Is this just an excuse to get some delicious dog spam out of my camera roll and onto a page? Yeah pretty much.
It’s not really too difficult to find a dog friendly spot in gorgeous South Devon – we seem to be quite a pro pooch spot. The popular beaches do get a bit overrun though and if you’re a little anti social or have a nervous dog, you might want to find somewhere a little off the beaten track. And let’s face it, the harder a beach is to get to, the more beautiful it is. Here are a few of our absolute faves in the South Hams from the ‘easy to get to’ to the ‘tell you’re mum you’re off on an adventure’.
Thurlestone - South Milton Sands
Pretty much always our ‘go to’ dog spot. The reasons are threefold:
- Rockbox and The Beach Cafe both do cracking food.
- There’s a little river that flows into the sea, Tom likes to see how it changes from week to week. Sometimes he likes to move the sand around to see if he can change natures’ course.
- We’ve seen some of the best sunsets of our life here.
It’s vast, actually pretty easy to get to and dog friendly all year round. There are also some really beautiful stretches of the South West Coast Path that snake off in either direction if you’re wanting to make a day of it.
It’s a National Trust car park at South Milton so don’t forget your membership cards fellow young people.
Bantham
Right, let’s get it out there, Bantham’s not my favourite beach in the world. I couldn’t even tell you why, I just have a totally irrational aversion to it. Which is ludicrous because it is STUNNING. There’s the usual dog ban during high season but you can clamber up the coast path to the left for some fantastic views or head right to the mouth of the river that dogs can dip their toes in all year round. There are sand dunes, snacks, waves if you’ve taken a surfer as a lover – it’s a great beach.
The car park’s a bit pricey during Summer but you can easily spend a whole day at Bantham.
Scabbacombe
Not for the faint of heart (and leg) but absolutely worth it. Scabbacombe is another with a National Trust car park but it’s a little one so on busy days, you might be queuing behind locals in the know. From the car park it’s about 30 minutes walk downhill to get to the beach, along rural footpaths and across vast fields, the views down the valley are RIDICULOUS. There’s nothing down there but nature so take supplies and prepare yourself for the epic climb back up.
It’s well worth it though. Our hounds love running wild across the fields and basking in the sea for a bit before that long trudge back up. I was about 6 months pregnant when I last clambered up that hill though, wouldn’t recommend that.
Lannacombe
If we’re Instagram friends you’ll have seen Lannacombe pop up a lot. It’s somewhere we visited a lot pre-Joni and a spot we’re constantly drawn back to when we just need to clear our minds and be by ourselves for a bit. The dogs love it too. At low tide you can weave in and out of the beautiful rock formations, you might want to pretend you’re walking on the moon, that’s your call. At high tide the coast path weaves along the cliff tops in both directions with spectacular views. There’s a fresh water stream flowing onto the beach too so great for summer dog walks.
Parking is super limited at Lannacombe and paid for by honesty box contribution so take some change with you.
Gara Rock
Another with an epic trek down to the beach, Gara Rock is pretty breathtaking both from the clifftops and when you get all the way down there nestled at the foot of those giant rocks. There are some pretty hardy sheep living on the cliff paths leading down to Gara Rock so keep the hounds leashed til you get to the sand. The hotel at the top is lovely and open to non-residents for food if you’re feeling fancy, or take snacks and find a lovely corner of the beach to claim for yourself.
Take your swimmers, the water is always utterly beautiful.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, let’s call it part 1!