Beach Blog

Dorset has plenty of seaside towns worth visiting for a weekend, from the sandy beaches of Weymouth and Swanage to the historic harbour at Lyme Regis. Some have busy seafronts with shops, pubs and restaurants, while others are smaller places where you can spend most of your time walking along the coast.

Autumn is a good time to visit the English coast if you prefer walking, quieter beaches and towns that still have plenty going on after the main summer season. The weather is cooler, many coastal paths are more comfortable to tackle, and several beaches relax their seasonal dog restrictions from October.

Wales offers hundreds of miles of coastal walking, with routes passing beaches, cliffs, harbours, estuaries and seaside towns. Some walks take most of the day, while others can be completed in a couple of hours.

Some of the best sea views in the UK are reached on foot. You don't need to complete an entire long-distance trail either. Routes such as the South West Coast Path, Wales Coast Path and Cleveland Way can be broken into manageable sections, with many starting or finishing in coastal towns and villages.

Northumberland is one of the easiest parts of the English coast to explore with a dog. Most of its beaches welcome dogs throughout the year, so there are plenty of choices even during the main summer season.

South Devon has a particularly good mix of beaches for families. There are large sandy beaches with lifeguards and plenty of facilities, smaller coves for rock pooling, and beaches where children can try surfing, paddleboarding or kayaking.

The UK has surf beaches for every level, from sheltered bays with gentle beginner waves to powerful reef breaks that require experience, local knowledge and the right conditions. Cornwall and Devon have the biggest concentration of well-known surf beaches, but Wales, Yorkshire, Ireland and Scotland also have serious surf spots.

Norfolk is one of the best counties in England for coastal walking. The routes are usually easygoing, but they still give you plenty of variety: wide beaches, dunes, pinewoods, salt marsh, cliffs, piers, fishing villages and nature reserves.

Anglesey is one of the better UK islands for dog friendly coastal holidays. The beaches are spread around the whole island, the coast path runs for about 130 miles, and many villages are located close to the seaside. You can stay near sandy beaches, small harbours, tidal bays, woodland paths or quieter coves.

Northumberland has some of the best beaches in England. The coast is known for its long stretches of sand, endless dunes, fishing villages, islands, castles and long walking routes. This is definitely not a coast full of amusement arcades and crowded promenades.