Dog friendly holiday in Fowey

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Par Sands  |  Par to Fowey Coastal Walk | Polridmouth Cove |

Dog friendly Cornwall

Cornwall has a reputation for being one of the most dog friendly destinations in the UK, with dog friendly beaches all year round, friendly pubs and places to stay.

Par Sands

We always tend to stay in an Airbnb when holidaying in the UK with our dog Bella as it’s always easy to find a place that’s the right location and price. The little cottage we stayed in this time was cosy, well kept and close to some great dog walks.

Once arriving we headed straight to Par Sands Beach – an all-year-round dog friendly beach just 10 minutes away from where we were staying. The beach has a pay and display car park in case you want to take your car. Popular with dog walkers, Bella and the other dogs were in heaven – digging holes in the sand, finding sticks and diving into the waves.

On your way to the beach, you will pass The Ship Inn – a dog friendly pub with a big pub garden (very easy to social distance!), we popped in for a cheeky pint after finally managing to drag a reluctant Bella away from the sea.

Par to Fowey Coastal Walk

This epic 11 mile walk is well worth the effort for the superb views and discovering small sandy coves! Starting at Par Sands Beach, you can walk a circular route along the South West Coast Path to Fowey and back along the Saints’ Way. We would recommend walking when the tide is going out so you can access some of the small beaches. We kept Bella on a lead when walking along the coastal path as there are sudden drops and high edges.

The highlights:

• Just over a mile away from Par is a small beach cove that appears when the tide is out, it was glorious to be the only ones there first thing in the morning.
• Approx 2 miles walk away lies the picturesque little harbour village Polkerris, unfortunately, you cannot go on the beach with dogs in the summer, but they have a couple of places to eat and public toilets.
• Approx 4 miles walk is Gribbin Head and standing proudly in the field is Gribbin Headland Daymark – a 26m tall tower, banded in red and white stripes which has stood since 1832. It’s a perfect area to stop and rest with a picnic or snacks.
• Polridmouth Cove, a stunning, secluded, small beach where you could be easily mistaken for thinking you were standing in the Mediterranean. Our favourite spot in the whole walk!
• Approx 6 miles walk is the remains of St Catherine’s Castle, this English Heritage site is free to enter and dogs are allowed. St Catherine’s Castle is one of a pair of small artillery forts built by Henry VIII in the 1530s to defend Fowey Harbour. It was modified in the 19th century during the Crimean War and again during the Second World War, when it became home to an anti-aircraft gun and an ammunition store.
• Readymoney Cove is a little sandy beach which is sheltered by cliffs, but there is a seasonal dog ban, try to spot Dawn French’s house!

Fowey is a lovely little Cornish coastal village with lots of shops to explore and places to eat. We stopped by Pintxo for some well-deserved drinks and delicious tapas before wandering down to the harbour. Fowey is set in a beautiful estuary, where you can see nearby Bodinnick and Polruan across the river, if you wanted to explore these towns, the ferries are dog friendly.

After our wander at Fowey, we walked back to Polkerris via the Saints’ Way – a superb countryside path that bypasses a lot of the coastal route. The first mile of the route is fenced off from surrounding fields so you can happily let your dog off the lead. When you come to a gate that leads right into the middle of a farm, put dogs on a lead as there are chickens wandering about. We chose to leave the Saints’ Way after this to walk down into Polkerris to go back along the South West Coast Path to Par Sands Beach.

Polridmouth Cove

On our last day we just HAD to go back to this stunning little beach, it’s like being in paradise with blue seas and a sandy secluded cove. To get to Polridmouth Cove, you can park at Menabilly Farm for a 50p donation and follow the signs to the beach. There aren’t any facilities or shops at the beach, so you really do feel like you’ve just discovered a hidden gem. Highly recommended.