5 of the best dog friendly beaches in Cornwall

 

As a family we love nothing more than escaping to the seaside. A walk along the beach brings so much calm. So much joy to us all. With their picturesque harbours, breathtakingly beautiful vistas, to experience a sunrise and sunset like some of the best anywhere in the world. That is why we travel. To experience the UK together as a family feels very special indeed.

 

And Bob, he is most definitely a water dog, destined to be by the sea. So, when we planned our trip to Cornwall back in January we instantly started to research which beaches to visit. Seek out dog friendly options and of course plan where to eat around our beach hops.

 

As beaches are the first thing we Google, I thought I would share 5 of the best dog friendly beaches in Cornwall from our trip in April 2022. And if you want to see more photo’s drop over to Insta as I have saved highlights from our trip and dropped lots of photos on my grid.

 

Since Cornwall has hundreds of sandy beaches, dubbed the Cornish Riviera we expected April to be one of the busiest seasons, yet somehow it didn’t feel like that at all. In part that was because we stayed right on the Roseland Peninsula but also because there are so many villages to explore. So many beaches. And if you are prepared to be up and out super early, I can say that most places were not nearly as busy as I had expected..

 

 

5 of the best dog friendly beaches in Cornwall

 

 

1. Lusty Glaze Beach

Lusty Glaze, a hidden beach cove in Newquay takes our top spot for it’s tranquillity, hidden from sight and immaculate sands. Shady spots if required. When the tide is out the beaches connect. The waves are powerful and the beach bar serves the best pizza and rum cocktails. With it’s own carpark you won’t struggle to park. There are toilets on the beach. However there are no rubbish bins, the rule is to dispose of your own rubbish, Poo bags included so keep this in mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. St Mawes

An incredibly beautiful seaside Town to visit. With its exclusive vibe, it’s a must visit. There are two beaches, Summers Beach and Tavern Beach – both dog friendly all year round, time restrictions are in place during the summer months. At low tide there is also the Harbour beach. There is a public carpark with toilets, an awesome hatch serving fish & chips at the edge of the carpark to be enjoyed as you look over the harbour with your furry friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Newquay including Fistral Beach & Watergate Bay

Watergate Bay is dog friendly all year round, with a two-mile sandy beach including rock pools and incredible vistas. With two dog friendly restaurants on the beach as well as WAX which is just behind the beach. Limited shade. This was our second time visiting this beautiful beach, it was just as lovely as I remember from 2018 and even better that we shared it with Bob. Even in April restaurants needed booking in advance.

One of the most famous in Cornwall – Fistral Beach. Loved by surfers, families and dogs. It’s backed by cliffs and sand dunes and stretches far and wide. The beach bars are all dog friendly and one we would highly recommend. Lots of parking available a short walk away. As the beach stretches so far we pitched up further away from the families without dogs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Falmouth

An unexpected treat, when we visited Falmouth and Gyllyngvase Beach for the day. We caught the boat over from St Mawes, unsure if we could spend the full day, the town and 15 min walk across to Gyllyngvase Beach – it was the perfect way to spend a Cornish sunny day. Bob was a little nervous on the boat so I would recommend sitting downstairs. We found dog friendly cafes in town before making our way to the beach. Quite a narrow beach with rock pools so great for exploring and there is the famous Gylly’s Beach Cafe serving incredible food and of course dog friendly. I would recommend booking, we were lucky to grab this corner spot for Bob to stretch out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Crantock

A spectacular village. Crantock Beach is nothing but vast and beautiful. A wonderful beach to explore, lots of dunes, caves, some rock pools, sheltered spots and also dog friendly. And with the added touch of the Gannell, you’ll find paddle boarding, surfers, swimmers, snorkelling and bathers. Our 2nd favourite beach from our trip in April 2022. Parking is limited, with access down winding village streets I can imagine it would be a struggle in peak season. On the National Trust carpark there are toilets and food/drink facilities on the beach although limited in April. We walked back in to the village for food, that’s another blog post!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that’s our 5 of the best dog friendly beaches in Cornwall. You can see a few clips from our trip in this Reel I made over on Insta. There were other beaches we visited that were marked as specifically being for dogs, ones we desperately wanted to visit but sadly they were either non dog friendly or we ran out of time. Next time.

We visited Cornwall in April 2022, it was wonderful to experience travel again in the UK without restrictions. We all feel very grateful for having the opportunity to travel again.

You can read more about our trip to Cornwall here.