Dog Friendly Beaches Near Me

Expect a huge expanse of sand, even when the tide is out!

This dog-friendly beach has to be our number one favourite beach near St Ives. It is dog-friendly all year round and the views across to St Ives or Godrevy are simply stunning.

Pros

• Miles of sandy beach with plenty of room for dogs to run freely
• It’s dog-friendly all year round
• It has dog poo bins at the footpaths leading to the beach
• It has parking nearby (Dynamite Quay – paid) or street parking near Lelant Church
• Even at high tide, there is plenty of beach to enjoy
• There are natural trickling streams that fall from the cliff at the end of the beach (near Carbis Bay) so your dog can have a mid-walk drink

Cons

• There are no public toilets
• There isn’t a cafe within walking distance
• At high tide, you can’t get around the headland on the beach, only via the Towans
• Not really suitable for people unable to walk comfortably down steep steps or steep Towans

Again, you can expect to enjoy a really lovely long stretch of sandy dog-friendly beach.

Mexico Towans is sandwiched between two beaches that are not dog-friendly in the summer. But, if you come and stay any time before July 1st and after August 31st, you can have miles and miles of open white sand beach to run on.

Don’t be put off though, the dog-friendly beach called Mexico Towans is vast even on its own!

Pros

• It’s dog-friendly all year round
• The Cove Cafe is a great place to start your walk with a hot coffee and bacon bap!
• There are public toilets just behind The Cove Cafe
• Street parking is available around Riviere Towans or paid parking at The Bluff
• There are bins nearby
• Access can be either via steps or down a slope with rail

Cons

• It is sandwiched between two areas of beach that are dog-friendly so you can’t extend your walk during the summer

Photo Credit: Adam Gibbard

Watergate Bay is another of those dog-friendly beaches near me that goes on and on and on! From one cliff edge to another at low tide, you can easily walk a few miles. It is dog-friendly all year round which is why we love it!

Pros

• Great eateries right on the beach
• Public toilets nearby
• Poo bins handy nearby entrance and exit to beach
• Dog-friendly all year round
• Parking very close-by in a paid car park
• It’s a privately owned beach so owners are invested in great experiences!
• Watersports and watersport equipment hire available
• Lifeguarded

Cons

• We really can’t think of any! It’s a great day out with the dog.

This beach is really something special. It’s extra special as it takes mountain goats to reach it! Just kidding, it’s not that bad but it’s not for the faint-hearted if you don’t like a bit of rock scrambling.

At low tide, this dog-friendly beach is a continuation of Porthcurno Beach in West Cornwall (which isn’t dog-friendly during the summer months). The sand is white and super soft. You feel like you have reached a desert island when you sink your toes into the warm sand.

Small, little disclosure, it is also a nudist beach. You don’t see many of them though!

The sea is a turquoise blue and the beach stretches from one headland to the other offering sheltered sun-bathing along its route.

Pros

• So very quiet as it’s not the easiest to reach. Great to take a capable of scrambling rocks reactive dog as not many dogs visit this beach
• Parking nearby at either Logan Rock pub and walk via the coast path to the beach or at Porthcurno
• Dog-friendly beach all year round
• Can be incorporated as part of a coastal path walk across West Cornwall
• The most stunning views across to The Minack Theatre

Cons

• Access is down a coastal path that eventually brings you to a few rocks to scramble down/ over so not good for anyone who is uncomfortable with tackling such terrain
• There are no public toilets
• No cafe on the beach
• No immediate parking nearby
• You may see nudists

Portheras Cove is in West Cornwall and can be reached by one of the most scenic car drives in the UK. Head west from St Ives and keep following the coast road past Zennor and you will eventually reach a quaint hamlet called Morvah. Follow the signs to Chypraze and you will arrive at a small parking area privately owned with an honesty box. From your St Ives cottage, it will take around 30 minutes. From our very own rural retreat Old Boswednack, it’s just 15 minutes.

This dog-friendly beach is accessed via a track and you follow the valley to the bottom where you cross a stream and hop down some rocks. It won’t be overcrowded on Portheras Beach and you will spot Gannets diving into the sea and seals bobbing in the sheltered cove water.

Pros

• It’s a peaceful beach with no overcrowding of other dogs or people
• Dog-friendly all year round
• There is a fresh water stream where dogs can quench sandy mouth thirsts
• The walk to the beach is stunning and you should see Choughs too

Cons

• The parking is a 10-15 minute walk from the beach
• There are no public toilets
• No beach cafe available
• No doggy poo bins to deposit mess so you will need to take home with you

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