Cornwall with a dog

A question about : Cornwall with a dog

We're off to Cornwall soon, with our dog. We've booked a self catering cottage near Falmouth, and there appear to be plenty of dog friendly things to do around there, and loads of dog friendly beaches. We don't mind a bit of a drive either, as long as it's somewhere which will justify it.

I know the Eden Project allows dogs in the gardens only, so that's maybe somewhere to save for another holiday when the dog's not with us.

I've got a list of castles which we can take her (on her lead), and read so many website, but there's nothing better than personal experience. Any recommendations from the MSE community?

Best answers:

• Trebah Garden at Mawnan Smith, just outside Falmouth is very dog friendly and it's really lovely (probably my favourite garden) with a shingle 'beach' on the banks of the River Helford.
  Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, accept dogs on short leads.
  Roskillys, near St Keverne on The Lizard, is nice and dogs are allowed in the covered courtyard and there are walks around the ponds (totally free and free to park)
  Also close to there is Fat Apples Cafe which I can recommend, it's a bit rustic but the service is lovely and we have had tea and cake there a few times and it is well worth the search for it (although it is signposted better now!). They have their own dog, so are dog-friendly inside and out.
  Also on the Lizard is the really tiny fishing village of Cadgwith which is a really chilled out place.
  There's also Lizard Point, the southernmost tip of the UK. It is National Trust, pay to park, but if you ignore the sign for the car park and carry on there is a small car park at the end of the road, free to park, but gets busy.
  Porthleven, between Helston and Penzance, is very dog friendly as a whole. Most cafes accept dogs. I recommend Nauti But Ice for their proper leaf tea and cake and ice creams.
  There are walks from Porthleven to Loe Bar and the Penrose estate. Or you can park on the estate itself.
• Probably out of season Cornwall is great for dog owners but it's certainly not in the summer.
  Me and OH first went with a dog over 25 years ago and our dog at the time had a fantastic time running on the beaches.
  Two years ago we went back with our now dog and found that most beaches did not allow dogs and the ones that did often the dogs were confined to one end. That is fair enough but not when you have to clamber over large rocks to get to the dog friendly bit!
  We vowed we would never go back
• One of the reasons we sited our van in Bude was because Bude beaches are dog friendly all year round.
• Most pubs in Cornwall are dog friendly if that makes a difference. Not that you have to leave falmouth for a good pub but I'd definitely recommend the Pandora inn for a nice meal (although not very mse).
  Some great free stuff, my favourite spot is parking at Mawnan church on the Helford and walking along the coast. Or head just north of lands end and go to the mines at Botallack.
• We take our dogs to Cornwall up to three times a year. I bought a box of AA 'Walks in Cornwall' and we take this when we go. It always states when and where you can let your dog off the lead, and we've had some truely fantastic walks.
  Also, if you want to go somewhere where you can't take the dog, why don't you look for a local kennels that provides doggy day care? We did this last time, we were staying in Polruan and wanted to visit the Eden Project. We booked our dogs in to a kennel at Pelynt for the day ( don't forget the vaccination certificates) it cost us Ј10 per dog which I though was very reasonable. We had a fantastic day without worrying about them, and they came home exhausted but happy.
  Cornwall is a fantastic place to take the dogs in and out of season, and if you are staying in a holiday cottage there are always loads of leaflets advertising places of interest, nearly all of them mention if dogs are allowed or not.
  We are off to Cornwall in June, we love the county and our dogs love the freedom.