Dog-Friendly Beaches near Falmouth
Beach days are the best days and you shouldn’t need to worry about whether you can bring the dog or not, check out our favourite dog-friendly beaches near Falmouth.
From the middle of May there are dog restrictions on some of our local beaches at certain times of day, so we’ve put together a helpful beach guide for those of you staying in our Dog-Friendly Cottages with your four-legged friends…
Falmouth Beaches
In Falmouth itself, Gylly Beach (Gyllyngvase) has a no-dog rule from the 15th May to 30th September between the hours of 10am and 6pm, but you can take dogs on the beach in the early morning and evening. We recommend going early anyway, as the middle of the day and evening can be quite popular with picnics and barbeques which might prove a little too tempting for a peckish pup…
Morning dog walks on Gylly are a social occasion, often accompanied by a coffee from one of the many take-aways near the beach. We recommend Dough an Dowr and their amazing bagels for a beach breakfast to remember!
Castle Beach and Swanpool Beach (just five minutes walking distance either side of Gylly) don’t have dog restrictions until the school holidays, from 1st July to 31st August, 10am-6pm, so are slightly more flexible. The rule doesn’t apply to the concrete promenade at Castle Beach though, so you can still visit the cafe for a toastie or a cake. At Swanpool, the coastal path crosses the beach so you will see dogs (usually on leads) making their way across the sand but not staying too long.
For dog friendly beaches during the middle of the day in Falmouth, you can walk from the Pendennis Point car park back towards the inner harbour via a footpath which leads down to a small beach with no restrictions.
There are also some lovely sea-view spots to sit and watch the waves from, even if you and your dogs can’t be directly on the sand! We love the Little Dennis castle and the Queen Mary Gardens, as well as Boscawen Fields which sits between Gylly and Swanpool beaches.
Flushing Beach
The beach and small quayside in Flushing is dog-friendly all year round, and although not a huge beach for a very active dog, it does connect to a lovely long walk across fields to Mylor Churchtown.
For Spring 2024, there is also a sauna pop-up on the beach and it’s a popular spot with swimmers. A small take-away hut offers refreshments, but this is a slightly more ‘off the beaten track’ beach than those in Falmouth. It has on-road parking and fewer amenities (no public toilets or showers here!)
A small passenger ferry connects Flushing village to Falmouth’s Prince of Wales Pier, so this is a nice option whichever side of the water you’re staying on, rather than taking the car!
The Water’s Edge at Mylor
We haven’t really called this a ‘beach’ because it doesn’t have traditional ‘sand and sunbathing’, but there is a tidal section along from Mylor Yacht Harbour which is great for walking and rock-hopping all year round. At low-tide, the estuary reveals a bigger space for four-legged friends to play, parallel to the coast path which runs around to Flushing.
The cafe at Mylor is also very dog-friendly and serves delicious food for humans as well as all-important dog biscuits!
Further Up The Creek…
Our cottages at Devoran and Malpas are a bit further up the Fal estuary, and so tend to have footpaths rather than beaches on their doorsteps. There are a few great spots for dog-walkers to get to the water’s edge though, if you know where to go…
There is a small beach at Trelissick National Trust, which is safe for swimming and is popular with dog walkers all year round. Set in extensive parkland, this is doggy heaven and they are even allowed in the cafe courtyard too (although not in the main cafe itself.)
Also close by is Loe Beach near Feock; a quiet pebble beach which is also popular with swimmers, rowers and paddleboarders. Watersports hire and tuition is available here, and there is a little cafe too! Dogs are allowed on the beach all day, throughout the year, so this could be a great place to set up for a beach day with lots to entertain the whole family.
Dog-Friendly Beaches near Mawnan Smith
About a ten-minute drive the other side of Falmouth, towards the Helford River, is the village of Mawnan Smith. From here you are spoilt for choice when it comes to dog-friendly beaches all year round, but they do all require a 5-10 minute walk downhill from where you are able to park.
Luckily, dogs love these walks which are mostly off-lead through woodland to get to the shore. By looking on a map, you will be able to see footpaths leading to lay-bys near ‘Nansidwell’ and ‘Carwinion’, both of which are signposted and managed by the National Trust.
The larger ‘Bosveal’ National Trust car park provides easy walking access to Grebe and Durgan beaches, as well as the South West Coast Path which passes lots of small coves as it winds along the edge of the Helford River and around Rosemullion Head.
Maenporth Beach (between Falmouth and Mawnan Smith) also has a large car-park and connects to the coast path, but has dog restrictions between 1st July and 31st August 10am-6pm. The cafe terrace is dog-friendly all year though, and if you can time a low-tide outside of the restricted hours, there is a huge expanse of beach for dogs to play on.
Be A Good Doggo!
Please remember to be respectful to all other beach users, especially during the busier times, as our dog-friendly beaches near Falmouth rely on good behavior for our furry friends to continue to be allowed access…(in previous years, some beaches have been dog-restricted 24hrs a day in the summer, which is such a shame.) Watch your dog at all times, and make sure they don’t leave any sprinkles on swimmer’s unattended clothes!!
By being considerate, we can make sure that the dogs remain allowed on all the beaches in the mornings and evenings, which is our favourite time to go for a walk. Falmouth is such a dog-friendly place, and you are sure to find water bowls and treat jars at most of the beach cafes and coffee vans.
Enjoy your walkies!
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