Holiday near PADSTOW with dogs... help!

[RedRug1972]

Hi , we are going to the Padstow area to stay in a cottage for a week with our teenage daughters (one will be at a festival for some of the time). I have to admit that the idea of having both our dogs with us all the time is a bit annoying. We love them dearly but they are rather restricting. Can anyone recommend any dog friendly activities? And quieter dog friendly beaches, if such a thing exists! Also, what is the attitude towards dogs in cafes and shops? I found that Devon was far more dog tolerant than where we live but have never been to Cornwall.

Finally, any ideas to escape the crowds??!

All advice much appreciated :)

Watergate Bay Beach very dog friendly and convenient if the festival is Boardmasters.
The Beach Hut restaurant on the beach is dog friendly but you would probably need to book. The brand new Watchful Marys is dog friendly too.
Near Mawgan Porth is Rettorick Mill and they have a fabulous dog friendly ( old sofas to chill on) restaurant called Scott&Babs and you have to book there as it is very popular.
We stay in Watergate Bay regularly but don't do mucj other than surf , walk and eat !!

Rick Stein is a famous dog lover and there’s a statue of his dog at the Seafood Restaurant. Sadly, this place is a little too smart for dogs. Instead head to his other Padstow restaurant, St Petroc’s Bistro, where small dogs are welcome in the bar area. Dogs can also allowed in the conservatory at the front of Rojano’s, which serves delicious pizza and pasta. Padstow’s pub’s are all dog friendly.
Walk the 5.5 miles of the Camel Trail from Padstow to Wadebridge. Pack a picnic or enjoy a laid back lunch in Wadebridge at the Molesworth Arms (dogs welcome).
Daymer Bay Beach is a long stretch of sand at the head of Camel Estuary at Rock. It’s dog friendly all year round. Bordered by sand dunes, it has stunning views and is relatively secluded compared to the nearby beaches.
Not far from Padstow is the sheltered Treyarnon Bay which allows dogs all year. A 10-15 minute walk from Treyarnon will bring you to Constantine Bay, another dog friendly beach.
Dogs are welcome at the National Lobster Hatchery and at the Seal Sanctuary sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org/en/visiting-us/dog-friendly/

Wow, thanks so much, Fifty and Rice for your fantastic suggestions. I will make a note of them all!
:)

OK so now I'm wondering which beaches will be the quietest, as our little dog is very young and a bit nervous/ unpredictable with other small dogs and not very used to children, so when in busy places she will be on the lead all the time.

Any suggestion with relatively quiet beaches/ scenic places to walk, please?

And also it would be really helpful to know which routes to avoid in order to avoid traffic jams with dogs in the car.

TIA!
:)

Sorry Rice, I realise that you mentioned a secluded beach already. I've just been panciking a bit about our little dog and just want to find the quietest possible places. Probably a tall order...

If you want to avoid crowds I would visit Padstow very early in the day. When we went we couldn't really see Padstow as it was so crowded. Think London underground in the rush hour crowds.

We're just back from Padstow and to be honest we felt out of place without a dog! So many places welcomed well behaved dogs into shops and cafes - Paul ainsworth said Rojanos in the square has an outside area that allows dogs, as does the mariners in Rock. The water ferry's accepted them, nearly all the beaches were fine with them. I think we only found one privately owned beach that had a sign on saying no dogs.

I am a dog owner and know the area fairly well. In the summer holidays it's rammed almost everywhere I'm afraid!

Your best bet for beaches is to go before 10/11am or after five. Most people have cleared off by then and you have a lot more space. If you want to spend the whole day at the beach then go for one of the massive beaches as you will have more space. Also worth taking tide times into account. Go to the beach when the tide is out and there will be infinitely more space.

Though in my experience dogs and whole beach days don't mix that well, it's not a fun place for a dog to spend many hours, especially if it's hot.

I agree with above post that Treyarnon and Constantine are gorgeous and definitely worth a visit but will be stupidly busy in the daytime.

The culture in that area is generally extremely dog friendly but this also means a lot of dogs off lead and not always under the best control. It's great if your dog is bombproof but I understand your concern if yours is nervous.

We tend to avoid the beaches and go for more coastal or inland walks. There are some lovely walks in that area. Go along the headland anywhere between Padstow and Treyarnon. Or head inland up the creek towards Little Petherick. So many lovely places to explore away from the beaches. And you will hardly see any other people if you head away from the coast. Definitely avoid the Padstow to Wadebridge bike track. It will be heaving.

The Cornish Arms at St Merryn is a Rick Stein restaurant and it's almost obligatory to have a dog in tow! Great food and relaxing, lovely atmosphere. A good alternative to the bustle of Padstow. Get there early or you have to wait for ages.

Can't help with routes much I'm afraid but we are in Worcestershire and always try to set off super early (6am) to get ahead of the traffic. Usually get down there easily if we leave early enough.

Hope you have a great time. It is beautiful. If you find anywhere particularly good, please do come back and share it!

This would be a fab, quiet walk. 2 pubs en route too

https://www.iwalkcornwall.co.uk/walk/stisseyytoseaamills

Get the ferry from Padstow harbour over to Rock. It's a lovely dog friendly beach to the left with the dunes called Daymer Bay. Going right is Rock, not that's there's much there. But there is a lovely cafe called Blue Tomato there which welcomes dogs ( and just a few shops but generally dogs wait outside those) It does breakfast and lunch and some evenings dinner, but you need to check and check the ferry times too. I believe there is also a night ferry taxi. There is also a pub type restaurant by the seafront on there called the Rock Inn. We have previously taken 2 dogs for a big group booking and sat on the balcony, but I don't know if you can generally.

Padstow as others have said most places pubs/ cafes let you have dogs in there outside seating, which is pretty limited.

You can drive into Weybridge and there is an American Diner called Route 39, which allow dogs in their orangery / conservatory bit to eat. There are loads of other restaurants/ pubs there depends on what you like to eat. The diner might be a hit with the DC?

Cracking crab ( sea food) I believe you can take dogs (do check all these though I now own a 3 year old and despite going every year to Rock opposite Padstow I haven't been out so much to eat in the last few.) The cracking Crab is in Polzeath up from the surf beach, but you can't take dogs on that beach in summer season so would be better for an evening meal and wonder around before / after as is a fair drive around from Padstow.

There is a lovely beach quite quite along from Padstow called Harbour cove. It's a reasonable walk from the parking so nice for dogs, but nothing there facilities wise. It's opposite Daymer Bay on the Padstow side of the estuary. It allows dogs all year. So take a picnic !

I've found most pubs allow dogs in the bar areas indoors to eat, but not in the restaurant. Always worth asking etc.

You can even take Dogs to the Eden project, but not inside the Domes. So we have done it by splitting up ( pre-Dc) It's ok if nice weather to eat outside or picnic, but you can't take them inside the restaurants.

There's no need to feel restricted in Cornwall. It's fantastically dog-friendly. All Four Paws have lots of dog-friendly recommendations for Cornwall including the top 10 dog-friendly beaches www.allfourpaws.co.uk/collections/dog-friendly-cornwall/ . Enjoy! Your are going to be spoilt for choice!