Top 5 dog-friendly beaches in North Cornwall

With so many beaches to choose from, you really will be spoilt for choice. Whether your dog enjoys a swim in the sea, a run on the sand or exploring the dunes, there’s something for big and small, young and old, sociable and solitary. We’ve had the tricky job of narrowing it down to just five of the best year-round, dog-friendly beaches. Here your four-legged friends can run, dig, splash and play to their heart’s content.

Rock is a dog-friendly beach all year round. During low tide it links to neighbouring Daymer Bay, providing you with a long expanse of beautiful golden sand and extensive dunes to explore. On a sunny day, the beach looks like a scene from Marley and Me, with dogs of all shapes and sizes enjoying the sand and sea. Out of season, you may well be lucky enough to have it all to yourselves. After a long walk on Rock Beach, choose from a number of dog-friendly cafés and restaurants, including the Rock Inn and the Blue Tomato.

The hidden gem of Porthilly Beach provides a more peaceful option for you and your dog. Situated along from Rock, it’s a sheltered cove with a distinctly different feel (although the two beaches actually join up at low tide). A small river runs down the beach to the sea and on a higher tide this can provide nice shallow water for big dogs to splash in and smaller dogs to swim. We recommend timing your visit for a mid-tide as the lower part of the beach can be very muddy – your four-legged friend is sure to appreciate this, but you possibly won’t when it comes to putting them back in the car!

Daymer Bay is great fun for dogs and welcomes them in all seasons. Enjoy the expanse of sand or challenge your four-legged friend to a race up Brae Hill. This may be steep, but the views from the top are a breathtaking reward. The sand dunes provide an adventure playground for your dog, while the river running down the beach is ideal for a cool down. A lovely circular walk takes in the footpath from the road, leading past St Enodoc Church, through the golf club and back across the sand dunes to the beach.

If you want to test your dog’s sea legs, take them on the ferry from Rock to Padstow (dogs are charged just £1 at the Ferryman’s discretion). Explore Padstow Harbour before following the coast path, which leads to a choice of beautiful beaches, including Harbour Cove. This is a wide, sandy and sheltered beach overlooking the mouth of the Camel Estuary, with plenty of room for your dog to run around. Despite its close proximity to Padstow, this unspoilt beach is relatively quiet and allows dogs all year.

Port Gaverne is the lesser-known next door neighbour to Port Isaac. The small but perfectly formed beach is dog-friendly all year round. It’s a sheltered narrow cove with lots of sand at low tide for your dog to run around on, as well as rock pools for them to splash in. It's also well placed for you to tire your dog out on the series of breathtaking coastal paths. Afterwards, visit the award-winning Port Gaverne Restaurant & Hotel to relax with some delicious local food and drink. Here, you can sit outside or in the bar with your four-legged friend.

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