Dog-friendly Poole & Bournemouth

Cafe and restaurant on the sand at Mudeford, with a beach bar and tables facing Christchurch Bay. Dogs are very welcome, water bowls are ready for them and the beach bar sells doggie donuts. A natural stop on a walk out to the Head or the sandbank.

Three level miles of harbourside in an hour and a half, out along the Baiter peninsula, round Whitecliff and back past the old quay warehouses, with the whole of Poole Harbour, Brownsea and the Purbeck hills in view. Surfaced promenade and mown grass throughout, flat, and open to the wind off the water. Park at Baiter, a large pay and display right on the shore that stays cheap and rarely fills outside regatta weekends. Baiter and Whitecliff have big open off-lead greens, which makes this the best year-round running ground in Poole while the town beaches are shut, but leads are required on the promenade and the quay itself, where the drop into the water is sheer and the shingle at low tide is sharp with oyster shell.

A 3.4-mile loop of an hour and three quarters along the seafront promenade between two wooded chines, returning up through the subtropical planting of Alum Chine and the pines of Branksome Dene. Flat on the prom, then 60 metres of steady climb through the chines on surfaced paths and steps. Park at Branksome Chine or Alum Chine, both pay and display, both a steep zig zag walk down to the sand and both busy from mid-morning in summer. This is the key stretch to know: BCP allows dogs all year from the western side of Alum Chine to the Branksome Chine beach office, so a swim is legal in August here when the main Bournemouth sands are shut, with leads required on the promenade and the zig zags.

A 3.2-mile loop of the largest surviving lowland heath inside an English town, an hour and three quarters on sandy tracks and single-track paths with 70 metres of gentle climb and long views west to the Purbecks. Start from the Francis Avenue or Gravel Hill entrances, where parking is free on-street at the edge of the estate: there is no formal car park, so park considerately and expect a five-minute walk in. This is a European-protected reserve, so BCP runs a dogs-on-lead season from March to August with leads of no more than two metres to protect nightjar, Dartford warbler and woodlark nesting on the ground. Outside those months it is superb off-lead country, but there is no water anywhere on the heath and adders are common.

A 3.4-mile riverside circuit of an hour and three quarters from the quay along Convent Walk under the priory wall, across the Stour on the little Wick ferry and back through the water meadows of Wick Fields to Tuckton Bridge. Flat, mostly surfaced, with meadow paths that flood in winter. Start at the Quay Road or Willow Way car parks, both pay and display and both close to the priory; Christchurch station is a fifteen-minute walk and the town is on the main Waterloo line. Leads along the quay and Convent Walk, where the drop into deep water is unfenced and the swans are territorial in spring, and the ferryman charges a small fare for a dog. Wick Fields is grazed and gives shallow river access for a paddle.

A four-mile there-and-back along the northern shore of Poole Harbour, two hours, flat on a mix of promenade, shore path and shingle, out past Lake Pier to the low sandy point at Rockley with Brownsea across the water. Park at Hamworthy Park, a free council car park of about eighty spaces off Blandford Road, which fills on hot afternoons because this is a local secret. Hamworthy beach is one of the handful of BCP beaches where dogs are allowed all year round, which is the whole point of coming: sheltered shallow water for swimming in any month, no summer exclusion, and leads only on the promenade section. There is a drinking tap by the park toilets.

A 5.2-mile circuit in two and three quarter hours, over Warren Hill to the head, out along the sand spit past the beach huts to the harbour mouth and back on the sheltered Christchurch Harbour side. Surfaced track, sand and grass, with one climb of 90 metres and no shelter on the top. Start at the Hengistbury Head car park off Broadway, pay and display, large, and served by the land train to the spit from April to October, though the train does not take dogs. This is one of the few BCP frontages where dogs are allowed on the beach all year, and Mudeford Sandbank too, but the head is a nature reserve with a March-to-August lead season and grazing cattle, so leads on the top and freedom on the sand.

Modern riverside hotel and spa on the Stour at Wick Ferry, four-star and rather glassy, with the Priory a walk away along the bank. Dogs are welcome in the bedrooms and the Luxury Suites at £20 per dog per night, and may relax on the terrace and in the bar, but must be on a lead and accompanied at all times. Tell them at booking so the right room is set aside.

Long-established hotel and holiday apartments above Alum Chine at Westbourne, a short walk down the wooded chine to the sea. Dogs are accepted, given treats on arrival and lent a blanket for the room, though additional charges may apply. The all-year dog stretch of beach from Alum Chine to Branksome Chine Beach Office starts at the bottom of the chine.

Heathland headland and nature reserve between the sea and Christchurch Harbour, with an Iron Age fort, the beach huts of Mudeford Spit and views to the Isle of Wight. BCP Council names Hengistbury Head as open to dogs all year round. Ground-nesting birds use the heath, so keep to the paths in spring.

Romantic and Picturesque 1830s cliff-top mansion in twenty-eight acres of grounds, with a tearoom and a path down to the beach. Dogs are welcome in the grounds and the gift shop but must be on a lead in the cultivated areas, main driveway, front lawns, tearooms, car parks and gift shop; only assistance dogs may go inside the Castle. The visitor information also spells out the seasonal beach dates below.

One hundred and forty acres of parkland, walled garden and harbour shoreline on the edge of Poole, with a Grade II listed house at the centre. Well-behaved dogs are allowed inside the Tea Rooms as long as they are kept on a lead at all times, and the park has a DIY dog wash and a fenced dog training area and play pen. One of the best free dog walks in the conurbation.