Beesands Beach
A mile of steep shingle in Start Bay, backed by a single row of cottages, the Cricket Inn and a freshwater ley. No dog exclusion applies here in the South Hams order, so it is open to dogs all year; the shelving beach and strong undertow are the reason to think twice, not the rules.
Beesands and Hallsands
A 3.7-mile circuit of about two hours from the shingle at Beesands past the ruins of the village the sea took at Hallsands, returning by tracks and green lanes with 200 metres of climbing and one long flight of steps. Start at the free seafront car park at Beesands, reached by narrow lanes from Stokenham, with the Cricket Inn and toilets beside it; the lanes are single track with passing places so a wing mirror is a genuine consideration in August. Beesands is a dog-friendly beach all year and the ley behind it holds fresh water, but the green lanes get overgrown in high summer, the fields hold sheep, and the cliff edge above Hallsands is undercut and unfenced.
Britannia @ the Beach
A family-run shellfish shack and restaurant on the beach road at Beesands, selling crab, lobster and fish landed a few hundred yards away. Well-behaved dogs are part of the welcome, and the setting means a wet dog is nobody's crisis.