Whether your dog can go on a beach in the UK depends on the council, the season and sometimes the particular stretch of sand. Rules vary from place to place, so there is no single UK-wide answer. In England and Wales, seasonal bans typically run from 1 May to 30 September, though some start earlier, for example 1 April in Gwynedd, and others differ, such as 1 June to 15 September on the Causeway Coast. Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently again. Always check the signs on the day. This page is a hub: it points you to our county and area beach guides, and every beach card in those guides names a source and the date we checked.
The rules in short
England. Many councils use orders that ban or restrict dogs on certain beaches in summer, typically from 1 May to 30 September. Some beaches allow dogs all year, others only on a lead or on one stretch, so the county guides give the detail where we could find it.
Wales. Seasonal restrictions are also common, usually from 1 May to 30 September, although some councils start earlier. Gwynedd, for example, starts on 1 April. Check the council order for the exact beach.
Scotland. There is no blanket beach rule for dogs. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks you to keep your dog under proper control, on a short lead or close at heel near livestock and near ground-nesting birds in spring and summer, and to pick up after it. Some councils add their own rules, such as the Broughty Ferry summer ban in Dundee.
Northern Ireland. Rules are set locally. On the Causeway Coast the summer restrictions run from 1 June to 15 September, a different window from England and Wales.
South West
The south-west has some of the longest coastlines in the country, so summer rules can differ a lot from one beach to the next, even within a county.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Cornwall: Cornwall Council’s order names 49 beaches with 10am to 6pm bans, mostly 1 July to 31 August, and three Hayle spots banned all year.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Devon: Most seasonal bans run 1 May to 30 September, Teignbridge starts on 1 April, and Dawlish Warren past groyne 9 is closed to dogs all year.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Dorset: Dorset Council allows dogs all year at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove; Bournemouth and Poole ban them on Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches in summer.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Somerset: Dogs are allowed all year at Berrow, Brean and Sand Bay, banned 1 May to 30 September at Minehead, and banned all year at Clevedon.
South Coast
Busy holiday beaches here often carry seasonal bans, so it pays to look at the council order for the exact stretch of sand.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Hampshire: Only Salterns Road at Hill Head has a summer ban we could confirm from a council page; Portsmouth’s pages give three different start dates for Southsea.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Isle of Wight: Marked exclusion zones on 11 beaches run 1 May to 30 September, plus a National Trust ban on part of Compton Bay from 15 May to 15 September.
- Dog-friendly beaches in West Sussex: Arun and Worthing ban dogs on stretches from 1 May to 30 September, Adur allows them on all its beaches all year, and Selsey needs a check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in East Sussex: Eastbourne, Bexhill, Seaford and Camber ban dogs 1 May to 30 September, Hastings starts on 1 April, and Brighton and Hove allows only marked beaches in summer.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Kent: Almost every council bans dogs on main resort beaches from 1 May to 30 September, but Thanet’s rules vary and Dungeness has no restrictions.
East of England
From Essex up to the Lincolnshire coast, long beaches mean different rules on different sections.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Essex: Tendring bans dogs in named zones from 1 May to 30 September, Southend says no dogs in those months, and Canvey Island asks for a lead.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Suffolk: East Suffolk bans dogs at Lowestoft, Corton, Aldeburgh and north Felixstowe from 1 May to 30 September, but Walberswick and Covehithe are free of controls.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Norfolk: Yarmouth, Gorleston and parts of North Norfolk ban dogs 1 May to 30 September, Hunstanton runs 1 April to 31 October, and Holkham asks for leads.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Lincolnshire: East Lindsey bans dogs from set areas at Skegness and Mablethorpe from 1 May to 30 September; Gibraltar Point bans them 1 April to 1 September.
North East
The north-east coast runs from the Humber up to the Scottish border.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the East Riding of Yorkshire: Dogs are banned on named sections at Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea from 1 May to 30 September, and Spurn needs a check before you go.
- Dog-friendly beaches in North Yorkshire: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September at Filey, both Scarborough bays, Whitby West Beach and Sandsend, with leads on the promenades all year.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Tyne and Wear: North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland all ban dogs on set stretches from 1 May to 30 September, including Roker and Cullercoats Bay.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Northumberland: Only Newbiggin Bay and Blyth have a council ban, 1 May to 30 September; further north the rules protect nesting birds and seals, with short leads.
- Dog-friendly beaches in County Durham: Durham has no beach dog ban, while Hartlepool, Redcar and Saltburn ban dogs from stretches of beach between 1 May and 30 September.
North West
Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria each have their own councils and their own approach.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Lancashire: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September on part of Blackpool beach, at Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Morecambe; the rest of Blackpool is open all year.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Merseyside: Sefton has only two dog-free stretches, at Southport and Ainsdale, from 1 May to 30 September; Crosby has no ban and we found no Wirral rule.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Cumbria: No seasonal council bans, but lead rules at Arnside and Grange, a South Walney dog ban, and a Foulney Island ban from 1 April to 15 August.
Wales: South and West
Welsh beach restrictions can start earlier than you might expect, so check the dates for each guide.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Pembrokeshire: Tenby North and Whitesands ban dogs completely from 1 May to 30 September, and eight more beaches ban them from part of the sand.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Carmarthenshire: The council keeps summer bans, 1 May to 30 September, at Cefn Sidan and Llansteffan; Pendine has a dog-free central area with no published dates.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Swansea and Gower: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September at Langland, Caswell, Port Eynon and others, but Rhossili, Llangennith and Oxwich are open all year.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Neath Port Talbot: Aberavon Beach is closed to dogs from 1 May to 30 September; we found no council rule for Baglan or Margam.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Bridgend and Porthcawl: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September at Rest Bay, Trecco Bay, Sandy Bay and Porthcawl seafront, while Newton, Pink Bay and Sker stay open.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Vale of Glamorgan: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September at Whitmore Bay, Dunraven Bay, Llantwit Major and Cold Knap; Jackson’s Bay and Porthkerry stay open.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire: None of these areas has a sandy beach, so this short guide covers the Newport Wetlands lead rule and points to the nearest proper beaches.
Wales: Mid and North
Note that some Welsh beach restrictions begin on 1 April, as in Gwynedd, rather than 1 May.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Ceredigion: The council bans dogs from part of the sand 1 May to 30 September at Aberystwyth, Borth, New Quay, Mwnt and other beaches.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Gwynedd: Exclusion zones on 16 beaches run from 1 April to 30 September, a month earlier than neighbouring counties, and the order is extended to 14 August 2027.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Isle of Anglesey: Seven beaches, from Trearddur Bay to Llanddwyn, have dog ban areas from 1 May to 30 September, but the council’s new order is unconfirmed.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Conwy: Dogs are banned 1 May to 30 September at Llandudno, Penmaenmawr and others, with a lead at Kinmel Bay; Colwyn Bay and Rhos on Sea need checking.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Denbighshire: At Rhyl and Prestatyn dogs are limited to designated areas from 1 May to 30 September, and the 2021 order behind this may have expired.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Flintshire: Talacre is the only beach listed; we found no beach-specific rule, and the county-wide dog order was due to expire on 29 October 2026.
Scotland
Scotland works differently, with no blanket beach rule, so each guide explains what we did and did not find.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Aberdeen: The council excludes dogs from the shore between groynes 6 and 13 of Aberdeen Beach, with no dates given; other beaches have no official rule found.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Aberdeenshire: We found no council ban on any of the 36 beaches; the only official rules are NatureScot’s at Forvie, Newburgh and St Cyrus.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Angus: No council ban found on the 6 beaches, but the official Montrose and Carnoustie profiles list a dog restricted area without saying where.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Dundee: The council bans dogs from part of Broughty Ferry beach from 1 May to 30 September, but the sources disagree on which part.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Fife: The council is silent: we found no ban and no official page confirming dogs are allowed, so most of the 23 beaches are marked check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Edinburgh: We found no confirmed dog ban on any of the 7 beaches, but no official source says dogs are allowed at a particular one either.
- Dog-friendly beaches in East Lothian: Aberlady Bay is reported dog-free by the press, with no council page confirming it; we found no council ban on the other 10 beaches.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Scottish Borders: Three beaches and St Abb’s Head, where the National Trust for Scotland welcomes dogs under close control; we found no council ban.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Dumfries and Galloway: No council ban found on 12 beaches and reserves; the National Trust for Scotland, RSPB and NatureScot give dog guidance at Rockcliffe, Mersehead and Caerlaverock.
- Dog-friendly beaches in South Ayrshire: The council’s own page says dogs are allowed on its beaches with a lead when others are around, especially children; Culzean is marked check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in North Ayrshire: A 6 June 2025 council release says there are no dog bans or restrictions on its beaches, but it names only three beaches and Arran.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Argyll and Bute: A selection of 11 well-known beaches; we found no council ban, but also no council page confirming dogs are allowed at any named beach.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Highlands: We checked 37 beaches and found no Highland Council byelaw or order, so every beach is marked check and reported restrictions are unconfirmed.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Moray: 11 beaches from Findhorn to Cullen: no Moray Council ban found, and directories say dogs are fine, but no official page confirms it.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Orkney: Six well-known beaches: we found no ban, but no official page says dogs are allowed, so every beach is marked check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Shetland: Promote Shetland says there are no dog bans on any beaches, but dogs must be on a lead wherever livestock are present.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Outer Hebrides: Nine well-known beaches with no ban found; only the RSPB at Balranald gives an official dog rule, so the rest are marked check.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own rules, and some beaches have a summer ban that starts later than in England.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Belfast: Belfast has almost no true beach; of the 3 spots we checked, one has a council lead rule and two are marked check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Derry and Strabane: The district appears to have no designated beach, so council-wide dog rules apply, including a lead rule on the Foyle riverside.
- Dog-friendly beaches in the Causeway Coast and Glens: From 1 June to 15 September dogs are banned on named stretches of 7 of the 13 beaches; Portstewart Strand has a National Trust lead rule.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Mid and East Antrim: Dogs must be on a lead no longer than 6ft at Carnlough, Ballygally and Browns Bay from 1 June to 31 August, 11am to 6pm.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Ards and North Down: Ballyholme and Groomsport need dogs on a lead from 1 June to 31 August, 11am to 8pm; we marked the other five beaches check.
- Dog-friendly beaches in Newry, Mourne and Down: Newcastle bans dogs on certain sections from 1 April to 30 September and Tyrella restricts its bathing area in summer, per a tourism site.
What we could not cover yet
We have not covered every area. Our guides for Argyll and Bute, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides are selections of well-known beaches rather than full lists, and we have no guide yet for the Antrim and Newtownabbey area. The Channel Islands are not included. If your beach is not here, please do not assume dogs are allowed, and check with the local council.
How we check
We start with council orders and official bodies. Tourism and directory sources are marked as weak, because they are not the same as a confirmed rule. Where we cannot confirm a rule, the beach is marked “check” rather than guessed at. Every beach card names its source and the date we checked, and has a Google Maps link in the county guide. Councils can change their rules, so read the signs on the day.
Busy beaches can be exciting for a dog. If yours finds crowds unsettling, the Calmdogs calming bites are a complementary feed some owners keep for days out, though for ongoing anxiety it’s best to speak to your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can dogs go on beaches in the UK?
It depends on the council and the beach. Seasonal bans in England and Wales typically run from 1 May to 30 September, but some start earlier, such as 1 April in Gwynedd, and many beaches allow dogs all year. Check the signs and the county guide.
Are the rules the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. Scotland has no blanket beach rule, and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks you to keep your dog under proper control. Northern Ireland sets rules locally, for example 1 June to 15 September on the Causeway Coast.
What does a beach marked check mean?
It means we could not find a confirmed rule from an official source. Directories are not the same as a council order, so please look at the signs on the day.
Which areas do your guides not cover yet?
Our guides for Argyll and Bute, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides are selections rather than complete lists, and we have no guide yet for the Antrim and Newtownabbey area. The Channel Islands are not included.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
