There comes a point in every dog-friendly trip to Devon when the beach loses its appeal. The tide is wrong. The wind has turned. Or you've simply spent three days on sand and want something with a little more shelter — somewhere to walk slowly, somewhere that feels like an outing rather than another walk.
Devon is unusually rich in places that fit that brief. National Trust estates, botanical gardens, valley waterfalls, abbey grounds, working steam railways. Most welcome dogs on leads. Some welcome dogs everywhere. A handful — the ones genuinely worth planning a day around — feel as if they were designed with you both in mind.
This is our guide to those places. We've chosen fourteen, each with practical detail about what you'll find when you arrive, what to expect of the dog policy, and the kind of dog the day will suit best.
Gardens & estates
Powderham Castle
The seat of the Earls of Devon since the 14th century, Powderham sits on the western bank of the Exe Estuary, surrounded by deer park, walled rose garden and the kind of mature parkland that does not exist anywhere new. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the outdoor estate — the deer park is the centrepiece, with views across the estuary toward Exmouth — and the café terrace allows dogs on leads. The interior of the castle is human-only.
A morning here covers a long walk through parkland, a picnic if the weather plays along, and the option of a tour for one of you while the other stays outside with the dog. The setting is closer to a small country than an attraction.
- Best for
- Larger dogs who want space, owners who care about heritage.
- Lead policy
- Throughout the grounds.
- Practical
- Open seasonally. Check the official site before travelling.
Killerton Estate
Killerton is a National Trust estate stretching to almost 6,400 acres — woodland, hillside, river valley and a Georgian house at its heart. For dog owners, this is one of the more generous Trust properties in the south west. Dogs on leads are welcome across all the parkland, the woodland walks, and the formal gardens. The orchards in spring are quietly spectacular. There's a dog-friendly outdoor area at the café, and a hose in the car park for muddy paws on the way home.
The walks here range from a gentle hour around the gardens to half-day routes that climb into the hills behind the house. If you want a single Devon day out that combines real scale with real comfort, Killerton is the answer.
- Best for
- Owners of larger dogs, or anyone who wants a proper half-day of walking.
- Lead policy
- Leads at all times.
- Practical
- National Trust. Membership pays for itself across two visits.
Knightshayes Court
A Victorian Gothic country house with terraced gardens and 200 acres of parkland in mid-Devon. The gardens at Knightshayes are widely considered among the finest in the south west — sweeping lawns, formal terracing, a topiary fox-and-hounds, and woodland walks that thread out toward a working kitchen garden. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the gardens, parkland and woodland.
What makes Knightshayes different is the quality of the planting — every season looks intentional, and there is enough variety that returning in spring versus autumn feels like visiting two different gardens.
- Best for
- Owners who love a garden, dogs who like a steady wander.
- Lead policy
- Leads throughout.
- Practical
- National Trust.
The Donkey Sanctuary
Free to enter, free to park, and remarkable in every respect. The Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth is one of the largest animal welfare charities in Britain, home to hundreds of rescued donkeys, each with a name and a story. The grounds spread across the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with coastal views to the south and pasture walks across the estate.
Dogs on short leads are welcome throughout the sanctuary, including the indoor donkey shelters and the café terrace. There is one practical note worth taking seriously — donkeys, particularly those who arrived traumatised, can find dogs distressing. A short lead, calm dog, and quiet voice are non-negotiable.
- Best for
- Children, calm dogs, anyone who'd like a day out that funds a charity.
- Lead policy
- Short lead throughout, mandatory.
- Practical
- Free entry. Open most days, donations welcome rather than required.
Waterfalls & woodland
Becky Falls
A dramatic woodland gorge on the edge of Dartmoor, with a 22-metre waterfall at its heart. The site covers 50 acres of ancient oak woodland with marked walking trails of varying length — the shortest takes 20 minutes, the longest a couple of hours. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the woodland and on all the walking routes. The animal encounter areas are dog-free zones, but those are easy to bypass.
Best visited after rain, when the falls themselves are at full volume. In summer, the lower paths give dogs access to the river — useful on a hot day.
- Best for
- Water-loving dogs, families with children, anyone after a forest-bathing kind of walk.
- Lead policy
- Leads required throughout.
- Practical
- Paid entry. Closed in winter.
Haldon Forest Park
A 3,500-acre Forestry England site on the hills above Exeter, with miles of marked walking and cycling trails through Douglas fir, beech and oak. Dogs are welcome throughout — and unlike many Devon attractions, much of Haldon is off-lead-friendly outside the visitor hub and play area. Several of the trails are explicitly waymarked as suitable for off-lead dogs, with information boards noting where to put them back on.
For a high-energy dog, Haldon is the antidote to a wet Devon morning. The trails are well-signed, the parking is straightforward, and the variety of routes means returning visits feel different each time.
- Best for
- Energetic dogs, owners who want off-lead opportunities.
- Lead policy
- Mixed — check signage on individual trails.
- Practical
- Paid parking. Free admission.
Castle Drogo
The last castle built in England, completed in 1930 — and the only castle the National Trust has had to entirely rebuild from the roof down (a recently-completed conservation project that took over a decade). The setting is the dramatic Teign Gorge on the edge of Dartmoor, with cliff-top paths that look down to the river hundreds of feet below.
Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens and across the wider estate, including the famed Hunter's Path along the gorge edge. The castle interior is human-only. The walks here are some of the most cinematic in Devon — narrow paths through woodland, opening to views that feel more Highland than south-west.
- Best for
- Adventurous dogs, owners who like a walk with drama.
- Lead policy
- Leads throughout the estate; the gorge paths require sensible handling.
- Practical
- National Trust. The Hunter's Path is the walk to do.
River Dart Country Park
90 acres of parkland on the River Dart at the edge of Dartmoor National Park — woodland walks, river access, open meadows, and a campsite within the park itself. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout. The site is more relaxed than many Trust properties, with a focus on outdoor play, which means the atmosphere suits an active dog who'd benefit from variety in their walk.
The river is the highlight. There are several safe access points where dogs can swim, and the woodland trails alongside the water are some of the cooler walks on a hot Devon afternoon.
- Best for
- Water-loving dogs, families combining a day out with camping.
- Lead policy
- Leads required.
- Practical
- Paid entry, day-visitor parking.
Heritage & railways
Seaton Tramway
A heritage tramway that runs three miles along the Axe Estuary, between the town of Seaton and the village of Colyton, through one of the most important wetland reserves on the south coast. The trams are open-topped and lower-decked, and dogs on leads are welcome on every service.
The journey takes around 25 minutes each way and offers the kind of quiet, unhurried view of countryside that you don't get from a car. The wetlands either side are full of bird life — egrets, kingfishers, the occasional buzzard. For an older dog, or a dog who finds long walks difficult, this is an outing that doesn't demand they walk.
- Best for
- Older dogs, anxious dogs, owners who want a day out that isn't a hike.
- Lead policy
- Leads required.
- Practical
- Paid ticketing. Pre-book in summer.
Pecorama
A model railway park and gardens above the village of Beer on the East Devon coast, with miles of beautifully kept terraced gardens, panoramic views across Lyme Bay, and a working narrow-gauge railway that runs through the grounds. Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens, on the trains and in the outdoor seating areas of the café.
The setting is the surprise. Pecorama sits 400 feet above the sea, and the gardens drop down the hillside in a series of terraced levels — every turn reveals a different view across to the coast. For a half-day with a calm dog and a slow pace, it's hard to beat.
- Best for
- Calm dogs, owners who like a garden with a view.
- Lead policy
- Leads required.
- Practical
- Seasonal opening. Check before travelling.
Bicton Park Botanical Gardens
Sixty-four acres of botanical gardens founded in 1739 — older than Kew, less famous, arguably more beautiful. The gardens span formal Italian terraces, an American garden, a pinetum, ornamental lakes, and woodland trails. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the outdoor areas. There's a small charge per dog at admission.
What makes Bicton work as a day out is the variety packed into a relatively small area. A morning walk takes in formal planting, a shell house, a working narrow-gauge railway, and a domed Palm House dating back to the 1820s. The gardens are quiet midweek and considered enough to feel like a treat rather than a tourist visit.
- Best for
- Owners who'd combine a garden visit with a coastal afternoon (Budleigh Salterton is fifteen minutes away).
- Lead policy
- Leads throughout.
- Practical
- Paid admission, small additional dog charge.
Buckfast Abbey
A working Benedictine monastery on the southern edge of Dartmoor — and free to enter. The grounds at Buckfast cover several acres, with formal lavender, herb and sensory gardens, a millpond walk, and quiet woodland alongside the River Dart. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the gardens and grounds, including the riverside paths.
There is something genuinely calming about the place. The monastic community still lives there, and the grounds keep a quiet that's increasingly rare. Many visitors combine an hour at the abbey with a longer walk on Dartmoor itself — Hembury Woods, twenty minutes away, is one of the better dog walks in the area.
- Best for
- Calmer dogs, owners who'd like an unhurried hour somewhere quiet.
- Lead policy
- Short lead throughout.
- Practical
- Free entry, free parking, donations welcome.
Villages, parks & views
Cockington Court
A 16th-century estate on the edge of Torquay, with parkland, a cricket pitch, lakes, gardens and a working craft centre. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the grounds and the open parkland — and given how rare it is to find a properly dog-friendly green space inside a town, Cockington stands out. The walk down to the village itself — thatched cottages, a working forge, and an unexpected slice of preserved rural England — is part of the appeal.
This is the day out for visitors based on the English Riviera who want a green hour without leaving town.
- Best for
- Owners staying in Torquay or Paignton who want a green break from the seafront.
- Lead policy
- Leads throughout.
- Practical
- Free entry, free parking.
Canonteign Falls
A privately owned estate near Exeter with the highest waterfall in southern England — a 220-foot drop that was originally created in the 19th century by widening a natural falls. The site covers 90 acres of woodland and lakes, with marked walking trails of varying difficulty. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout.
The path to the top of the falls is steep and earns its view. The lake walks at the bottom are flatter and suit a less athletic dog. Combined, you can build a morning that suits almost any pace.
- Best for
- Dogs who like a real walk, owners who want a setting that earns its photographs.
- Lead policy
- Leads required.
- Practical
- Paid admission. Closed in winter.
A note on what we've not included
We've left off attractions that are seasonal-only with very limited dog access, attractions that are dog-restricted to a single small area, and attractions where the dog experience would be stressful for the animal. The list above is what we'd genuinely send a friend to.