Dog-friendly
Devon.

Devon is the only English county with two separate coastlines, and they make for different holidays. The north coast around Appledore, Instow and Mortehoe is tidal and vast: huge estuary sands, the surf beaches of Woolacombe and Saunton, and the linked villages of the Taw and Torridge with their seasonal foot-ferry. The south and east, around Beer and the Honiton countryside, is gentler — shingle coves, the fossil cliffs of the Jurassic Coast’s western end, and quiet inland farmland. A water-mad dog belongs on the north; a calmer, field-and-footpath dog will be happier in the east.

The beaches reward knowing the rules. Instow is dog-friendly year-round across much of its sand, and the vast Taw–Torridge estuary beaches give room even in August. Westward Ho! has miles of space and a famous pebble ridge. The honeypot surf beaches — Woolacombe, Croyde, Saunton — restrict dogs on their main lifeguarded stretches in summer, broadly Easter or May to the end of September, lifting for the rest of the year. As ever the dates are set locally and reviewed annually, so check before you book.

For walking, the Tarka Trail is the prize: a long, flat, traffic-free route following a former railway along the estuary, easy going for any dog and any owner, and ideal if the high cliffs feel like too much. The Estuary House at Instow sits directly on it. The South West Coast Path runs the entire north coast for something with more drama — Baggy Point from the Croyde direction is a fine, manageable headland loop — while East Devon adds gentle inland footpaths through rolling farmland.

A practical note: North Devon is a long drive from the motorway, down the A361 link road, which backs up on summer changeover days. Travel midweek if you can. The reward for the distance is space — Devon is bigger and emptier than Cornwall, and even in high season the estuary beaches rarely feel crowded once the tide is out.

Planning what to do once you arrive? read our Devon guide for walks, beaches and days out.