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Exmoor National Park

Planning your summer travels in Britain and want to take your precious pooch along with you? The experts at Country Cottages have rounded up the best places for a dog-friendly break in the UK

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Best places for a dog-friendly break in the UK by Country Cottages

For lots of pet owners, leaving our pet pooch at home whilst we enjoy a cottage holiday in the UK is simply unthinkable. Pets are precious, and shh don’t tell, but many of us prefer our pets to our partners!  So holiday without them? No way! The good news though is that being a nation of pet lovers, the UK is home to many dog-friendly holiday homes and plenty of pet-friendly holiday destinations.

So, if you want to take your pooch on holiday where are the best places to holiday in Britain?

Whether you want to discover coast or countryside, there’s a great choice of options for you to explore with your four-legged friend in Britain, we will guide you to some of the best locations. You can also browse a wide selection of pet-friendly accommodation here. 

Get Tails Wagging in Aberdeenshire

Cruden Bay. Aberdeenshire

Off the beaten track, Aberdeenshire in Scotland can be perfect for a holiday with your pooch. The quaint village of Cruden Bay with its long stretch of golden sandy beach is a wonder to explore with your dog and you can happily take your dog to Aberdeen’s sandy beach too.

You can also enjoy exploring country parks and nature reserves in Aberdeenshire; both Balmedie Country Park and St Cyrus National Nature Reserve allow dogs.

Aberdeenshire is also of course known for its castles. At Crathes Castle you are allowed to walk your dog around the gardens (although chasing squirrels is not allowed!) and also at Balmoral Castle, much-loved holiday home of the Royal Family, on the days when the castle is open to the public, dogs are welcome in the grounds.

Discover Dartmoor National Park, Historical Attractions and Dog-Friendly Beaches Galore in Devon

Dartmoor National Park

With more dog-friendly beaches than both Cornwall and Dorset, Devon is a superb part of the West Country to explore with your pooch. What’s more, Devon is home to an impressive 76 dog-friendly beaches, a number of which are pet-friendly year round.

If countryside is more your thing, Devon is also of course home to Dartmoor National Park, and Exmoor National Park, where you can walk with your pet in lush greenery.  Do remember though to keep dogs on a lead during lambing and ground nesting bird season.

Also worth sniffing out whilst in Devon is Agatha Christie’s previous home; Greenway House where dogs are welcome in the garden, boathouse, shop and café, but must be kept on a lead.

If you are a history buff then don’t miss Totnes Castle, both for its impressive historical appeal and its impressive setting, high above the medieval town of Totnes by the River Dart, and dogs on leads are welcome to step back in time here too.

Northumberland Unleashed, Discover the Northumbrian Coastline with 31 Dog-Friendly Beaches and the Glorious National Park

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

Northumberland is home to gorgeous Northumberland National Park, as well as 31 dog-friendly beaches.

Right up in the north of England, head to Northumberland with your pooch and you can discover big wide skies, the road less travelled, as well as stunning sandy beaches. Bamburgh beach with the imposing castle set above the sands, is iconic and dog-friendly year round.

Head to Northumbria’s National Park and soak up the scenery with your pet in tow. Kielder Water and Forest Park is home to miles and miles of good dog-friendly trails.

Paw-Friendly Coastline Aplenty in Pembrokeshire

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is home to an amazing 81 dog friendly beaches! With dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, and picturesque coves, the Pembrokeshire coast is just stunning and there are miles and miles of paths to explore with your pooch along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.  Enjoy walkies with your pet along Freshwater East Beach with its stretch of sandy shores, and beautiful Barafundle Bay where you can enjoy plenty of vitamin sea.

Step back in time at Pembroke Castle with your furry friend where dogs (and owners of course!) are welcome to walk around the grounds and the castle (pooches aren’t allowed in the gift shop but are elsewhere in the castle).

Pembrokeshire is home to plenty of dog-friendly pubs too so you and your pooch can be assured of a warm welcome in this part of Wales.

Discover God’s Own Country with your Pooch

Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire

Yorkshire is home to two national parks; the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, with countryside and walking trails galore, making this a great place to discover with your pup. Yorkshire boasts a stunning coastline too, so whether you want coast or countryside, Yorkshire has it all.

What’s more, some of Yorkshire’s best known attractions are pet-friendly; Whitby Abbey which stands high atop a cliff overlooking the iconic seaside town of Whitby welcomes dogs on leads, so you can both happily explore together. Also nearby, is the gorgeous historic fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay. This village’s amazing stretch of sandy beach is dog-friendly year round.

For pet-friendly holiday accommodation in the above parts of the UK and elsewhere, find a great choice of dog-friendly cottages on offer from Countrycottagesonline.com and get planning your pooch-friendly break.

Read more from Discover Britain:

    spring traditions
    Painted Easter eggs

    From Easter to May Day, Henrietta Easton explores some of our more unusual spring traditions…

    Words by Henrietta Easton

    After a dark, long and cold British winter, the heralding of spring is a time to celebrate.

    The clocks change, vibrant flowers rear their heads, and lambs bleat in the fields; summer is not far away and new life is starting. The British have been celebrating with various spring traditions for more than a thousand years, beginning with Easter, and leading up to May Day.

    Here, we explore the origins of some of our British spring traditions and the different ways they are still celebrated today. 

    Easter traditions

    Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (21 March), meaning it can fall anywhere between 22 March and 25 April.

    Commemorating the miracle of Jesus’s death and resurrection, a theme of new life and renewal pervades throughout festivities. The most common Easter tradition is Easter eggs. Long before their modern-day chocolate form, eggs had been gifted across the world for thousands of years during spring festivals as a symbol of new life and rebirth. 

    Easter also follows Lent, a 40-day period of religious observance and abstinence. Eggs were one of the food items (along with meat and dairy) that Christians were supposed to avoid during this time, so egg-gifting and eating was an important part of celebrations when Lent ended on Easter Sunday. 

    The earliest record of an Easter egg in England dates from 1290, when Edward I purchased 450 eggs, decorated in bright colours and gold leaf, to give to members of his household. Before his break with Rome, Henry VIII was also given an egg in a silver case for Easter by the Pope.

    The Hanoverians, however, were the ones who brought Easter-egg hunts over to Britain, and it was reported that Queen Victoria enjoyed Easter-egg hunts as a child. 

    Because of an abstinence from ‘frivolity’ over Lent, sports have also always been a popular part of Easter celebrations. 

    spring traditions
    The ‘Bottle Kicking’ football game in Hallaton, Leicestershire. Credit: Alex Hannam / Alamy

    In the north of England, particularly Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire, pace-egging is an ancient tradition that has been recently revived over Easter. Traditionally, youngsters in villages would dress up and provide entertainment in exchange for food, money and beer. Pace-Egging Plays can still be seen every year in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, with one of the most famous taking place at Heptonstall.

    Egg-rolling  competitions still take place in Ulverston and Preston today too. 

    Dating to 1796, in Hallaton, Leicestershire, an annual ‘Scramble’ for pieces of pie is held, followed by a ‘Bottle Kicking’ – another mass football game where the ‘bottles’, two wooden kegs, are blessed in church before being wrestled over for most of the day. 

    spring traditions
    Hot Cross Buns

    Another sweet Easter treat is a Hot Cross Bun, which were traditionally baked on Good Friday, hence the decorative cross symbolising Jesus’s death. Because they were baked on Good Friday there was a belief that they held certain magical properties, with many people believing that they would never go mouldy, and that they could cure many ailments.

     In a medieval household it was common to tie a Hot Cross Bun to a string hanging from the ceiling and little pieces would be broken off throughout the year to help cure illnesses. Now, we tend to just enjoy them hot and buttered over Easter weekend. 

    St George’s Day spring traditions

    spring traditions
    The St George’s Festival at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire is the largest celebration in the country, and always includes re-enactments of George and the Dragon. Credit: PA Images / Alamy

    It is an intriguing fact that England’s patron saint, St George, never actually visited England. Born in the late 3rd century in what is now Turkey, this legendary dragon-slaying saint was celebrated by the English, who were drawn to his reputation for virtue and holiness, from the 9th century onwards.

    A feast day of St George is traditionally celebrated on 23 April, believed to be the date of George’s martyrdom.

    St George’s popularity in England grew during medieval times. King Edward I had banners bearing his emblem and Edward III owned a relic of his blood. Following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, in which the English defeated the French, St George’s Day became one of the most important feast days in the English calendar. However, the St George Cross was not used to represent England until the reign of Henry VIII. 

    spring traditions
    St George’s Day in Trafalgar Square, London. Credit: Akira Suemori / Alamy

    Traditionally, St George’s Day was marked with the wearing of a red rose in one’s buttonhole, Jerusalem would be sung in cathedrals and churches, and the St George’s Cross flag would be flown. 

    However, after England united with Scotland in 1707, St George’s Day celebrations fell out of fashion and they were more or less abandoned by the end of the century.

    In recent years there has been an effort to revive St George’s Day traditions across the country. The Mayor of London’s annual St George’s Day event in Trafalgar Square is one of the biggest celebrations, where you can expect an appearance from George and the Dragon himself, traditional English Morris dancing, and plenty of food and drink. 

    May Day spring traditions

    May Day falls about halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice and is traditionally celebrated on 1 May, although the national Bank Holiday falls on the Monday closest to this date. 

    May Day spring traditions in Britain are believed to date back to Roman times when the Floralia – the Festival of Flora – took place between 28 April and 3 May in honour of the goddess of flowers, fertility and spring. 

    spring traditions
    The May Day character of Jack-in-the-Green in Hastings. Credit: Guy Corbishley/Alamy Live News

    Across the Gaelic world, May Day celebrations marked the opening of the summer pastures for grazing and centred around the Beltane festival. First recorded in the medieval period, fires were built on the last night of April to bestow protection on livestock and herders. 

    Edinburgh’s annual Beltane Fire Festival, which includes a huge procession leading up to an enormous bonfire, remembers this ancient tradition. 

    Meanwhile, Maypole dancing was first recorded in 14th-century Wales and was commonplace around Britain on May Day. 

    An Edwardian May Day celebration. Credit: Social History Archive

    Taking place on the village green, the Maypole was fashioned out of birch wood, painted brightly and adorned with ribbons. It was hoisted into the air and dancing would commence. Offenham in Worcestershire is renowned for its May Day celebrations, home to one of Britain’s tallest Maypoles at an impressive 64 feet. 

    Another, particularly quirky May Day festival is the Jack-in-the-Green Festival in Hastings, East Sussex, in which a grand procession through the town sees a dancing figure covered in foliage at its head; an embodiment of the spirit of spring in these festivals, Jack is ‘slain’ and the spirit of summer is released.

    Read more from Discover Britain:

    facts about st patrick
    The Broad Lough, Lower Lough Erne, Lough Navar Credit: VisitBritain/Tony Pleavin

    St Patrick – the patron saint of Ireland – is steeped in mythology.

    St Patrick’s Day on 17th March commemorates St Patrick (17th March is believed to be his death day) and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, although today it is more about celebrating the culture and heritage of the Irish in general. Today St Patrick’s day is a public holiday and celebrations involve public parades, festivals, céilidhs and wearing green and shamrocks.

    facts about St Patrick
    St Patrick
    Here are some more facts about St Patrick that we think we know to be true.

    10 facts about St Patrick you might not know:

    1 It is thought St Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary, born in Britain in AD 387.

    2 His name was thought to be Maewyn Succat.

    3 At 16, he was kidnapped and taken as a slave to Ireland. Legend has it he was sold to a druid chief and for six years he worked as a herdsman.

    4 While among the sheep, he “found God”.

    5 He escaped and returned to his family in England where he became a priest.

    6 He took the Christian-Roman name of Patricius, which was later known as Patrick.

    7 He returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity, using the three leaves of a shamrock to explain the Christian holy trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

    8 Over three decades, he is said to have travelled the Emerald Isle, establishing monasteries, schools and baptising and ordaining priests.

    9 While legend credits St Patrick’s evangelising with converting the Irish to Christianity, historians believe there were already Christian believers in Ireland by the time Patrick arrived.

    10 It is believed St Patrick died on March 17 in 461AD and was buried at Downpatrick.

    You can find out more about St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland, here.

    And find out about St Patrick’s Day celebrations in London, here. 

    Read more from Discover Britain:

      Suffragists in 1908
      Suffragists Lady Frances Balfour, Millicent Fawcett, Ethel Snowden, Emily Davies and Sophie Bryant at a march in 1908. Credit: Alamy/History collection 2016

      To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we unearth Britain’s pioneering women and celebrate their legacy

        Top Withens, Haworth
        Top Withens, Haworth - the alleged inspiration for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Credit: VisitEngland/North York Moors

        Explore Britain’s best romantic literary escapes, inspired by the poetry, love stories and lives of some of our most-loved literary heroes

        EMILY BRONTE’S WUTHERING HEIGHTS

        Explore the rambling, desolate moors of Yorkshire like Heathcliff and Cathy once did and discover the romance of this wild barren landscape that dominates Emily Brontë’s beautiful novel of love and revenge, Wuthering Heights.

        Said to be set around the village of Haworth, recreate famous scenes on a walk around Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse that is also said to have inspired the Earnshaw family home.

        While in the area, make sure to visit The Brontë Collections at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Once the Brontë family home, it now contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of Brontë manuscripts, letters, early editions of novels and poetry, and secondary material on the famous family and their work.

        WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

        Hall's Croft, Stratford
        Hall’s Croft, Stratford, home of Susanna Shakespeare, daughter of William Shakespeare. Credit: VisitBritain/LeeBeel

        Lovers of Shakespeare will adore a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, a stunning setting for a romantic weekend away. Visit Hall’s Croft, the home of William Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna Shakespeare and her husband, Dr John Hall, and take a romantic stroll through the beautiful gardens. Transform into Shakespeare’s romantic heroes with costumes and supporting in-house actors at Shakespeare’s Birthplace; and visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the 500-year-old thatched cottage, where Shakespeare courted his bride-to-be.

        Continue the romance with a stay at medieval Warwick Castle, where two magnificent suites, The Peacock and The Rose, offer guests the opportunity to spend the night in a luxurious private chamber complete with four-poster bed.

        ROMANTIC ENGLISH POET JOHN KEATS

        John Keats' house, Hampstead, London
        John Keats’ house, Hampstead, London. Credit: VisitBritain / Britain on View

        John Keats’ stunning Regency-era villa Keats House in London’s Hampstead is a romantic gem for lovers of poetry. The house, where the poet fell in love with Fanny Brawne and wrote some of his finest poetry including Ode to a Nightingale, serves as a memorial and features Fanny’s engagement ring, locks of their hair, paintings and original books in which his poems were penned, as well as letters exchanged between the lovers.

        Spend time reading the love letters and poems from Keats to Brawne and enjoy different special events throughout the year, which may include poetry readings of Keats, Byron and others, live music and special tours.

        JANE AUSTEN’S HAMPSHIRE

        Jane Austen's House Museum, Chawton, Hampshire
        Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton, Hampshire. Credit: VisitBritain / Daniel Bosworth

        Fans of 18th century author, Jane Austen, will adore a visit to Hampshire, the author’s birthplace and final resting place, and where she penned the classic novel, Sense and Sensibility. Explore the love affair of Marianne and Willoughby and Elizabeth and Darcy at Jane Austen House Museum in the quiet village of Chawton where you can see the table at which she revised her manuscripts for Sense and Sensibility, as well as Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion.

        If you’re planning to make a weekend out of your visit, nearby Lainston House Hotel, located in 63 acres of gorgeous Hampshire countryside, makes the perfect spot for an evening stroll and take in the loveliness of the area Austen called home.

        NOTTING HILL

        Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London
        Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London. Credit: VisitBritain/ Joanna Henderson

        This may be a cheeky addition, but Richard Curtis’ classic film Notting Hill is one of our most-loved on screen love stories. The tale of travel bookshop owner Will Thacker (Hugh Grant) and mega movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) has instilled a romance into London’s Notting Hill. Stroll the streets and explore the brightly painted buildings, shops and markets of Portobello Road and discover the real life Travel Bookshop (the inspiration for the film) around the corner on Blenheim Crescent. Stay in style at the five-star boutique hotel The Arch London. Tucked away on a calm residential street in Marylebone, this opulent Georgian hideaway offers the perfect romantic retreat.

        Read more:

        Best places to visit in Northumberland: top attractions, and places to stay, eat and drink

        Nominate your British heroes: Who do you think has shaped our nation?

        10 of the best Scottish landscapes

          Daffodils in Ullswater. Credit: Brian Sherwen

          It’s a sure sign that spring is on its way when the dark green shoots of daffodils start to break through the frost-covered ground. Although synonymous with Wales and St David’s Day on 1 March, many parts of Britain are covered with the cream-coloured petals and yellow trumpets of wild daffodils for weeks before and after that date.

           

          Golden Triangle, Gloucestershire

          At one time, Gloucestershire was the commercial centre for growing wild daffodils; the flowers being sent for sale in London’s major markets. A vast area within the county became known as the GoldenTriangle for the sheer number of daffodils growing there. Over time the wild flowers have declined as modern agricultural practices have taken over. However, the Wildlife Trust has now taken over conservation of much of the area and visitors can still make their way around the circular, 10-mile Daffodil Way, taking in Kempley and Dymock Wood en route.

          Organised walks also take place annually throughout March.

          www.wildlifetrusts.org

          Felley Priory, Nottinghamshire

          In the grounds surrounding Felley Priory, daffodils dominate the orchard in springtime. Some extremely rare species can be found amid the blaze of yellow, apricot and orange flowers. Varieties include Green Pearl, Toto and the minute Baby Moon. Parts of the house itself date from the 12th century as sections from the original priory church were repurposed within its construction after the Dissolution. The gardens, however, are the creation of the Chaworth-Musters family which first took ownership of the property in 1822, but wouldn’t go on to create the spectacular horticultural haven until the 1970s when the family went to live at the property full time.

          www.felleypriory.co.uk

          Ullswater, Cumbria

          William Wordsworth would often visit the Ullswater area of Cumbria and stroll around the wonderful Lake District landscape. It was one such stroll that is thought to have inspired the Romantic poet to write one of his most famous works, Daffodils, in 1804.

          Today, visitors to the area can still see golden rows of daffodils along the banks of the lake, whether travelling on foot or on the Ullswater Steamer, which has been ferrying people up and down the length of the water for over 150 years.

          www.golakes.co.uk

          Coed y Bwl, Wales

          This ancient ash woodland on the north-west side of the Alun Valley is well known for its wild daffodils that carpet the ground beneath the trees in spring. Under the care of the Wildlife Trust, the woodland is the refuge of many bird species, including Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs that help to add to the serene backing music as visitors pass beneath the canopy of trees.

          www.welshwildlife.org

          Dunsford Nature Reserve, Devon

          Running alongside the River Teign on the edge of Dartmoor, Dunsford nature reserve encompasses woodland glades, large areas of oak and an abundance of wildlife. Keep an eye out for Fallow Deer, flycatchers, Otters and dragonflies during a visit. The woodland was once used to produce bark for the leather industry as well as timber for charcoal production. Today, the riverside glades provide the perfect environment for daffodils.

          www.devonwildlifetrust.org