Dog-friendly walks in Falmouth

Five and a half easy miles right round the Pendennis peninsula, taking in the working docks, the castle headland and all three town beaches, about two and a half hours on largely surfaced paths. Start from The Moor in the middle of Falmouth or from the castle car park on the point itself; the town has two railway stations on the Truro branch, so this walk is genuinely car-free. There are no stiles and no livestock, but a good deal of it is pavement and dock road where a lead is needed, and every beach on the loop closes to dogs for part of the summer.

Five and three quarter miles between the Helford River and Falmouth Bay, around three hours with 200 metres of climbing and the tiny hamlet of Durgan at the water’s edge. It starts from the National Trust car park at Glendurgan, which serves the garden and the beach and is the only parking for miles; Mawnan Smith is a mile inland if it is full. Stiles are reported fine for dogs, and Porth Sawsen, Prisk Cove and Porthallack all allow dogs all year, which is why locals bring theirs here in August; the headland path is unfenced and Maenporth at the far end is restricted.

Six miles round the headlands south of Falmouth, two and three quarter hours with 150 metres of climbing and a lagoon nature reserve at the halfway mark. Start on Gyllyngvase seafront where the town car park is, or at Swanpool a little further on; both are pay-and-display and the number 35 bus runs the same line if you would rather do it one way. Easy going with no significant stile trouble and a freshwater pool at Swanpool, but the three town beaches are all restricted in season and the path around Pennance Point runs along an unfenced low cliff.