Daymer Bay
Sheltered dune-backed sand inside the Camel estuary, shallow and calm compared with the surf beaches either side. It is not among the beaches covered by Cornwall Council's dogs-on-beaches order, so it takes dogs all year with no time restriction — the reason it fills with them in August. Brea Hill above it is grazed, so leads on the dunes.
Rock to Polzeath and St Enodoc
5.8 MI · 2H 50M · 82% OFF-ROADJust under six miles round the dunes, beaches and golf links of the Camel’s eastern shore, about two and three quarter hours and easy going apart from soft sand and the pull over Brea Hill. It starts at the Rock car park by the ferry slip, which is large but pay-and-display, and the Padstow ferry means you can arrive on foot from the other side. Stiles are all passable for a large dog and Rock and Daymer Bay take dogs the year round, which is unusual on this coast; the route crosses a working golf course where a lead is expected, and the low cliff at Trebetherick Point is unfenced.
St Moritz Hotel
Contemporary hotel and spa above Daymer Bay with a dedicated dog-friendly stay category alongside its rooms, suites and self-catering. Daymer Bay is a ten-minute walk down and carries no seasonal dog ban, so this is one of the few north-coast bases that works in August. Bring leads for the clifftop stretches of coast path and the livestock fields behind.