Holidaying with Dogs
Caravanning, Motorhoming and Camping are wonderful ways to take our dogs on holiday with us. This discussion is a place to share advice about holidaying with your dogs.
Please note, this is not a place to complain about dogs on campsites. We do fully understand that there can be issues and we would request that you please report these to us via our complaints and compliments for Club Campsites (link below) and please do not misuse Club Together as a channel for complaint. By sending via the appropriate channels your complaint will be logged and dealt with appropriately.
If you do post a complaint we will remove it and ask that people do not respond but report to us. Many thanks.
Report a complaint about dogs HERE (please don't post on Club Together).
Thank you everyone and happy touring! 
*This thread has now been locked due to continued off-topic comments
Comments
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Thanks Rowena, I’d hate to see a good positive resource lost👍🏻. I am happy to reiterate my previous stance-I will happily pay for my 2 Dogs to holiday with me, they’re family in my book. I understand others don’t agree but it is my choice. £1-5 is not an issue. C&MC sites take some beating for both situation & offerings to enhance the stay.
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Let's start the ball rolling then.
I do miss having a dog to take on holiday. The love and companionship we get from our pets is indescribable and caring for them in return is the very least we can do. Many a holiday was designed with dog friendly sites in mind, such as visiting Dunnet Bay with the adjacent beach or Stover with the country park next door. The evening stroll out of the site and fellow campers stopping to speak and make a fuss of our dog was pure delight.
On the subject of club sites ideal for dogs, Yellowcrags also springs to mind along with Brora, Godrevy and Marazion. There will be many others that escape my mind at the moment.
Enjoy your holidays with your dogs, everyone.
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Look at that, we posted at the same time!
I would pay, too, and have done on non-CAMC sites but I think the club welcomes dogs as a way of generating revenue from owners which must outweigh the few quid they'd make from dog fees.
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You had a Lurcher I think you posted Tinny🤔. I hope I’m right. . .If not my apologies😬
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We did indeed, Rocky. All our dogs over the years holidayed with us and every one of them enjoyed the experience (dog lovers can tell).
Our lurcher remembered sites he'd been to before and always knew the way to the dog walk and exit. Pembrey Country Park is one where he knew his way to the back gate into the park and to the main entrance/exit
. That's another great site for visiting with dogs, btw.4 -
One of the best dog walks must be at Troutbeck Head, the dotted line shown below. It's like a mini lakes ramble all in itself. It starts by going slightly uphill on a gravel path through trees and fields with wild flowers then over a wooden footbridge before coming out at the forest road for Matterdale Forrest. Here you can back track, or go right following the road further in (there are routes in the information room and you can walk all the way to the dog friendly pub at Dockray) or go left and come to the main road turn left and the site entrance comes along.
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Castle Rigg Farm (Keswick,Cumbria) is one of our dog's (Bear) favourite places. Off lead dog area on site and loads of other walks a short distance away.
He loves the views... :-)
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I can only recall ever taking two holidays away from home without our dogs. One was a three night stay in London, they were left with my sister. The other was when my OH joined us in a cottage for three nights and couldn’t bring the dogs. We missed them hugely both times, despite enjoying ourselves.
Nowadays, the one dog we have at the moment goes everywhere with us, in the MH, in cottages, in B&Bs, in hotels.Best Club Sites to enjoy with a dog? There are a lot indeed, but some of the best ones we recall have been Yellowcraig, Exeter Racecourse, Marazion, Fakenham Racecourse, North Ledaig, Bolton Abbey, Lower Wensleydale, Hawes, Carradale, White House Beach to name a few.
One’s that we didn’t find that good with a large dog needing a decent walk? Durham Grange, Castleton, Hurn Lane. Either nothing on the site or close by, or only a tiny leg stretch.
Cls have been the key for us. So many either provide a good dog walk, or are close by lots of safe places to enjoy a long walk with a dog.
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That’s corking C👍🏻
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I see him drinking them in👍🏻😊
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Yes, great pic. Our lurcher would have been looking for rabbits😄.
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Don’t any of you find it very limiting and restrictive to take a dog with you on holiday? I think of people who come to Devon and Cornwall.
No National Trust houses. No RHS gardens like the one at Rosemoor, no museums like the maritime museum at Falmouth, no art galleries, no entry to the big biomes at the Eden Project, no bike hire on the Camel trail or the Tarka trail, no swimming at Tinside lido on a day like this, no going into the Plymouth aquarium on a wet day, nor into the cathedrals at Exeter or Truro, not even shopping.
From the posts so far it sounds as though you just walk about. Is that it?
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Some club sites that spring to mind that have decent dog walking opportunities.
Yellowcraig, Breamish, Derwentwater, Coniston, Kendal, Knaresborough, Southport, Wirral CP, Sandringham, Buxton, Carsington Water, Broadway, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Clumber Park, Exeter Racecourse, Warwick Racecourse, Hunters Moon, Marazion, Rookesbury Park, Fields End Water, Thetford, Chatsworth, Stamford, Bolton Abbey, Freshwater, St.Davids, Lady Margarets Park.
Happy dog walking to those that have them.
ps I'm sure I've forgotten a few.
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I think two of our best "dog" holidays have been at Sutton on Sea and Black Knowl when we took the bikes and a dog trailer. It was quite a new thing to do then. At Sutton the miles of traffic free promenade with big sandy beaches was ideal. Black Knowl, which we visited a lot, has miles of forest paths which connect up in all directions, very successful adventures.
We had two dogs then but now just one tiny rescue one, she was 3 this week and loves her van holidays. We have rented cottages but she doesn't seem to like "strange" places so the van is ideal.
PS No Euror, we don't miss out and dogs are increasingly welcome at many places, (even cathedrals) if not we just take it in turns to visit. We're not glued together!
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No it's not restrictive, Euro. Of course it depends very much on your activity tastes but most NT houses allow dogs in the grounds (eg Saltram, Lanhydrock) and anyone wishing to visit the houses can do so by taking it in turns - it’s no hardship. There are ways around things and having a dog encourages you to seek out the woodlands, headlands, moorlands, beaches where dogs are welcomed. I guess it’s a matter of attitude and whether you are prepared to put the dog's needs ahead of your own wishes.
No dogs when hiring a bike on the Camel trail? Really - what have I missed?
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That’s what I thought, Brue.
It's a good place go for anyone staying in the area with dogs. Similarly, the Plym Valley Trail on the edge of Plymouth is a good and shady walk, or ride, for dogs.
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My advice to fellow dog owners is to remember that we are sharing the site with non-dog owners ,who some don’t always appreciate being close to dogs ,so think how you walk your dog to the dog walk or off site walk and take a wide berth of someone’s pitch that way it won’t have an “accident “ on their pitch and everyone’s happy
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In other words, follow the rules👍🏻
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The Visiting Club Sites With Dogs leaflet says something very similar and that fact applies to the wider world and the population as a whole. I think all responsible owners accept that.
Maybe this is an opportunity to link to the leaflet for anyone who's not read it.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/globalassets/pdfs/content/uk-holidays/Visiting-Club-sites-with-dogs/
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Far from it ET. There are NT, EH, HHA properties that allow dogs, in some if not all areas. True dog lovers happy to share their trips with canine companions are willing to compromise at such places, one might go into house while other walks pooch, then swop over. Our dogs have been round Heligan, Trengwainton, Trebah (fabulous for dogs, even has a beach) Personally, there are simply so many wonderful gardens in Devon and Cornwall that do welcome, it’s one of our favourite places to visit. Done Penzance Lido, done Maritime Museum, done Penlee Art Gallery. These are just the tourist magnets. We adore walking the coastal paths, the Moors, the towns and villages on quieter out of season days. The best beaches are the ones where you have to walk to, so they don’t have dog restrictions. Then there are the great Agricultural Shows, large and small. The Camel Trail is full of folks towing dog trailers, or super fit pooches ambling along behind cycles. We did Granite Way with our Ladrador one Summer.
It’s the same all over, not just in D&C, plenty to see and do. Personally, I would rather have a dog in tow than entertain children. That was our lifestyle choice when we first met up. And a horse, don’t forget the horse😁3 -
This is our pooch on holiday……Forde Abbey, Avebury, and he’s done most of Hadrians Wall in his short little life. More I suspect than a good few humans…
Its very, very easy to tour with a pooch or two nowadays, if you want it that way😁
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You’ve given some helpful tips to people holidaying with dogs in this area, TDA.
Holidays are what we make them and we all know our own priorities👍🏻
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We miss it like mad Tinny. Cornwall we found compromised early around “no dogs on beaches” Some are totally no dogs for part of year, ( popular family beaches mainly) but others are time restricted, so you cannot take a dog on between something like 9am and 6pm, but ok before and after. That doesn’t impact on local folks as much either, which is very important. We often like to swim very early or quite late in good weather, so it allows us to enjoy some of the more popular beaches as well. But take a good walk, and you can access some of the best places to swim and chill out on this island.👍
Some of the small Gardens open for charity are very dog friendly as well. We spent a full afternoon with our three Airedales ambling around a gorgeous such garden at Lamorna Cove with the owner and her terrier. All very well behaved.
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You’ll be back👍🏻. There are pop up campsites appearing again this year giving extra opportunities for those with dogs as they are sometimes closer to dog friendly areas.
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So do I HD. There’s actually nothing more off putting than finding yourself next door to someone who really, really doesn’t like dogs. You can’t do anything right, no matter how well behaved your dog might be, or how careful you are not to upset anyone.
We always have a good look around to see who might or might not have dogs with them. Easy things to spot are water bowls, tie up cables, dog toys, dog beds, and occasionally there might be someone like us that has a bike/push trailer. It’s not infallible of course, but certainly on Club Sites you might spot a few of these signs, so if the Site isn’t too full, best choose another pitch away from any of these giveaways. Or ask the staff for advice of course, they will have a reasonable idea where most of the dogs are.
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+1👍🏻, I’ve always sought an area that has fellow Dog folk around. Nothing spoils a break more than constantly wondering if your Dog/s are doing something/anything that may stress them🤷🏻♂️
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Dog owners have already made the decision to have a dog/dogs as part of their life, indeed some would say part of the family. Taking them on holiday may cause restrictions of some activities but that is far outweighed by the pleasure you get from seeing your dog enjoying what is also their vacation.
Thankfully more and more places have now realized that they are missing out on revenue by not allowing dogs in their establishment. I can never forget the time we took one of our previous dogs on a boat trip along the coast to see the dolphins, he loved every minute and the other passengers loved him. Not sure if he was interested in the dolphins though.
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