Dogs enjoying the holiday is a vital element to any break that includes a canine member of the family. It’s a natural part of staycations: bounding around together 24/7. We’ve pulled together a Tom’s Cottage guide of local dog paddocks, dog friendly beaches and eateries; plus pet supplies including food for the raw-fed.
Dog Paddocks
We absolutely loved testing these out – so much so: we’ll be using them all again. Being totally secure, they’re all great for free-ranging and bonding over both your woofer’s favourite game and the in-situ equipment. Our labrador’s top tip: allow time for just sniffing!
All offer different length sessions, and include a few dogs in the basic price; with options for increasing numbers if planning a meet-up. Agility equipment differs from site to site so although similar is varied.
Our session: 30 mins, £5 (allow 5 minutes for changeover)
Environment: mild hum of traffic from bypass bridge
Setting: quaint meadow by River Camel, track access; suntrap if hot
Equipment: basic agility & free space, human seating
Handy for: the Camel Trail (including dog trailer hire from bike hire establishments)
Booking: easy online
Tip: pet supplies in the area:
- Wadebridge Petz Shop is within walking distance (01208 816088)
- Wynstay farm store is on the edge of town
- Rawtastic (raw food) is on the other side of town (near Tesco)
Our session: 30 mins, £5 (allow 5 mins for changeover)
Environment: some traffic noise from the A road over the hedge
Setting: lovely view of the Camel Estuary in the distance, highish ground if breezy
Equipment: basic agility & free space, human seating
Handy for: visiting Padstow
Booking: easy online
Tip: Harbour Cove (also known as Tregirls beach) is a great dog friendly beach and is within walking distance from Padstow harbour
Moorgate Dog Field, nr Camelford
Our session: 1 hour, £10
Environment: sky lark central (quiet countryside)
Setting: moorland peaks on skyline, take a jacket on anything but the stillest of days
Equipment: basic agility (slightly tired but serviceable) & free space with alternating grass length plus human seating
Handy for: exploring Bodmin Moor
Booking: online – fine but a tad clunky in comparison
Tip: check out nearby moorland walks on the iWalk Cornwall app (but please be aware of grazing livestock in the wide open spaces, we suggest keeping furry friends on the lead. More info at the Countryside Code)
Knightswood Welly Walk*** (Lillypond Meadows), nr Newquay – choice of 3 meadows
Our session: 1 hour, £8
Environment: peaceful countryside
Setting: valley meadows with water features, might get wet underfoot in places
Equipment: small (equine) cross country jumps, undergrowth patches, streams/ponds & human seats/pathways
Handy for: A30 (Fraddon) on arrival/departure & Cornwall Slip and Slide, St Columb although please check their dog policy (particularly on sunny days – dogs in hot cars aren’t a good combo)
Booking: easy online
Tip: longest lead time needed for booking slot of choice (to avoid a 6am or 9pm session) En route
- Mole Valley Farmers, St Columb is on the way home to Tom’s Cottage – a top country store, including pet supplies
- Halfway House is a great supper stop (also) on the way home to Tom’s Cottage – good food, marvellous service & dog friendly
***Overall rating: outstanding in its field! The clue is in its name: meadows rather than paddock. Competitively priced for an hour, you get 6 or 7 acres to roam over rather than 1ish acres. Fabulous ambiance and doggy heaven – makes a great dog walk in rural Cornwall that non-doggy folk would never see. The Major Oaks meadow is also accessible for wheelchairs, pushchairs & mobility scooters. Thoroughly worth the ½ hour drive from Tom’s Cottage.
Dog friendly beaches
Port Gaverne Tom’s Cottage’s nearest beach and a haven for family fun. Paddling on sand at low tide, rock-pooling at mid tide and picnics with dogs. Bliss. Cornish Rock Tors are based here, providing coasteering, sea kayaking and SUP. Shortish walk to neighbouring Port Isaac – traditional fishing village with lots of amenities.
Daymer Bay is another dog and family favourite, with a different vibe. On the edge of the Camel Estuary, its golden sand expanse and shallows make this a busier beach (the single-track access can be fun though in high season!) Car park at top of beach. Walks in both directions: to Rock (also dog friendly) and Polzeath (summer dog restrictions 10am-6pm).
Bossiney Cove and Trebarwith Strand are both great for dogs, but best at low tide – there’s very little (or no) beach at high tide.
A list of dog friendly Cornish beaches can be found at Visit Cornwall and those with dog restrictions can be found here.
Dog friendly places to eat
Pubs
- St Kew Inn: quintessential country pub, fab food
- White Hart, St Teath: family orientated, frequented by locals
- Golden Lion, Port Isaac: classic fishing village pub, park at top of village & walk down
- St Tudy Inn: another exemplary country pub, firmly on the foodie map
- Port William, Trebarwith: renowned for watching sea-sunsets over a drink, sea-view tables sell out fast
Cafés/bistros
- Angry Anchovy, Port Isaac: pizzeria that specialises in dog-friendliness. Evenings tend to be their thing, food good enough for return visits. Take-out also available
- St Kew Farm Shop the most bistro style of local farm shops with contempary menu, dogs welcome inside
- Trevathan Farm Shop, St Endellion: dogs at outside seating only but extensive area for a lead walk (& children’s run around)
- Boscastle Farm Shop: dogs at outside seating again but just a stroll from the coast path; great food
Dog supplies
Most are mentioned above due to their proximity to doggy outings, but here’s the detail: -
- Rawtastic, Estuary Retail Park, Wadebridge (near Tesco, just beyond Barnecutt’s Bakery - great pasty stop!) The go-to place for all your raw-fed food. Most obliging & experienced in serving holidaying dogs. Please note: opening is by appointment only but the proprietor lives extremely close-by and is on-call 6 days a week 7.30am – 10pm; we get the feeling Sundays wouldn’t be a problem in an emergency! Many visitors make a pre-order and confirm collection time on arrival. 07969 181488 or message via Facebook/Instagram Tom’s Cottage freezer (situated in utility room) has 3 drawers: the middle having largest capacity – holding 12 x Dog’s Butcher 1kg packs of 80.10.10 mince. Top & bottom drawers hold 4-6 packs each, so there’s scope for some bones too; and some human stuff!
- Petz of Wadebridge, pet shop in Palmorla Arcade 01208 816088 open 9-5 Mon-Fri, 9-4 Sat
- Wynstay, Trenant Ind Est, Wadebridge 01208 812444 – farm & country store with sizable pet section including broad selection of dry food. Open Mon-Fri 8.30-5, Sat 8.30-midday
- Mole Valley Farmers, St Columb 01637 881115 – similar to Wynstay but our preference if in the area. Potentially cheaper and open 7 days/week: Mon-Sat 8-5.30 & Sun 10-4
Vets
Nobody wants to need these guys, but it’s not always an emergency – something routine may fall during the holiday…
- Penbode Vets, Camelford 01840 213277 Who we use – we particularly like Olivia. Note: out of hours emergencies are usually asked to meet the duty vet at their Stratton branch (near Bude).
- Nute’s Vet Surgery Wadebridge 01208 813258 Plenty of locals use this practise
- Harleigh Vets, Bodmin 01208 72323 A little further away from Tom’s Cottage but highly reputable (& who many of us used as farm vets way back when!)
Other outings
There’s plenty of other outings locally that are dog friendly. Ride a Bodmin Railway steam train, enjoy a heritage stroll at Lanhydrock or Pencarrow House, and explore the North Cornwall section of the South West Coast Path. A particular favourite of ours is taking woofers with us on the Rock ferry over to Padstow – it’s the best bit of the trip!
Our go-to footpaths include a circular round Delabole Quarry (a mile of easy terrain) and the Camel Trail - accessible from many points and good for pushchairs etc. At the end of the day though, there’s the Tom’s Cottage garden to come home to. Games on the back lawn, down time in the front garden. A 5 minute stroll up the lane before bed: the perfect end to doggy-day pawfection.
Take a look at our previous Dogcation Cornwall article here
