Last summer we took Jem to Cornwall to test the dog friendly beaches there. We worked from lists given us by the Tourist Info offices and other beach guides – so all the Cornish dog beaches on the Driving with Dogs site have been visited by the DwD team to see how dog friendly they really are.

Unfortunately of the 80 or so beaches advertised as ‘dog friendly’ less than 40 made it onto Driving with Dogs.

Reasons for rejecting a beach included: a change in rules about dog access; dangerous elements such as metal shards from shipwrecks or streams known to be contaminated with chemicals, sewage or industrial residue. These were the most important criteria. Poor Jem had a few days of tummy horror after drinking from the ‘Red River’ after heavy rainfall.

Other factors taken into account were: no safe parking within 3 miles of the beach, steep cliffs with no access to the beach, and beaches that were marked on tourist maps but we couldn’t find them even with an large scale OS map and much hunting.

There are some fabulous beaches in Cornwall for dogs, and these are listed in the DwD beaches section – type ‘Cornwall’ in the search box for the quickest results.

And if you and your dog have been to Cornwall and can update the beaches info – please do!! Either add a new beach, or give a rating to one that’s already there.