Brean Down

Brean Down is a scenic coastal walk with a seemingly endless 3-mile beach to explore, where dogs are welcome all year round. We easily spend 4 1/2 hours here including a stop off a super dog friendly Brean Down Cafe.

You can park for free if you’re a National Trust member, or there is paid all-day parking nearby. We arrived at the National Trust car park when it opened (check times before you go), picked up a map from the National Trust staffed hut and set off for the beach. The amenities are great here, right next to the car park are toilets, cafe, dog bowls and all-terrain mobility scooters that are available to rent.

Brean Beach is a lovely wide expanse of sand, where you could easily walk the 4 miles to Berrow Beach. Please beware that there is sinking mud and sand exposed in low tides. So many dogs happily play there and make friends.

After strolling along the beach, walk the coastal path along the peninsula to view the brilliant historic fort for gorgeous views. Please keep dogs on a lead when walking around Brean Down as there are sheer dangerous cliff edges, even though a lot of people let their dog off lead here, it’s not worth the risk. However, we found the lower path was fine for off-lead walking, but please be careful at all times and always keep an eye on your dog, and if you’re not sure, just keep them on the lead.

A circular route takes approximately 1.30hrs to walk, although we spent a lot of time looking at the fort and all the ruins that scatter Brean Down, so we took longer! The fort is amazing and in great condition considering it’s gone through so much since the 19th century.

From the fort, we walked on a wide, gravel, accessible path that is on the lower area of the peninsular. This path takes you back to the start of the walk, but as there is a very steep hill and a gate, so we’re not sure it is accessible. The National Trust do hire out all-terrain mobility scooters, so it might be best to chat to them about assessability.

Finish off by stopping at Brean Down Cafe, where dogs are allowed inside, they serve dog breakfast and even doggy ice cream! Or stop by the National Trust cafe, which has some hearty grub, with pasties and sausage rolls. No dogs allowed in the cafe but plenty of covered seating outside that is dog friendly.

Additional walk information

Address

Brean Down
North Somerset
TA8 2RS

Parking

3 car parks to choose from. You can park on the beach all day for £3.00 but please take note of the high tide times. Cars are allowed on the northern section of the beach and there is a no-vehicle area beyond the wooden posts. Other car parks are pay and display and reasonably priced.

Paws for thought

Cliff edges are steep and dangerous - keep dogs on lead when needed

Pawfect partner

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