Last week we spent an eventful week in Cornwall … I say eventful because when we eventually arrived there after a long, hot 7-hour drive from Sheffield AND despite having confirmation and the full payment taken we found out we had nowhere to stay!

Bloody brilliant.

Let’s just say somebody had messed up … and it wasn’t us.

Luckily the guys at Classic Cottages sorted us out. It was the first company we rang in desperation and luckily we got to speak to the lovely and very helpful Jill. She calmly took over and found us somewhere to stay.

Isn’t it great when you can actually speak to somebody … it’s makes life so much easier.

We ended up in a quaint little cottage just outside Portreath. It was very sleepy, in the middle of nowhere really. There was a pub and a scattering of houses but it didn’t quite offer enough to keep us there on a daily basis. I also watch a lot of horror movies. At night my imagination would run riot and I’d freak myself out!

It’s not somewhere we envisaged staying or anything like the accommodation we had originally booked [ no dreamy hot-tub, or heated outdoor pool ] It wasn’t in the area we wanted either but it was homely, had a roof … and comfy beds. I guess beggars can’t be choosers . Our options were limited as it was the first week of the school holidays and we had Mollie [ dog ] with us.

Speaking of Mollie …

Today I thought I’d share some dog friendly beaches / tourist spots with you. A lot of the beaches along the Cornish coastline aren’t accessible to dogs between 7.00am and 7.00pm …

but we found some corkers that were accessible to dogs all day. Yay!

TREVAUNANCE COVE – St Agnes TR5 0RU

Just a 20 minute drive from Portreath … up and down some very, very narrow and hairy country lanes we discovered the beautiful area of St Agnes and the delightful Trevaunance Cove Beach.

It’s quite a steep walk down to the beach from the small carpark. Parking isn’t overly expensive at just £2.00 per hour.

Dad didn’t attempt the walk down to the beach as he’s not very steady on his feet. Luckily there was some bench-seating just next to the carpark that had beautiful views across the bay . We plonked him down there while we went down to explore the beach with a very excitable Mollie… and even more excited Tracey towing behind !

It’s quite a small beach with a mixture of sand and pebbles, its beautifully rugged with lots of rock-pools to explore.

There’s a surf school and a bar /cafe located directly overlooking the beach .

Definitely one to check out.

PERRANPORTH BEACH – TR6 0AQ

Dogs are allowed on the beach but must be kept on a lead between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

Its just a short 15 minute drive from Portreath to Perranporth Beach.

There is a large carpark directly next to the beach . Little tip – arrive early to ensure you get a parking spot. As we were leaving mid-afternoon several cars where waiting to get a space.

It’s a large, open beach that seemingly goes on for miles. Its great for walking bare foot in the sand , with lots of areas to paddle safely and explore rock pools . It wasn’t particularly sunny the day we attended … I think it was the only place in the UK that was cloudy! Still beautiful though …

There’s a dog friendly coffee bar directly on the beach ‘Alcatraz‘ which served great coffee [and apparent fabulous cocktails] … with splendid views.

I’m all about the views!

We also tried out some of the cake… it would have been rude not too ! I had ‘Carrot Cake’ which was delicious and the portions where very generous .

Micheal had ‘Coffee and Walnut’ which he said was a little sickly after he’d eaten half of it. Don’t fear though it didn’t go to waste dad scoffed the rest of it down … and he loved it!

Great for a steady beach stroll, followed by a coffee with great views

WATERGATE BAY – Newquay TR8 4AA

We actually stumbled upon this beach while looking for ‘Bedruthan Steps‘

It is a scenic hours drive from where we were based at Portreath … but totally worth it. It’s 3 miles from Newquay on the north Cornwall coast.

It’s a vast, beautiful beach that stretches for miles; a mixture of sunbathers [they must have been mad it was quite chilly ] and surfers.

It was a lively area with a couple of bars and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant on the walk down to the beach.

After taking Mollie for a walk on the beach , M and I set about finding dad who had found himself a great spot at dog friendly bar ‘Watchful Mary‘

This is a fabulous bar that only opened in May this year. Dad was in his element sat in the sunshine on the front terrace of the bar over-looking the beach, sipping on a very large Gin & Tonic . It looked delicious so of course I joined him!

Followed by an Expresso Martini or two, maybe three even! An Expresso Martini would set you back £10 .00 and a Gin & Tonic between £4.75 & £8.00 depending on the Gin you choose.

Poor M was driving again so had a larger but treated himself to some nice nibbles. It was his birthday week after all.

I did offer to drive on a couple of occasions but even Mollie looked horrified by the suggestion! Those country lanes are tight at times and apparently I’m not the best driver ! The cheek.

I absolutely loved it sat here and I could have stayed all afternoon and evening.

The location and decor were fabulous; great for people watching . There was a lively, yet chilled [ can you be both ] atmosphere and the staff were attentive without getting on your nerves. We were advised they had live music on later in the evening which I can imagine would be amazing … music and cocktails while watching the sun set. An ahhh bisto moment.

I especially loved that the majority of the staff made a big fuss over Mollie … she was quite happily sunbathing on the deck next to our table. Not everybody is so welcoming to dogs so it was appreciated and Mollie is all about the belly rubs.

BEDRUTHAN STEPS – Newquay TR8 4BU

My friend Karen tipped me off about this area. It’s her favourite beach in Cornwall and I can see why.

Turquoise sea laps up against a raw, dramatic coastline. It really is breathtaking and a little scary at the same time as the cliff edges are exposed. If you have children or dogs keep them on a tight lease.

Bedruthan Steps is part of the National Trust, we parked in their carpark which was free to members or £2.50 for a couple of hours for non-members. It also had a lovely little [ very busy ] cafe [ with clean toilets ] that served a variety of food.

Dad had a sandwich and chips, M had cream tea and I had Chilli all washed down with a coffee each . All very varied meals but all rather lovely. For a guide on pricing – that set us back just under £28.00

Being the set of pebbles that we are we didn’t actually find the steps down to the beach. I know , I know !

It was all rather confusing with different people telling us different things and sending us in all sorts of directions! Dad and M were constantly on tenterhooks as I am the clumsiest person you are ever likely to meet. I guess if anyone was to trip and fall down the cliff it would be me so after a little wander [ and to stop their anxiety ] we gave up

I was gutted. It is apparently even more breathtaking down on the beach, with golden sand and little caves to explore … caves that lead to hidden coves.

I understand the steps are very steep and can at times be slippery , so it’s maybe not advisable for people who are unsteady on their feet, or the elderly.

Swimming is not advisable at any time as there is a strong under-current.

For amazing views that make you feel glad to be alive … you must pay a visit.

ST MICHEALS MOUNT – Marazion TR17 0EJ

Note : Only certain parts of the island are accessible to dogs.

It took us just over half an hour to get to Marazion from our base at Portreath . There is adequate car-parking which cost us £5.00 for the day.

We caught the boat across to the small tidal island [£2.00 per adult , dogs went free] and walked the manmade coarse-way back.

The coarse-way is passable between mid-tide and low water, which when we visited was between 1.30 -5.00pm. Apparently a legendary giant walked this walk too. How fabulous

Entry onto the island is free but if you have a dog you can only access certain parts ; the harbour front, small beach, village and cafe. The rest of the island is out of bounds [and chargeable] which is abit of a bummer as we would liked to have also explored the gardens and castle. I LOVE a castle !

It’s a beautiful spot though and luckily we had amazing weather.

Coffee with a view … [ above ]

We only stayed an hour or so as there wasn’t much to see or do. After a quick lunch stop we made our way back to the main-land.

Walking back across the coarse-way was definitely a highlight.

Mollie loved it; at times it was still quite deep [upto my knees] and she had to swim. Luckily Mollie is more fish than dog and loves a swim

Looking bedraggled in the car [ above ]

So there you have it our little guide to some of the best dog friendly places we visited in Cornwall on this trip.

I hope you find this helpful , please let me know if you have any other suggestions in the comments below. I LOVE receiving comments

To read more about our Cornwall adventures during our first visit a couple of years ago // HERE

Until next time,

Tracey & Mollie Dog x

• Linking up with Catherine – Not dressed as Lamb / ShareAllLinkUp