5 Dog-friendly places to go in North Devon in 2020

I’m sure you’ll agree that a holiday isn’t a holiday without your four-legged friend. Yet, unless you’ve been to a holiday spot before, there’s no way of knowing how accessible locations are to dogs with their pawrents. Following our recent trip to Hartland, Devon with our dog, Monty, the perfect solution is two share my top five dog-frendly places to visit in and around Hartland, Devon in 2020.

Canine Cottages

Finding dog-friendly accommodation is the first and trickiest step.  Luckily, Canine Cottages is a brilliantly easy-to-use website that connects parents and their puppets with beautiful dog-friendly accommodation all over the UK.  We stayed at the Puffins Nest in Hartland and found the cottage to be stunning, clean and perfectly placed for a brilliant dog-friendly getaway

Clovelly

I fell in love with Clovelly after watching the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie movie and couldn’t believe it when it turned out to be a ten minute drive from our cottage.  I was even more delighted to discover that the village is completely dog-friendly. Your canine companion is welcome across the whole of the village. Do be aware that the famous Clovelly cats are numerous and very confident which may be an issue if your hound is not a fan. Dogs must be on leads at all times which prevents accidents happening.

Another aspect to consider is the cobbled streets which are tricky to walk on and the steep hill back up to the entrance. Monty coped well as he is cat-friendly and healthy, but do consider your pet’s needs before committing to a day at Clovelly.

Saunton Sands

Saunton is the perfect dog-walking beach and parents can bring their dog all year round and the clever zoning system means that dogs only have to be on a lead for the first five minutes of your beach stroll.  The beach is long and flat so perfect for pups that might struggle to walk on tricky terrain.

Beach huts, bins and cafe are available to grab anything you might and need and there’s plenty of cheap parking.  Monty loved nipping into the sand dunes and then heading back to the beach for his famous back scratch rolls. You could definitely set up camp for a full day here. Highly recommended

Braunton

Braunton is a five minute drive away and if a bustling sea-side town with all the amenities you could wish for. Rather than any specific dog services, I’m including Braunton because there is a distinct love of dogs across the town. There were so many peppers out and about with their pawrents. Many of the cafes and pubs have outside seating areas where dogs are welcome and a few were very happy to accommodate my request to buy a cooked sausage for Monty.

In our home town Monty is often avoided because of his breed.  In Braunton he was stroked by most passing strangers and called in to many surf shops for a cuddle. Braunton is definitely a dog lovers’ paradise and should not be missed, especially as it’s so close to Saunton Sands.

Hartland Point Lighthouse

The coastal walks between Clovelly and Hartland are breathtaking and for the most part dogs are welcome (excluding Hartland Point itself) We tended to walk between our cottage and the lighthouse.  You can’t get down to the lighthouse, but you can view it from a vantage point, check out the shipwreck and even dolphin spot. The path is clear but I would recommend that you keep your beloved on a lead as the dramatic coastline can also be dangerous you venture too close to the edge.  That being said, with Monty on his lead, he really enjoyed the more challenging terrain for his morning walks.

 

North Devon is a beautiful place to take your dog-friendly holiday in 2020. I hope that you’ve found this list useful and please do let me know if you visit any of our Monty-approved locations.

 

Love,