What's the best dog-friendly UK family holiday you've been on?

[PeppaPigWorld]

Looking for some ideas and inspiration for a family holiday this summer with primary-aged children and dog. We're hoping to do some walking as well as other activities the dc will like. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for places / accommodation / activities etc. We're thinking of maybe renting a cottage, but also open to camping or anything really!

We booked a dog friendly b&b in the Lake District the year before last. The place was so clean you never would have known they had dogs there. We also hired a kayak and took the dog out on the lake (we already planned on doing this and bought him a life jacket off Amazon for about £20 ahead of the trip). The trip was so much fun we bought an inflatable kayak and went on a few day trips with him last year. This year we are hoping to go back to the same b&b.
Kids and dogs alike will love being out on the water!

@whiteroseredrose

Actually I do love the idea of going to France. I had a quick search and have found some lovely cottages in Brittany that are 1/3 of the price of the UK ones I found! I would be very tempted. Can you tell me more about travelling abroad with a dog? I know the French are known for being dog lovers, but are all the hoops you have to jump through to get there a hassle? Am I right in thinking you need an animal health certificate, rabies vaccination and then tapeworm treatment to get back to the UK? Can you buy the tapeworm treatment from your own vet before you go, or do you have to go to a French vet?

We took the dog to Brittany several years ago (pre-Brexit and Covid). It was fab. We had to get the dog a "pet passport" and then she had to visit the vet in France the day before we left. The owner of the Gite we stayed in arranged the vet for us.

We did tunnel & drive rather than ferry and drive. In all it took us 12 hours. I would definitely recommend getting a toll tag for the roads as it makes the drive easier as you don't have to wait at the toll booths.

12 hours is a long time but it took us that long the following year to drive to Northumberland (from Berkshire). I would definitely do it again. Accommodation is way cheaper than in this country.

Thanks for the East Ruston Cottages link CMOTDibbler. I'm hoping for a break in Norfolk Summer 2023 so I'm saving that link!

@nearlyspringyay

Isle of Wight - loads of accommodation options - but we like it here:

www.awayresorts.co.uk/parks/isle-of-wight/whitecliff-bay

The whole island is dog friendly and loads for the kids to do.

We go here every year and agree its great

We haven't been for a few years so I'm not sure what the regulations are post Brexit but your vet will know.

Ddog had a pet passport. He had to be microchipped first. He was vaccinated against rabies and then had a blood test to prove he had the antibodies.

For the Euro tunnel out we had to go to a special pet reception about an hour before usual check in to have Ddog scanned and passport checked.

About 72 hours before check in for the ferry / Euro tunnel on the way back we went to a local vet and had the worm and tick treatments which were entered into the passport. Then the passport was checked again at the Euro tunnel terminal.

France was great with Ddog though. Lots of hotels were dog friendly and even let Ddog into the restaurant.

He was allowed into a chateau close to where we stayed (the one linked to sleeping beauty?) and into the garden of another. I'm pretty sure there were other places I Googled that dog friendly too.

I just enquired about the cost of an animal health card. £200! Ouch. I wasn't expecting it to be that much. It can only be used once as well. One of the many advantages of Brexit I suppose. By the time we add on the rabies vaccination and a visit to a French vet, it's going to be more expensive for the dog than anyone else! Think we're back to plan A, so will spend the weekend looking though all the helpful ideas on this thread and doing more research.

Northumberland is the place to go. Lots of vast beaches and castles to discover and fun to be had. Used to be a fabulous ice-cream shop in Amble, fab pizza plus in Seahouses and some nice family friendly pubs.

Used to be a fabulous ice-cream shop in Amble

I'm pretty sue it's still there. It was when we were there in October. There is another ice cream place near Warkworth.

South Devon is very dog friendly, most pubs and cafes allow dogs and loads of great places for walks.

If you’re worried about business I work for a holiday rental company based in the SW (but we have offices throughout the country). This time last year almost all our cottages were fully booked until Christmas and we simply couldn’t cope with demand. This year even our most popular places are the quietest we’ve seen in the last 7 years and we’re having to cut prices considerably. Everyone seems to be taking advantage of being able to travel abroad again so places should be a lot less manically busy than they have been.