Rustling leaves under foot and paw. Fiery sunsets and landscapes cloaked in golden hues. The season’s bounty plated up by crackling log fires in dog-friendly inns. We love autumn escapades with our canine companions. Once the summer crowds have dispersed a whole new domain welcomes dogs, and there’s plenty to do with your waggy-tailed friends, from foraging to forest walks.
Here’s our guide to the top autumn activities to enjoy with your dog…
Take a Train Ride with Rover
In the summertime, trains can be packed and stuffy, which isn’t the best environment for your four-legged friends. But in autumn the carriages are cooler and calmer, making scenic railways much more appealing for Rover to come along for the ride, leaving you to gawp at golden-hued landscapes and alight in magical spots for walkies.
Some of our top autumn train rides with the dog include the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to the heart of the Yorkshire Moors, and Llanberis Lake Railway, where you can enjoy views of Mount Snowdon from the banks of Lake Padarn.
Visit a National Trust Property
Dog-friendly National Trust properties make some of our favourite days out with the family and Fido at any time of year. What with walking trails through stunning landscapes, and paw-friendly cafés with water bowls waiting at the end of every adventure, it makes it easy to explore the UK’s rich natural heritage with hounds.
The National Trust has a paw-print rating system for all of its dog-friendly places (1 paw-print means dogs are welcome but facilities are limited, while 3 paw prints shows the best dog-friendly experiences), and you can also collect points on your pooch passport to save up for Forthglade dog treats.
Summit a Peak
Talking about mountains, if you prefer to explore under paw and foot, autumn is the ideal time of year for walking in the fells with Fido. While the temperature’s cooler, but you’re unlikely to get snow underfoot, why not take on Britain’s mightiest mountains of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis?
Whether you head to Snowdonia, the Lake District or Glen Coe, there are plenty of hills for hiking with your hound, but no matter how high you want to go, remember to check the weather forecast, as conditions can change fast at this time of year. Or, if you prefer to stay on flatter ground, enjoy the autumn scenery on a walkies around the valleys and lakes. See our selection of the UK’s best autumn walks to enjoy with a dog.
Go Storm Watching
Wrap up for stormy autumn walks with the dog and have your camera at the ready to embrace the power of the elements from cliffs, coves and hill tops. Stomp along the shoreline and watch white caps march across the horizon while your hound plays in the sand, and let your canine companion lead the legwork into the hills where steel-grey skies give way to rainbows. If you prefer to watch the landscape drama indoors on stormy days, pick a dog-friendly cottage with views to the horizon, or find a cosy, canine-welcoming café where you can watch the storms scud in with a steaming hot chocolate in hand.
Some of our favourite storm-watching spots with the dog include the south-westerly tip of Britain at Sennen Cove, the south coast of Wales around Porthcawl and the high cliffs of Whitby where you can watch storms roll in over the North Sea. Please remember to keep a safe distance when visiting the coast during heavy seas.
Wild Dip with Your Dog
While the air temperature can drop quickly in autumn, the ocean takes much longer to cool down, making it the perfect season to try wild swimming with your dog. Make paw prints on quiet beaches and splash in the waves, discover sea pools revealed on the ebbing tide, and launch into lakes after long dog walks in the peaks and valleys.
With fewer people around, autumn is a great time to build your dog’s confidence and skills in the water, and if you brave a coldwater dip it’ll boost your spirits and immune system, too. If you’re looking for ideas of where to dip with your dog, check out our pick of lakes, tidal pools and pooch-friendly beaches.
Go Blackberry Picking
If your dog is happy to wait while you pause and pick blackberries, there’s nothing more satisfying than coming back from an autumn dog walk with a tired-out hound and punnets filled with the plump and juicy fruits of autumn.
Whether you’ve been foraging in the forest, or collecting blackberries infused with the tang of salty sea air, you’ll find hedgerows everywhere packed with wild blackberries throughout September and October. And once you’ve kicked off your boots back at your dog-friendly retreat, pile your berries into a crumble or cake, and taste the seasons while you and Fido flop by the fire.
Dine on Autumn’s Bounty
Autumn’s harvest brings with it an abundance of delicious ingredients to be devoured in the UK’s best dog-friendly pubs and restaurants. And while getting a table to dine with your pooch can be problematic in the busy summer season, when autumn comes, eateries are quieter and much more likely to have room for walk-ins on your walkies.
Cornwall’s foodie Mecca of Padstow is one the most dog-friendly destinations in the UK to bag a table in view of the coast and countryside where many ingredients are plucked from. There are also plenty of places to sample the season’s delights from Somerset to Scotland. Or, you can whip up your own culinary feast from baskets filled with locally harvested produce from a nearby farm shop.
Enjoy Cosy Country Inns
When you’ve been out on autumn adventures with your dog, there’s nothing like rolling up to a country inn where Rover can relax beside the roaring fire while you quench your thirst with cask ales and fill up on local cuisine.
In the heart of the dog-friendly Lake District, The Drunken Duck Inn near Ambleside is the perfect post-walk pub with your pooch, serving ales from its own microbrewery. While in the Cotswolds, The Fleece Inn is ideal for snuggling up in a historic ambience after exploring the nearby countryside In Wales, The Felin Fach Griffin near Brecon offers a warm, inviting space for both two- and four-legged visitors to dine on locally sourced meals beside the fire.
Book a Dog Friendly Retreat for Autumn
Whatever autumn activities you fancy with Fido, browse our collection of dog-friendly cottages in the UK to find the perfect pad to step out from this autumn.
