Can anyone recommend a good holiday I can take the dog on?

[futuremoneyinbank]

So in October my DD will be away for 11 days with school. I have decided I want to make the most of this time and whisk the dog and myself away somewhere. She's good in water (thinking kayaking or boating) and loves a swim, obviously anywhere we can spend days walking alone so she can be off-lead as much as possible. Does such a place (doggo heaven) exist? I've considered renting a van and driving around Scotland with her - has anyone done this before with dogs?

Also I know you now have to pay per trip to take dogs abroad as the passport agreement ended with Brexit, but I've not done this yet - is it simple?

The north lakes? Lots of swimming spots! Off lead can be an issue due to sheep but there are plenty of spots where it’s fine too (shores of derwent for example)

@Lastqueenofscotland2 thanks - we have done the Lakes with dd but actually doing them just the two of us might be quite nice (without the moaning about "too much walking" etc!)

I have four dogs & a motorhome.
Almost always go to Scotland these days as it’s so much more dog/ van friendly than most places in England. Lake District fine but I live there so not “ away” for me.
October will be past midge season ( west far worse than east for those little blighters). East tends to have more sandy beaches & less touristy so quieter though west coast is stunning.
you can hire a camper van these days, makes it a doddle instead of searching out dog friendly hotels & gives a lot more freedom, just to go wherever the fancy takes you. All club campsites are dog friendly. Most privately owned ones are too, but not all, plus worth joining one of the clubs for the savings on overnight stays

Lake District - much more dog-friendly than Scotland.

Don't forget that you won't be able to leave the dog alone in a holiday cottage or rented caravan so everything you do will need to be dog-friendly unless you organise a local daycare for her.

I'm not sure what end of the country you are but I'm down on the Devon/Cornwall border and there's loads of lovely dog friendly beaches around and the moors.

I'm currently staying in an airbnb in North Devon. Lots of walks around here for off lead. There are beaches but you go over cliffs to get to them so put the leads on ours when there. There's a dog friendly pub a few minutes walk from us. Haven't been there yet but planning a lunch after a long walk. There are so many different ways to walk from the cottage that only require a few minutes on lead on the road until they can be off lead.
abnb.me/tldyxA0z5wb

Thanks for the suggestions. We've taken the dog with us to Wales, Lakes, New Forest, Stirling, Devon and Cornwall before (we live in Kent). So I suppose we've done most places that I think of as dog friendly in UK! I would love to explore Scotland more though. It was a 9.5hr drive up to Stirling which is a bit much though!

I think hiring camper van idea is one I'd like to look into a bit more - much more do-able solo than with the dog and child! Maybe getting over to France? Or Jersey/Guernsey? I think everywhere tends to be packed in June/Aug so I'm hopeful October will be less crowded wherever we go.

Northumberland. Near Bamburgh or Seahouses. Absolutely perfect for dogs.

It's a bit of a drive from Kent, but rookiedog was treated like a superstar every time we went out when we were at Aviemore recently. We stayed at High Range Chalets which were dog friendly and not expensive.

Or we are off to Forest Holidays at Callander this weekend- hot tub as well.

Northumberland is incredulous dog friendly, beautiful beaches, cliff walks, pubs, accommodation…..we loved it with the dog.

Lake District too but had to have her on long lead due to sheep a lot….

My DSis rented a Transporter in the Summer and her, DBIL and their DDog went to Scotland for 10 days.

They all loved it.

Ambleside is good for dogs.
We were there in the summer, Dogs were everywhere .hotels shops cafes pubs
The thing that was really annoying was the abundence of dog shit and the lazy owners who dont clear up after their 'fur babies'

Norfolk is lovely and we found it very dog friendly.

Or something a bit different:

https://www.contours.co.uk/dog-friendly

(I did one in the lakes, great holiday, well organised and good customer service!)

https://www.theglobeatwells.co.uk/sandy-paws-stay

Norfolk?

Norfolk - the beaches are amazing and at this time of year you can walk with the dog for miles and miles with no restriction (apart from putting them on the lead around seal colonies). We've stayed in cottages through East Ruston cottages which are vvv dog friendly, and they have links to places to hire kayaks, paddleboards etc on the Broads with dogs.

I love the idea of going on a holiday just me and the dog, going somewhere remote, doing lots of hiking, lake swimming for the dog, sitting on a deck by a lake wrapped in a blanket looking at the stars. It sounds amazing!

Norfolk. Either north for the beaches and gorgeous walks or perhaps hire a cruiser on the Broads. My idea of heaven is a Labrador in a lifejacket and me, mucking around in a boat on the Broads. Even if boating on the Broads is often boating around in muck...

I live in Southgate and have a gazillion dogs! 😂

Come and holiday on the Gower Peninsula.

www.caninecottages.co.uk/dog-friendly-cottages-gower

Isle of Wight.

No dog restrictions on beaches from the 1st October and most attractions allow dogs. Loads of dog friendly coffee shops/pubs/restaurants and accommodation. Miles and miles of walking.

Another vote for Norfolk! Amazing beaches. Have a look at https://www.eastrustoncottages.co.uk - super super dog-friendly. Several of our friends have used them and raved about them.