WAGFINDER
We keep the first half of it, nothing else. No account, no tracking.

Ilfracombe · 2 checked

Dog-friendly walks in Ilfracombe

Boots on. These are the Ilfracombe walks worth the drive, with lead rules and livestock warnings marked.

WAGFINDER No photo yet
176 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors 1.4 MI · LOOP
DOGS WELCOME

Hillsborough and Hele Bay

Ilfracombe · EX34 9QZ
No reviews yet
1.4MILES
50mTIME
130mCLIMB
88%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed

A short but stiff 1.4 miles round the Iron Age hill the town calls the Sleeping Elephant, three quarters of an hour with 130 metres of climbing on coast path and footpath that goes rocky, slippery and muddy in patches. Start at Hele Bay car park just east of Ilfracombe harbour, where the number 3 and 3a buses from Barnstaple stop 100 metres up Hillsborough Road, and take the stepped path up from the beach. Dogs do well here because Hele Bay itself is not covered by the North Devon beach order and there are dog-friendly pubs at the bottom, though the summit paths run close to unfenced cliff edges and the woodland stretch is steep enough that a big dog on a lead will pull you off balance.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors 4.2 MI · LOOP
DOGS WELCOME

Lee Bay and the coastal heathlands

Ilfracombe · EX34 8LR
No reviews yet
4.2MILES
2:30TIME
300mCLIMB
88%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed Livestock — leads on

A demanding 4.2 miles of about two and a half hours from the rock pools at Lee Bay, west along the coast path over gorse and heather heathland and back through the woods and old farmland behind, with 300 metres of climbing and some genuinely marshy sections. Start at the small car park at Lee Bay, reached by steep single-track lanes three miles west of Ilfracombe and served only by the sparse 305 bus; there are toilets 75 metres up the footpath from the car park. The heathland is a fine off-lead stretch and the beck at Lee gives dogs a drink, but the coast path runs unfenced above sheer slate cliffs, the farmland has stock, and the pubs in Lee and up in Mortehoe are the nearest water bowls.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

Missing a walk?

Walked something better? Send us the route and it goes on the map.

ADD A WALK
Ad

Cottages you can book near Ilfracombe

Real dog-welcoming cottages from our booking partner holidaycottages.co.uk — live prices, booked on their site. Booking through these links supports Wagfinder and never changes the price you pay.

Rose Cottage At Fairview Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £327 Mill House Cottage Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £374 Cart Linhay Cottage Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £374 West Cottage Ilfracombe Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £379 Poppy Cottage At Fairview Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £389 Tanglemead Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £426 Primrose Cottage At Fairview Farm Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £429 The Granary Ilfracombe Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £470 Stitchpool Farm Stable Cottage Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £611 Beach Cottage Combe Martin Devon · dogs welcome 7 nights from £614
Keep exploring
Walks in Barnstaple Walks in Woolacombe Pubs in Ilfracombe Restaurants & cafés in Ilfracombe Beaches in Ilfracombe Stays in Ilfracombe All of Ilfracombe

Know one we have missed?

Tell us the pub we have not walked into yet.

Local knowledge beats desk research every time. Name the place and we will check it properly — the venue's own policy, confirmed, then stamped and dated like every other listing.

Get the new stamps first.

One short email when we add places or a council changes its beach rules. No noise, easy out.

NO SPAM · UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME · WE NEVER SELL THE LIST

Wagfinder Members

Your patch, watched for you.

£4.99 A MONTH · OR £48 A YEAR
Restriction alerts for your saved beaches — know before the ban starts, not at the slipway sign.
New-place notifications in your area, the day we stamp them in.
Member perks at claimed venues across Britain.
Become a member

ENTER DOG OF THE MONTH · RESTRICTION ALERTS · CANCEL ANY TIME