Avon Beach

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.

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.

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.