If your looking for miles of dog friendly coastline then you’ve hit the jackpot in Cumbria. Because most people head for the lakes and fells, the beaches are almost always quiet, few having any dog restrictions at all.
We recently spent four nights in the coastal village of Ravenglass, and visited a couple of other seaside resorts whilst we were there. All three are served by the Cumbrian Coastal Railwayline.
Ravenglass. A tiny harbor village, Ravenglass has an ancient history. The Roman settlement of Glannoventa stood here and was an important naval base. The remains of a Roman bathhouse lie on the outskirts.
The beach is a mixture of sand, shingle and mud. There are lots of well signposted walks along the coast or up into the fells. Our dog Hugo enjoyed running here and his favourite nearby hill walk from Ravenglass was a mornings yomp up Muncaster Fell.
Nearby pet friendly attractions include Muncaster Castle ( dogs are allowed in the gardens, grounds, cafe and can watch the flying hawk displays & heron feeds) and The Ravenglass & Eskdale Narrow Gauge Railway.
Hugo was made a fuss of in all three of the pubs in Ravenglass. We ate out at The Ratty Arms & The Pennington Hotel. Both were very good. 🐶
St Bees. Twenty minutes north of Ravenglass, St Bees is actually named after an Irish medieval Saint, St Bega . Bega ( a beautiful & devout princess) fled across the Irish Sea by boat, having been promised in marriage to a Viking Prince. She had other ideas, preferring to live in religious solitude on the English mainland.
I’m not sure if St Bega liked dogs ( there is a statue of her and her rowing boat in the village center) but the beach she landed on is a great place for a bracing walk. We took Hugo to the sands at Seacote Park, where there is a caravan park, lifeboat station and beach cafe. I don’t think dogs are allowed inside the cafe but as it was a nice day we had icecream on a bench outside and Hugo was brought water & dog treats.
St Bees is the start of the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk and the cliff top ( safely fenced off ~ Phew!) is also ideal for walkies. Look out for all sorts of seabirds. The cliffs at St Bees head are an RSPB bird reserve.
Arnside. A pretty estuary resort, Arnside resides in the Arnside & Silverdale Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is from here that I took part in The Morecambe Bay Cross Bay walk with Wil and Hugo, three years ago. This iconic organized hike across the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay must not be attempted without an official guide.
On our latest visit Hugo had a good run on the beach but there are also plenty of coastal and inland walks to do in the area including Arnside Knott and along the shoreline to Silverdale. Do make sure you listen out for the sirens that are sounded to warn of the incoming Arnside Tidal Bore, a high tidal wave that happens once a month in Arnside’s estuary.
The village has a couple of dog friendly pubs and cafes. We chose to sit outside with the best ever fish & chips from Arnside Chippy. We also visited a very cute little jazz cafe opposite Arnside’s Railway station. Moochin About is a teeny tiny espresso bar with the cutest decor and vinyl jazz records playing on a record player. Sad to say no doggies allowed inside, purely because it is so small. There are two benches outside though, water bowls and the lovely owner brought out biscuits for Hugo and a collie customer. 🐕
If you have a dog, what beaches do you like to visit with them?
I’d love to know. 🐩🐚🦀
sunshine and celandines 
Moochin About is the best name! This area looks so lovely – I must visit some time.
You can’t go wrong with the seaside. 🙂
So nice that there were so many dog friendly places to take Hugo.
Think he enjoyed his holiday. 🙂
I visited a friend in Siloth Cumbria. I thought it was a really beautiful part of the country and quite sparsely populated (relatively speaking) 😊. Looks like you had a great time!!
Never been to Silloth. Another one for the list!
Silloth is nice but you won’t be missing anything if you never go. I went at Easter, there’s a pleasant promenade and some nice sea front gardens but that’s about it – unless I missed something which should have been obvious but wasn’t there doesn’t seem to be a town centre or anything, just a few odd shops and cafes dotted about in various streets. I often go back to places I like the first time but I’ve no need to go back to this one unless it’s to visit the church opposite the gardens. I’d be interested to know what you think of the place if you do go. 🙂
I might get there oneday…and will certainly let you know if I do. X
I love Arnside. It’s good that so many cafes and pubs have dog treats at the ready for their canine visitors. I wonder if Hugo has his own rating system for the places he visits 😄
Haha, it wouldn’t surprise me. 🤣
Hugo looks like he enjoyed it. We like the coastline around St Bees too, we have happy memories of our dog Bob looking for fish in the water there. Goodness knows what he would have done if he had ever caught one. The weather looks good too xx
Aw, yes dogs love the seaside.
We were very lucky with the weather. Xx
How great that Hugo had so many places to cater for him on his holidays! I’ve been to Ravenglass and St Bees but not Arnside.
They are all lovely places. I would probably say Arnside is my favourite. It has some cute cafes and gift shops. X
How lovely Shazza to have good dog friendly beaches & although we do have some, there aren’t as many as UK, as people will not always pick up after their dogs, which is such a shame. It looks like an enjoyable time away & somewhere I’m sure we’d love too. Have a great weekend & take care.
There is always that bone of contention, where people don’t pick up after their dogs. It’s stupid really. If you have a dog, you need to pick up. End of! Yes we are pretty lucky in the UK, though some places are more pet friendly than others. X
St. Bees is lovely and I’ll certainly be revisiting soon. I’m glad you found some beach, the tide was in when I went at Easter so there was nothing but shingle. If you ever go there again do go and have a look in the church, there’s so much of interest there and the stained glass windows are beautiful 🙂
I do remember your post. We were just thinking about heading to the beach really. I will take a look next time. The whole st Bega story is interesting.x
Georgous photos!
Aw thanks.