Autumn Beach Walks With Your Children And Dogs

Half term is creeping up on us here in England and those of you with kids and dogs will be thinking about where to go and what to do to keep them all happy.

It’s easy finding a spot where the children can roam free but not so easy finding one where the family dog can join in the fun so we thought we’d give you a quick recap of the beaches in the United Kingdom that allow dogs to run free.

 Norfolk

Holkham beach has four miles of sand where dogs and families can enjoy an Autumnal picnic and a bit of late Summer surf.  There are beach huts just in case that nip in the air is a bit too fresh otherwise you can huddle up behind one of the many wooden dividers and wrap your wind breakers around you as you break open the flask of hot chocolate! This beach is backed by Holkham National Nature Reserve so you can prolong the day.

East Sussex

Camber Sands is a firm favourite for all dog owners and families as the dunes are far reaching and provide shelter. There are great rock pools here to explore and some odd looking wildlife like the sea splurge and the brown tailed caterpillar!

There’s great accommodation in Camber Sands that comes highly recommended for a half term break or just a quick weekend away.

Camber sands is a known doggy paradise and there are dog zones and a good amount of waste bins too!

Hampshire

Lepe beach is perfect for children and dogs to romp around with plenty of room and grassy areas, a mile of sand, pine edged cliffs and meadows full of wild flowers with views of the Isle of Wight!

It was here that many troops landed during D Day which is another heroic and heart warming story to tell your children in between foraging and beach combing.   Little ones will love the children’s play area and there are toilets and lots of parking!

West Cumbria

St Bees beaches are both sandy and stoney and have great facilities like wheelchair access and toilets!

St Bees is the beginning of the Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk and there’s a good nature reserve close by too where you need to keep the dog on a leash but further down there’s a mile long beach just great for dog walking and a bit of fetch!

Kent

We’d recommend Whitstable which is pebbly but the village it borders is just chocolate box pretty and full of those olde worlde wooden houses and little quaint shops that even sell oysters!

There is a sharp drop to the sea so make sure your dog can swim well.

 Yorkshire

There is almost a mile of sandy beach at Danes Dyck just on the south side of Flamborough Headland giving you loads of room to let the dogs run free and take the children with them!

Picnics are great here as you have the white cliffs behind you on both sides of the headland and the actual sand stretches, gently sloping, far from the ocean so you don’t even have to get your toes wet.

Devon

Branscombe beach is found at the end of a down and is a shingle and pebble beach. The beach is close to many of the popular tourist destinations such as Beer and Seaton so there’s plenty to do when you’re not letting your canine friend run free. The beach includes toilet and refreshment facilities, as well as a magnificent cliff top walk..

Dorset

Durdle Door beach is one you will easily recognise as it is probably one of the most  famous and photographed beaches in England and is very popular with dog walkers. The sandy beach curves around the cliffs towards the natural arch formed in the cliffs by the waves over thousands of years. Lulworth and Lulworth Cove are close by and access is from the car park at the Durdle Door Holiday Park.

Cornwall

Mawgan Porth beach offers a good change to the very popular and often crowded beaches of Newquay and Watergate Bay. You will probably only  share the beach with a few surfers depending on the weather!  The beach does tend to mostly disappear during the evenings when the tide is in, so this might be a good beach to combine with the nearby South West Coastal Path for a longer walk. However for pure peace and tranquility, it’s hard to beat.