Dog-friendly holidays?

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

Please can you suggest dog-friendly holidays you've really enjoyed?

After a long period of 'planning' we think the time is right to seriously look into getting a puppy. We think this summer it would be a good idea to do a dog-friendly holiday in the UK, not least because Darling Daughter won't want to be separated from Darling Dog!

I assume hiring a cottage might be the way forward? Can you recommend anywhere in particular please? It will be a very different for us, so any advice welcomed!

If you’re looking for a pup and not a rescue then it may not be with you by then. Maybe wait and see.

We took a self catering cottage at Crieff Hydro (near Perth in Scotland) and had two dogs with us. It was perfect as there is a hotel you can have meals at if you don't want to cook and the grounds are spectacular for walking. The area nearby has lots of dog friendly places that we found off Facebook groups (Dog friendly Perthshire was one) and many cafes, pubs, shops and restaurants are fine with dogs going in. Edinburgh is also incredibly dog friendly. Good luck.

We've done lots of holidays with dogs in the UK and France. What sort of places interest you - city, coast, rural village or remote area, walking, shopping? It'll help with suggestions.

Thank you for the suggestion Nairo - sounds lovely and the hotel for meals is a good idea 😀. Agatha thanks - the coast would be best as DD loves to surf, if we found a suitable, dog-friendly beach. We like just mooching around new places, little interesting shops, tea rooms - fairly easily pleased, to be honest. We like France but we'd stick closer to home for our first attempt!

We've booked several holidays through Blue Chip... one lovely place was Gara Rock in Devon. It's a lovely site with restaurant on site and pools etc, plus right on the coastal path. There is a lovely walk through woodland down to Salcombe too, where you can get a little boat over to the town. We've stayed there a few times, and you can take the dog in the restaurant which we loved. Same at Una St Ives, that's lovely and it's a good walk down to Carbis Bay. Lots of dog friendly cafes/pubs. Both have dog friendly cottages on site.

We always take our two dogs away on holiday, lots of dog friendly cottages to be had.

France is dead easy with dogs (pre Brexit!) get vaccincations, pet passport easy to do at vets travel by eurotunnel easy peasy and France is very dog friendly. You can often take them to restaurants and bars no trouble

In the UK Pembroke is great for dogs huge open dog friendly beaches - Cornwall is packed in holiday times and there are some restrictions on many beaches so worth researching however there are also coves etc without restrictions for dogs.

Northumberland is a doggy heaven loads of space and freedom for dogs

I'm also interested in this can I jump in and ask, do you usually need to book UK dog friendly cottages way in advance? Like book now for summer? Or am I already behind the game?

Yes usually book now for summer.

Loads of dog friendly cottages to be had - some are certainly known for it and booked up for the year well in advance, but others will be bookable with less notice.

You need to ensure that you check that garden is fully enclosed and dog safe - solid fencing with no holes. We also prefer to book somewhere that has walks on the doorstep for first thing in the morning and last thing at night, so we can do quick walks then have a leisurely time before setting off out for the day.

There is a big difference between cottages that welcome dogs and ones that tolerate them, so look out for restrictions around keeping dogs to kitchen etc. Many will ask for dogs not to go on furniture, which is perfectly reasonable to me, but I don't want to have to shut them away from where we are relaxing.

Some ideas here :)
www.dogstrustholidays.co.uk/

There’s loads of dog friendly holidays around.
We recently used Forrest holidays and booked a cabin with a hot tub which had a secure decking area so could easily let the dogs out for a wee. It was slightly expensive but we loved it and we will be going back. The cabin was huge and nicer than my house 😂 lots of nice walks around and near the reception they had a little outdoor doggie shower to clean the dogs after a walk which I think is great. Little touches like that made a huge difference.

We had an amazing stay here www.puddleduckcottages.co.uk

Camping?

We love staying at Little Dumpledale in Pembrokeshire, they have cottages but also a caravan which is cheaper but is still a good size, the owners are super dog friendly as is the local pub.

There are walks right on the doorstep but also plenty of dog friendly beaches that are a short drive away and not busy either even in the summer holidays.

Have a look at Welcome Cottages. It shows immediately whether dogs are permitted and how many, so you can just glance down the page for suitable ones. And there's no extra charge for the dog.

If Scotland is within reach there are lots of lovely, almost deserted beaches.

I like the sound of dog camping, Tent....but how do you contain a.....dog in a tent/campsite?! Any tips?

I like the sound of dog camping, Tent....but how do you contain a.....dog in a tent/campsite?! Any tips?

With a metal ground spike (straight not spiral, I use this one amzn.to/2REPDok) and a 5m steel-cored cable (amzn.to/2H5h3PX). Most campsites insist dogs are leashed/restrained at all times. This fits the bill. Bang the spike in just outside the tent entrance. Get the straight spike because you can bang that into hard ground in summer with a mallet when the spiral spikes would get nowhere. Because all the force the dog applies is from the side the spiral isn't needed (it's only better if the dog was somehow trying to pull upwards).

At night she'd come in the sleeping compartment with us, unclipped from the cable but zipped into the tent compartment with us. First thing in the morning, reach through the zip, clip her on and she can wander again.

Thank you lovely people - lots of good ideas and tips, will look into Pembroke which I wouldn't have thought of

I’m guessing your lack of response means you will be shopping online for a pup whenever it’s convenient and Asap.
More money to puppy farmers.

Wolfiefan well, your guess will be factually incorrect then, but judge away.....

Good breeders often have lists.
They keep few bitches.
Bitches don’t come into season more than a couple times a year.
It’s not judging. It’s simple deduction.
Some people hunt high and low for rescues or decent breeders. Some google “cute name cross” and buy from puppy farmers. 8/10 of dogs bought in U.K. are puppy farmed. Are you actively trying to avoid that?
I want another dog. I may be lucky in a year or more.

Yes, I know. Just because I asked for holiday suggestions doesn't mean I'm a clueless idiot. This has been on the cards/in planning for a couple of years now and the breeder we've chosen - for a specific dog that best fits with our lifestyle and which DH has always wanted - has a litter due soon. Hence excited planning for Summer. We passed on going for it (with the same breeder) last year because we were having work done on the house and garden and didn't feel it would be right to bring a puppy into a noisy, busy place. We're ready now.

Good breeders don’t breed very often and you can’t know there will be a litter this year.

Coquet Cottages have lots of lovely properties in Northumberland, most of which are really dog friendly. Very good quality accommodation. More here