Dougal's Dog Blog. Entry 1: Merrose Farm, Cornwall

Having enjoyed a lovely few days at Looe, off we went to Merrose Farm, on the Roseland Peninsula.

I was still a bit miffed at not being allowed on the beach at Looe, so you can imagine how hard my tail was wagging when the lovely wardens at Merrose Farm told me that I was free to romp on their local beach. As if life couldn’t get any better, we went to find the dog walk on site and we were both impressed. It’s a fairly large, fenced-in field that takes a few minutes to walk around. But the fact that it was separated from the kid’s playing field meant that I was allowed to run off the lead, and of course play lots of games of chase-the-ball. Terrific!

Needless to say, the Human That I Own had to make use of this fenced-in area for yet more boring BORING training. Oh well, at least I get lots of treats if I manage to read his mind and work out what he wants me to do.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the beach by paw, most of which I was allowed off the lead. From May to September Dogs have to put their owners on a lead on the beach (presumably so they don’t wander off) but on our visit in April I was allowed to let him wander about at will while I went off investigating the rocks.

From the nearby village of St Mawes, we took the ferry to Falmouth. The Human was delighted to buy discounted tickets from the nice wardens at the site reception, and I was delighted that the ferry company have got their priorities right and I travelled for free.

Falmouth was lovely. Really lovely. As soon as you step off the ferry, the first pub you come across is dog-friendly. But the Human wanted to go to some place near the Maritime Museum called ‘5 Degrees West’. As we walked in, I spotted the doggie bowl straight away so this place definitely gets the paws-up. The Human, on the other hand, raved about the imaginative menu and the super-friendly service.

As you may recall, the weather in April was wet wet wet. And like many Jack Russells, I really don’t like getting wet. Which was a pity, as there were loads and loads of circular walks from Merrose Farm that we could have gone on, were it not for the rotten weather. Still, I don’t mind relaxing under the table in friendly pubs while His Majesty gets ever more portly around the middle.

Four bones out of five for Merrose Farm. A great site for dogs who take their owners caravanning.