Autumn Beach Walks With Your Children And Dogs
Time to start considering Autumn beach walks. Autumn half-term is creeping up on us here in England and those of you with kids and dogs will be thinking about where to go and what to do to keep them all happy. We think beaches are a great place to explore with most seasonal dog bans being lifted in October.
It’s easy finding a spot where the children can roam free but not so easy finding one where the family dog can join in the fun. So, we thought we’d give you a quick recap of beaches in the UK that allow dogs to run free.
Norfolk
Holkham beach has four miles of sand where dogs and families can enjoy an Autumnal picnic and a bit of late Summer surf. There are beach huts just in case that nip in the air is a bit too fresh otherwise you can huddle up behind one of the many wooden dividers and break open the flask of hot chocolate! This beach is backed by Holkham National Nature Reserve so you can prolong the day.
East Sussex
Camber Sands is a firm favourite for all dog owners and families as the dunes are far-reaching and provide shelter. There are great rock pools here to explore and some odd-looking wildlife like the sea splurge and the brown-tailed caterpillar!
There’s a great accommodation in Camber Sands that comes highly recommended for a half-term break or just a quick weekend away.
Camber Sands is a known doggy paradise and there are dog zones and a good amount of waste bins too!
Hampshire
Lepe beach is perfect for children and dogs to romp around with plenty of room and grassy areas, a mile of sand, pine-edged cliffs and meadows full of wildflowers with views of the Isle of Wight!
Lepe was used for the embarkation of troops and equipment for the D-Day invasion. You tell this heroic and heartwarming story to your children in between foraging and beachcombing. Little ones will love the children’s play area and there are toilets and lots of parking!
West Cumbria
St Bees beaches are both sandy and stony and have great facilities for wheelchair access and toilets!
St Bees is the beginning of the Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk. There’s a good nature reserve close by where you need to keep the dog on a leash but further down there’s a mile-long beach just great for dog walking!
Kent
We’d recommend Whitstable which is pebbly but the village it borders is just chocolate-box pretty and full of those olde worlde wooden houses and little quaint shops that even sell oysters!
There is a sharp drop to the sea so make sure your dog can swim well.
Yorkshire
There is almost a mile of sandy beach at Danes Dyke just on the south side of Flamborough Headland giving you loads of room to let the dogs run free and take the children with them!
Picnics are great here as you have the white cliffs behind you on both sides of the headland. The actual sand stretches, gently sloping, far from the ocean so you don’t even have to get your toes wet.
Devon
Branscombe beach is found at the end of a down and is a shingle and pebble beach. The beach is close to many of the popular tourist destinations such as Beer and Seaton so there’s plenty to do when you’re not letting your canine friend run free. The beach includes toilet and refreshment facilities, as well as a magnificent clifftop walk.
Dorset
Durdle Door beach is one you will easily recognise as it is probably one of the most famous and photographed beaches in England and is very popular with dog walkers. The sandy beach curves around the cliffs towards the natural arch formed by the waves over thousands of years. Lulworth and Lulworth Cove are close by and access is from the car park at the Durdle Door Holiday Park.
Cornwall
Mawgan Porth beach offers a good change to the very popular and often crowded beaches of Newquay and Watergate Bay. You will probably only share the beach with a few surfers depending on the weather! The beach does tend to mostly disappear when the tide is in, so this might be a good beach to combine with the nearby South West Coastal Path for a long walk. However, for pure peace and tranquillity, it’s hard to beat.
Merseyside
Formby is popular with wildlife spotters and is home to a large colony of red squirrels. Dogs are welcome, but the National Trust which owns part of the beach ask that they are kept running freely at the Lifeboat Road end of the beach away from the squirrel populations.
To help you plan your Autumn beach walks we have a full list of dog-friendly beaches by region see our dog friendly beaches list.
If you have a favourite beach for your four-pawed friend, let us know in the comments section below.