Dog-friendly Cornwall: things to do with kids and a pooch
Finding things to do with kids and a pooch while on holiday can be a bit of a challenge. However, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of dog-friendly days out we’ve discovered during our recent family holidays in Cornwall. Here’s our guide to attractions that will be a hit with kids and four-legged friends in dog-friendly Cornwall:
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Hidden Valley Discovery Park is dog-friendly
This unique and fun day out near Launceston features plenty of puzzles and trails the whole family can enjoy.
There’s also a miniature railway, village of hobbit houses and maze to explore.
Dogs are allowed everywhere but in the restaurant and Forbidden Mansion, where there are more puzzles for older children to solve.
Read about our day out at the Hidden Valley Discovery Park.
Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm welcomes dogs
Healeys is the home of Rattler cider as well as an array of award-winning real Cornish cyder, wines and spirits. We can highly recommend a tour to find out how these delicious beverages are brewed and sample a few to boot.
Our girls also enjoyed meeting the farm animals and the tractor ride around the orchards. Dogs are welcome to walk around the farm yard, the cyder museum, distillery, shire horse stable and farm shop. Much of this is free to do.
Dogs can even ride the tractor and accompany owners to the cyder tasting.
Geevor Tin Mine allows dogs
Dogs are allowed in the buildings and around the site of Geevor Tin Mine. The only areas they are not allowed are in the 17th Century mine walk through experience and in the cafe.
Land’s End is dog-friendly
Cornwall’s most south-westerly day out has a lot to offer families with interactive attractions, multiple eateries, shops and a farm. It’s a full day out with kids and much more than we expected from the home of the famous Land’s End sign photo opportunity.
Dogs can also wander around a lot of this attraction including the main visitor centre, the farm and coast walks.
Check out my guide to holiday parks in Cornwall to find dog-friendly places to stay.
The Minack Theatre allows dogs to visit at certain times
Outdoor theatre venues don’t come much more impressive than the Minack Theatre on the Lizard in Cornwall. We saw a children’s storytelling performance here – perfect for little people – but you can also see Shakespeare, murder mysteries, family favourites like The Railway Children and opera.
As well as sitting on the cliff-edge watching a performance you can walk around the amphitheatre and go back stage. This is when dogs are allowed to visit the Minack. It’s advised not to leave dogs in your car during performances.
The Lizard Lighthouse visitor centre welcomes dogs
This national heritage centre for Trinity House has lots of interactive exhibits and games for kids as well as an eye watering number of facts about the importance of keeping seaborne traffic safe.
The centre is on the most southerly point of mainland UK and has two working lighthouse towers.
Dogs are welcome in the heritage centre and can walk around the area but they are not allowed on the guided tours of the lighthouse tower.
Check out these dog-friendly self catering holidays in Cornwall.
The Eden Project is a dog-friendly attraction
This world-renowned Cornish visitor attraction is a must-see when you are in the West Country. And the good news is it’s both family and dog-friendly. While furry friends aren’t allowed in the Biome or The Core education centre they can walk around the outdoor gardens.
The Eden Project also has dedicated covered parking for dog owners’ cars so you can leave them for short periods of time.
Lost Gardens of Heligan is super dog-friendly
I find it hard to put into words quite how much I enjoyed this Cornwall day out with children and dogs. The Lost Gardens of Heligan has an amazing backstory and offers a full day of horticultural discovery for families.
Highlights for our girls were the Burma Rope Bridge, the Giant’s Adventure Trail and the playground on the East Lawn. Tin Box Dog was allowed throughout the gardens on her lead but was happy to watch at the rope bridge.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary welcomes dogs
This fantastic Cornish wildlife day out is a hit with kids and dogs alike. The aim of the Sanctuary is to rescue seal pups that have become orphaned or are found injured, help them to recuperate, and, if possible, release them back into the wild.
Throughout the day there are talks at the various pools during which keepers share their work to rehabilitate the seals. The Sanctuary also has penguins, otters and plenty of child-friendly activities. Dogs are welcome to visit too, as long as they stay on their leads.
National Trust properties in Cornwall allow dogs
If you’re a National Trust member, and even if you’re not, you’ll be spoilt for choice with great properties to visit in the far south west of England.
We were given National Trust membership as a gift last Christmas and have been making the most of it during our regular trips to Cornwall.
Our girls love the children’s trails at National Trust properties and have begun to tick off their 50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾ including building dens, rolling down hills and spotting birds.
And if the kids are happy so are we. The Trust’s historic houses also fulfil my need for a bit of history during our family days out. Most National Trust properties will also allow dogs to walk in the estate and informal gardens or grounds.
Tin Box Dog has particularly enjoyed running around at: Lanhydrock in East Cornwall where you can also hire bikes; Trelissick in South Cornwall where there were lengthy walks around the estate and estuary; Cotehele in East Cornwall, which has a walk around the estate boundary taking in Cotehele Mill. Here dogs can wander round the outside of the buildings.
Dog friendly beaches in Cornwall
Out of the summer season a lot of Cornish beaches are dog-friendly. We can recommend Marazion beach opposite St Michael’s Mount and Carbis Bay and Porthminster near St Ives.
Things start to get a little more tricky between Easter and October. But do not fear as you can still find some all-year-round dog-friendly beaches and there’s some real gems in Cornwall.
Here are our favourites: Hannafore Beach in Looe which we visited at Easter, Port Isaac beach in North Cornwall, Crantock Beach near Newquay.
Family holidays in Cornwall with dogs
Camping and holiday parks are always a good option for us when we are staying in Cornwall with a dog. We rate Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, Seaview Gorran Haven near St Austell, Perran Sands Holiday Park in Perranporth and the St Ives Holiday Village.
We also love staying in luxury holiday cottages like Bosinver Farm Cottages also near St Austell and The Valley Cornwall near Truro, and The Point at Polzeath.
And you can even find family and dog-friendly hotels like Fowey Hall Hotel in Fowey and The Esplanade Hotel in Newquay.
Or why not check out these recommendations for Cornish holiday cottages by Have Kids Can Travel?
If glamping is more your style then Western Meadows glamping near Launceston has dog-friendly safari tents.
If you’re looking for more holiday and days out inspiration check out our essential guide to family holidays in Cornwall.
Is finding things to do for your whole family a challenge? What are your favourite days out with kids and dogs in Cornwall?
More doggy tails on Tin Box Traveller
Here’s some more of my posts for dog owners like us:
- Dog-friendly holidays in the UK
- Top dog-friendly UK days out
- Our experience flying with a dog from the UK
Pin this post about dog-friendly Cornwall for later:
What a useful resource for families with dogs. It can be difficult to plan a day out that involves the kids and the dog as so many beaches don’t allow dogs in summer. This was a great idea and it would be fab if this sort of resource were available in all parts of the UK.
Last time we went to Cornwall we didn’t have a dog but now we do it’s great to see so many places we could visit. The Lost Gardens Of Heligan look fantastic. Adding that to my bucket list and pinned this post to come back to. Thanks!
Really glad you’ve found it helpful Katie. We can also recommend The Lizard Lighthouse and Geevor Mine from our most recent trip. I’ll be adding these in when I have a mo!
Great post! I don’t have a dog these days! But great to know there are so many options of family friendly things to do with them!
It can be a hard task to find places that accept the kids and a dog…often more places will tolerate the dog 🙂
Gorgeous photo of your dog! She’s so beautiful. We adopted a dog in January and I love trying to find restaurants and trails we can taker her to. My boyfriend just went hiking with her and a friend yesterday. She’s just a little shitzu poodle, but she still loves to hike! I love that you are traveling with your dog. Dogs are awesome.
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Ah, sounds like a cutie. Yes, we do try as much as possible. It’s a bit harder when trying to find hotels but we stayed at a good one this weekend that was dog and kid-friendly. I’ll be including it in a similar post about dog-friendly Devon sometime soon!
So much to Add to my bucket list Thank you x