Dog Friendly Places to Go

Discover Cornwall and visit some of it’s amazing attractions and countryside walks with your four legged companions.

Dog Frendly Attractions

Many Cornish attractions are dog friendly, sometimes they may limit access to parts of the attraction, so please check before arrival you can access all you wish to see. For example, you cannot go into the Biomes in the Eden Project with a dog but can go in the gardens of the attraction. Generally, attractions with animals may have the greatest restrictions.

Take your dog on an exciting nostalgic steam train ride at Newquay’s Lappa Valley. Excellent at catering for your pooches desires, the railway has large fields at the top of the valley where dogs can be let off the lead for a run, water bowls located around the site and even doggy biscuits are available.

If you are venturing out of Newquay for a day trip then Flambards Theme park is fun for all the family. Flambards offers activities of thrill seeking rides including the Sky Force and Go Karting. Journey back in time in the brilliant Britain In The Blitz exhibition and wander down the authentic Victorian Village. Well-behaved dogs are allowed in all the outdoor areas of the park.

For those countryside adventures, Cardinham Woods is the place to be. Situated outside of Newquay in the historic town of Bodmin the woods is a haven for your curious canines. Explore nature walks, ride cycling trails and recharge in the Wood Café all set in a picturesque forested valley.

Eating Out

Newquay welcomes dogs and many places to eat and drink accept dogs. It is more flexible now and blanket statements with 'no dogs' signs or 'dogs allowed' signs are less common. There are sometimes some caveats whether dogs are allowed in the main restaurant area, different areas or maybe at different times. It is now wise to contact the place beforehand to reserve seats if possible and enquire about the situation with pets at that time. 

Your four legged friends are welcome to accompany you both inside and outside at the Fistral beach side restaurant of the famous Rick Stein. Fish and chips are the speciality but there is a full menu including beach bites, curry and noodles to choose from.

Take in the spectacular views of Crantock with a meal in the beer garden at the award winning Bowgie Inn. Offering a fantastic menu which supports and showcases Cornwall wherever possible, alongside all the familiar favorites.

On The Beach

Dogs are allowed to play on nearly all of Newquay’s glorious beaches all year round. Take a stroll down the Gannel whilst the dogs have a splash around in the shallows of the river Estuary. Or for those four legged surfer dogs, hit the waves down on surfers favorite Fistral beach. Here is an overview on Newquay beaches.

Newquay, Dog Friendly Beaches all year:

• Crantock Beach and Gannel Estruary – All year round
• Fistral Beach – All year round
• Little Fistral – All year round
• Harbour Beach – All year round
• Towan Beach – All Year round
• Whipsiderry Beach – All year round
• Watergate Bay – All year round

Newquay, Dog Friendly Beaches but with some limitations:

• Porth Beach – Seasonal dog restriction: Dogs not allowed on the beach 1st July to 31st August. 10am - 6pm
• Great Western Beach – May to September ban on Blue Flag areas. 

Newquay Beaches with controlled access.

Both these beaches are privately owned and the owners are entitled to define access to the beach up to the tideline. This does not just apply to pets 

• Tolcarne Beach – May to September dogs need to be on a lead to the wet line to enable walking along to neighboring beaches
• Lusty Glaze Beach – this beach can be accessed by adjacent beaches but is at the beach owners discretion. You can be asked to leave if an event is running etc.

Cornwall Beaches.

Cornwall Council has produced an interactive online map of beaches where there are generally no restrictions on taking your dog on the beach any time of the year. This covers the majority of beaches in Cornwall. There are one or two that require dogs to be kept on the lead during the summer months.

Below that list is the list of beaches with some restrictions. Most of these restrictions are seasonal bans, although additional information will be included on the beach description page. As a rule the seasonal ban runs from 1st July to 31st August (or 15th May to 30th September on the most popular beaches) unless otherwise stated in the beach description. These restrictions also generally only apply between 10am and 6pm.

LINK HERE TO BOTH LISTS: https://www.cornwall-beaches.co.uk/dog-friendly

Other areas of Newquay

Newquay has a number of other areas that are popular with dog owners. In Newquay town centre there is a large grassy area called the Killacourt, it overlooks the sea and has its own area of unique shops. There is seating.

There is also the Trenance Boating lake and Gardens. This area surrounds the large boating lake and has flat paths, grassy areas, a cafe, and a tea room. There are very large trees for shade with seating areas underneath. There is a lot of wildlife such as ducks and other river birds so please bear that in mind as your dog may need to be on a lead.

There is a large grassy area called the Barrowfields. This is between Tolcarne and Lusty Glaze beaches. It is popular with local dog walkers. The area is fenced off from the cliffs but please bear in mind excited dogs can jump high if following a ball etc.  

Much of our coastal path has no fencing with the sloped paths coming within just a few meters from the edge. We would always recommend dogs be kept on leads.