72 Hours at SeaSpace: The dog edit
Beach zoomies and woodland trails. Dog-in-tow shopping and culture hops. Harbour eats and sea-view sundowners – with treats on tap. At SeaSpace, dogs don’t just tag along – they holiday, too. Check out our three day itinerary.
Our three-day itinerary packs in the county’s most dog-loving destinations. All from your pet-friendly base, with a meadow for walking, welcoming shared spaces and water bowls and biscuits to keep tails wagging between adventures.
Say hello to Cornwall, unleashed.
Day one: Beaches, trails and wagging tails
Time for a pre-breakfast walk at Porth beach, five minutes’ down the hill (less if your four-legged friend is leading the way!). Dogs have free rein until 10am year-round and plenty of sociable hounds can be found playing shoreside (seasonal restrictions in July and Aug, 10am–6pm).
Grab coffee at the beachside R.Place cabin, where you’re sure to meet fellow dog owners over a Cornish brew. Pups are also welcome inside this chic fashion and lifestyle boutique but be prepared to spend – their wares are irresistible!
Take the long loop back to SeaSpace around Porth Island. If the swell’s up you might see the blowhole in action on this wild little headland with big coastal views. Keep dogs on leads near cliff edges.
Fuel up at SeaSpace café with a superfood salad or soup of the day to stoke energy levels for an afternoon stride. But first, how about a post-lunch ‘paws’ in your dog-friendly room? Feet up. Kettle on. Sofa slouching with a view. Bliss.
Time for a woodland adventure. A 30-minute drive inland and you’re under the sky-high pines of Cardinham Woods, with four way-marked trails to make the most of. Whether you roam riverside paths or climb high for valley views, finish with baked-from-scratch cakes at the paw-friendly Woods Café.
Dinner at Lusty Glaze. Dogs don’t stop you dining out around here. Walk 25 minutes to this private cove (very doable in the dark if you stay out late) for sundowner cocktails with toes in the sand, or woodburner vibes and candlelit dining by the waves. Dog beds, treats and water bowls make it easy for your dog to relax too. Before heading back, grant them one last roll on the sand.
Day two: Paws about town
Coffee and pastries from the SeaSpace café before a day out on foot and paw. No need to pack snacks – Newquay is ridiculously dog-friendly, with water and nibbles pitstops on every street and beach.
Hit the South West Coast Path into town. Low tide? Drop onto Lusty Glaze and walk the shoreline to the harbour – two miles of throw, fetch, dig, repeat. Plus plenty of rockpools to plunge in (you, or the dog, or both) if you dare.
High tide? Stay on the clifftops and follow waymarkers across the Barrowfields. There’s lots of green space for ball-chasing until you drop to shore level at Great Western Beach (dog-friendly year-round).
Coffee, belly rubs and biscuits at Great Western Surf Café, watching wave riders in the UK’s original home of surfing. Sit in, or out. We’re pretty sure which your dog will choose.
Onto neighbouring Towan Beach, where the Killacourt’s cluster of sea-facing shops and artist spaces make it easy for dog-in-tow shopping and gallery hopping. Discover Cornish-made art, jewellery, surf gear and vintage finds – on the first Saturday of the month there’s a farmer’s market, too.
Next stop Newquay Harbour for pebble skimming, sea dipping and beachside bites. Dogs and humans can join in with it all. From spring to autumn The Boathouse serves street-food eats on the sand, or pad up to the terrace at Harbour Fish & Grill for lunch with gull’s eye views.
Land or sea adventure? You choose. Try boarding a dog-friendly Newquay Sea Safaris boat trip to spot seals, seabirds and dolphins if you’re lucky. Salty sea dogs strictly on leads. Or you could keep feet and paws dry with a stroll through Trenance Gardens – Newquay’s verdant little paradise with a boating lake, arboretum paths, and dog ice cream offerings at Lakeside Café.
Head back to SeaSpace on foot, or skip the schlep and take the Newquay Road Train (April to October) as far as the Barrowfields. Dogs on leads welcome aboard.
Sunset stroll and dine. Legs rested, drive out to Pentire Head (15 mins) for a short walk as the sun dips into the Atlantic. Dogs might be tempted by the beaches of Crantock and Fistral spread below, but you’re headed for the cliff-edge Lewinnick Lodge. Enjoy moules, margaritas, a sundowner terrace or a cosy table by the fire. Book ahead for a dog-friendly table.
Credit: Visit Cornwall
Credit: Visit Newquay
Day three: Take the Lead
Skip the cliffs and beach for something a little closer to home. Start early, coffee in hand, as the sun rises over the SeaSpace dog-walking meadow.
Lazy mornings call for big eats. Time for an Italo-American brunch at Tallo. Pancake stacks, smoked salmon bagels, and cocktail pitchers. Dog treats and water bowls are on hand at the bar, so everyone’s happy until it’s time to walk it off.
Leads on to scamper north along the South West Coast Path to Watergate Bay (two miles) – paws on the path to mind for corn buntings, eyes to the skies for choughs.
Dogs rule Watergate’s two miles of sand, so it’s no wonder sandy paws are part of the furniture at The Beach Hut, where dog beds and bowls come with the menu. Pop in for an Extreme hot chocolate, or book ahead for lunch with a view.
If you and your hound love to hike, stomp the coast path all the way to Bedruthan Steps’ sea stack views and one of Cornwall’s best cream teas. Dogs are always fussed over here, and the National Trust shop sells gifts for pups and people.
It’s a long 4.5-miles back, so let the Atlantic Coaster do the work. Dogs travel free and the top-deck views are epic.
Sunset pizza on Porth Beach? Yes please. Head to Ansum and pick up some of the UK’s best wood-fired pizzas to chow down by the waves. Or grab a bench on the riverside terrace and listen to vinyl spinning on the decks. Dogs welcome inside and out – but we reckon they’ll pick the sand.
Book your dog-friendly stay now
End note: Want to be social with your pup on your break? Join Newquay Dog Meet Ups public WhatsApp group to find out where the locals are gathering to walk their dogs while you’re here.