Dogs on holiday in North Norfolk

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Obviously not by themselves..... Ladies, any suggestions for things to do with a dog and Year 1 child in North West Norfolk? We will be on holiday in August. Obviously intending to go to the beach when possible, thinking Hunstanton (for the tacky stuff - hoping not too tacky???) & Wells. How busy will the beaches be? Any other ideas? Cannot leave dog in cottage and assuming(!) it will be too hot to leave dog in car.

Dogs will be banned from many beaches in August - its a requirement that designated bathing beaches are dog-free from May to September in order to maintain their status. You will need to do some research to find out which beaches are not designated bathing beaches. District council website would be a good place to start, or try the Marine Conservation Society's 'Good Beach Guide' which is online (sorry can't link as on my iPhone!).

Sounds like a great holiday though, am jealous!

Dogs are allowed on parts of Wells beach all year round, you just have to walk a bit further on. It's a great beach too, huge expanse of sand. There are also dog-friendly parts at Sheringham, but it's more pebbly there, although great for rock-pooling.

Lots of nice walks in the area too.

Holkham beach is fab with dogs

We've been to N Norfolk for lots of August holidays (9/10 good weather) but before we had the dog....from memory, I think there are National Trust places to visit with dog on lead, beaches for off lead, Holkham Hall there are deer so not sure, and even the tacky stuff is not too tacky in Norfolk, at least not the tacky stuff we found!

Have a great time.

Feesh, we've already checked that obviously, it's the first thing we do!

Hoste Arms is a dog friendly hotel, there's an undercover outdoor restaurant bit which is lovely in the evenings (dogs welcome of course!)

Sorry should have said the Hoste is in Burnham Market which is always worth a wander

Feesh, sorry, that sounded a bit meh, I mean, thank you, but yes we have checked. Norfolk seems pretty good for allowing dogs on beaches even in the summer. What is hard to tell is whether the bit of beach you are allowed on is the grotty bit!

Thanks for your thoughts so far everyone.

There are no grotty bits at Holkham, and afaik dogs allowed all over....its really glorious for kids, too, wide open spaces, never crowded. No toilets near by, but you can't have everything!

Elibean, I notice it says dogs allowed only on leads for Holkham beach, does that tend not to be adhered to then?

Well, I've certainly seen dogs off lead on Holkham - early in the morning, racing over the sands, and at other times pottering around their families.

I don't think 'out of control' ie racing around on beach would be ok during normal beachy hours, though.

Round about Blakeney and Cley is fab for dogs and children. It is a really good place to get really really muddy!

Oh the Hoste Arms is just gorgeous, good suggestion for afternoon tea etc.

Yes the Hoste is fab. We took dd there when she was 10 weeks old for our anniversary - stayed 3 nights and she slept under a table in the restaurant each night! Great for both dogs and children.

we live in this part of norfolk... so brancaster beach is very busy in summer if you go to the right of the beach, but if you go left hardly anyone, dogs free to roam, also there is a loo at the car park with an outside tap where i wash and water my dogs after a sandy walk.
holkham is fine for dog walking, just keep on lead till you get out onto sand or further into the woods. hunstanton no dogs off lead in summer.
wells is fine for dog walking, as long as you go through the woods onto the beach, as the nearer end is no dogs.
the nelson pub in burnham thorpe has lovely beer garden and little play area for kids, is dog friendly. the white horse restarant at bracaster has lovely balcony overlooking the marsh and is also dog friendly.
the deepdale cafe at deepdale is fab for food , can sit outside with dog but not in...

hope you have a fab holiday. we wont be here though, as we always vacate norfolk for whole of august!

Dogs are allowed on the far end of Hunstanton beach (the end up by the old lighthouse). Our fella loves it up that end and spends hours chasing the waves.

We go to Hunstanton with our lab and 2 dc and have a good time. We stay at www.searles.co.uk/ who have dog friendly lodges and mobiles.

Back from seeing to dc, from Searles you can get straight onto a dog friendly beach (walking away from the main town). The accomodation has decking with fence and gates to keep dog and dc safe and hard flooring.

There is a pub on the front in Hunstanton that welcomes dogs inside which was a godsend with a tired puppy on his first day out. Menu was of the steak and chips ilk but my MIL who is a bit of foodie said the steak was surprisingly good for such a reasonable price.

Waterside Pub Website

There is also a good fish and chip shop called Casterways under the pier (no actual pier going out to sea, just the land end buildings containing amusements and ten pin bowling) that has outside seating but under cover.

More towards Wells than Hunstanton is Burnham Overy Staithe, if you keep looking seaward (a long way off behind marshy land and dunes) there is a footpath of about two miles to the beach, you can usually park a little further up the road. The beach when you finally get there is a little slice of heaven, no facilities but there is lagoon that is fantastic for safe paddling, just be carefull if you cross it to the sandbank as the tide can come in behind you.

Hope you have a great time!

Thanks for all your replies. We're used to North Wales so lets hope we don't miss the mountains too much!