the family on your next trip, we have put together a collection of dog-friendly holiday UK destinations including national parks, dog-friendly beaches and more.

Here's 10 great places to visit:

1. Cornwall

Cornwall is a fantastic destination to take your dog on holiday. With over 250 miles of coast, Cornwall has over 300 beaches that you can visit, where you can find wildlife including jellyfish, weever fish and more animals which live in rock pools and sand dunes.

As well as miles of coastal walks, Cornwall also has many tourist attractions which are dog friendly including: dog-friendly pubs, Charlestown Shipwreck Museum, Cornish Seal Sanctuary, and Minack Theatre. For more info you can visit Best Days Out Cornwall.

2. Cumbria

Cumbria is home to the Lake District National Park, the north Pennines, and is part of the Yorkshire Dales, making it a  perfect and popular rural county for a dog-friendly holiday. Dog-friendly attractions include Hadrian’s Wall Path in Bowness on Solway, where you can walk along the shores of Bowness Marsh towards Port Carlisle. Another popular dog-friendly attraction is Carlisle Castle, where you can explore 900 years of history, including finding out more about the stay of a valuable royal prisoner — Mary, Queen of Scots.

3. North Wales

North Wales is another spot with a high number of perfect, natural spots to visit with your dog, including Snowdonia National Park or the region’s other vast country parks. Conwy Water Garden is a popular dog-friendly attraction with three fishing lakes, a nature walk and an aquatic centre.

The attraction even has a Dutch Pancake House on site, there’s much to see and do for all ages, human or canine. North Wales includes 110wild, urban, ancient and modern beaches for visitors with dogs to visit. Point of Ayr Beach is one of these beaches, with so much space to have hours of play with your pup.

4. Lake District

The Lake District is one of the best holiday destinations in the UK to take your dog with you, thanks to the wide range of natural open spaces and pet-friendly attractions. A popular staycation destination, it’s known for its glacial ribbon lakes, hilly mountains and historic literary associations.

There are so many beautiful walks to consider in the Lake District it’s hard to pick which one to pursue. Mike Innerdale from National Trust has listed his favourites in The Guardian. Some of the best pet-friendly attractions across the Lake District include The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, Windermere Lake Cruises and Ullswater 'Steamers'.

5. Peak District

Take a trip to one of the largest untamed areas in Britain by following the amazing walking trails in the Peak District. You can find the first, and arguably the ‘big daddy’, of all walking trails in the Peak District: the Pennine Way. . This was due to the mass trespass events in the mid-20th century where the ‘right to roam’ laws were cemented. As well as walks, the Peak District inhabits many dog-friendly attractions such as The Heights of Abraham, Crich Tramway Museum and Chatsworth House.

6. Scotland

Scotland inhabits many stunning beaches, blinding blue waters upon miles of bouncy sands for you and your dogs to play - whether you’re up for a relaxing stroll or a little swim, or playing with your pups’ favourite frisbee or ball.

As well as beaches, Scotland has some pretty exciting lochs too! In fact, there are over 30,000 lochs across Scotland which come in all shapes, sizes and locations for you to explore. Many castles too!

There are many dog-friendly attractions in Scotland, making this one of our top ten dog-friendly destinations. Visit Scotland has provided a full list of attractions here.

7. South Wales

South Wales is another perfect destination for a dog-friendly holiday with towering hills, winding rivers, castles to conquer and mysterious caves and forests. Alongside all of this, South Wales has 188 beaches listed including Wales’ longest beach, Cefn Sidan.

The beach is an eight-mile-long walk – making it a dog walkers paradise. The name itself roughly translates to “silky back”, with the low tides allowing the beach to sparkle in the sun. There are many other attractions that are dog-friendly such as Pembroke Castle, Craig y Nos Country Park and The National Showcaves Centre for Wales.

8. Devon

Devon is well known for their beaches. There are plenty of beach hotspots that welcome dogs, from Saunton Sands, Braunton with its 3.5 miles of sand in North Devon to Exmouth in East Devon or the English Riviera near Torbay.

Devon has many cliffs, hills and mountains distributing beautiful views. Why not take to the Victorian Cliff Railway, Lynmouth to Lynton, where a return train ticket for you and your dog costs just £1.50? There are plenty more attractions that are dog-friendly, you can find a full list at Visit Devon.

9. Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales encompasses thousands of square miles of moors, valleys, hills and villages for you to have a perfect dog friendly staycation. There are many dog friendly places to go, such as the Bedale Heritage Trail.

Bedale is a picture-postcard historic market town nestled mid-way between the Yorkshire Moors and Dales. You can pick up a leaflet for the Bedale Heritage Trail at the Bedale Tourist Information Centre within Bedale Hall and discover the history of Bedale.

There are also other dog-friendly attractions such as Bolton Abbey, Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (dogs travel for free!) and more. Full list provided by Visit Thirsk.

10. Anglesey

The golden coastline is a great island to explore for both humans and dogs Holyhead Breakwater Country Park is full of nature reserves and the woodland areas are ideal for families with dogs. Full of trees, rocks and the best scenery, dogs  can explore freely off the lead and can take rest in the cafes on site. Anglesey has other dog-friendly attractions too – even on sea! You can bring your furry friends onto Seacost Safaries to visit Puffin island!

We’d love to hear your favourite dog-friendly places to stay, along with any snaps of your holiday buddies, so make sure to tweet us or tag us on Instagram @UKCaravans4Hire!

Published on May 28th, 2020

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