Summer’s long, light-filled days are made for adventures with your dog. And it doesn’t take much to shake off the summer crowds – just a nose for curiosity and paths less travelled. So why not swap the busy beaches and holiday hotspots for summer’s best-kept secrets? We’re talking hidden coves, woodland streams, shady forests, and winding trails – with just your dog for company.
Lace up your boots and let us lead the way…
Rowtor Rocks, Derbyshire
Looking for somewhere that’s enchanting, a little bit eerie and off the radar in the Peak District? Rowtor Rocks is part sculpture park, part forgotten folly, and part secret woodland. Carved faces peer from mossy stone, secret chambers tunnel through the hillside, and twisted trees cast shadows on the steps and ledges. It’s a curious, otherworldly playground, where your dog can scamper through caves, up crevices and around boulders. Tucked behind the sleepy Druid Inn in Birchover, the village pub is as welcoming to dogs as it is to wayfarers, making it the perfect spot for a pint at the end of your adventure.
The Ercall, Shropshire
Overshadowed (quite literally) by its big brother The Wrekin – a popular peak with panoramic views and plenty of foot traffic – The Ercall is a peaceful alternative just next door. Cool, calm and quietly spectacular, this wooded hill in Shropshire is a haven of ancient oak, ash and lime, with trails that wind through wildflower meadows and exposed rock that tells stories of 500 million years. It’s perfect for dogs who love to sniff and explore, with barely another walker in sight, even in summer.
Lannacombe Beach, Devon
Go off grid and let your dog off the lead… Hidden at the end of a winding country lane, Lannacombe is one of South Devon’s last truly wild beaches with plenty of space to sniff, splash and scamper. When the tide’s low, you can pad across to neighbouring coves, or follow the South West Coast Path to blow away the cobwebs. Bag a retreat in East Prawle, and after walkies head to the quirky Pig’s Nose Inn in East Prawle, where dogs are welcome and the locals don’t bat an eyelid if they end up on a bench.
Glen Dye, Aberdeenshire
Roughly an hour’s drive east of the Cairngorms’ headline acts – think Aviemore, Loch Morlich and the funicular railway at Cairn Gorm – you’ll find Glen Dye, a wild and wonderfully empty glen tucked between Royal Deeside and the Mounth hills. It’s all forest tracks, open moorland, and mossy pines, with the odd secret bothy hidden deep in the trees. Park up by the bridge and follow the burn upstream to a natural plunge pool (for dogs that don’t mind a bracing dip), or lose yourself in miles of tranquil trails, with only the red squirrels for company.
Covehithe, Suffolk
Thought Southwold was the crown of the Suffolk coast? Think again. A proper off-the-map kind of place, Covehithe is ideal for dogs who love a wilder walk. After parking near the eerie shell of the crumbling church, follow the footpath through fields to reach a shoreline where the land is literally falling into the sea. Fallen trees, pebbles underpaw, and long beach runs await – it’s remote, haunting and usually empty. There’s good reason the locals like to keep it quiet, so keep it to yourself.
Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail, Brecon Beacons
Slip behind the fairytale turrets of Castell Coch in the Brecon Beacons, and you’ll find a trail less travelled. Fforest Fawr weaves through towering pines and pockets of quiet, dotted with hidden sculptures that appear between the trees. There’s space to roam and snuffle, with views that stretch right across the valleys. It’s family-friendly, but head here midweek and you’re likely to have the magical mix of art, trees, and tail-wagging terrain all to yourselves. A great place to visit on a dog-friendly holiday in Wales.
Crinan Wood, Argyll
Perched above the sleepy canal and backed by the Sound of Jura, Argyll’s Crinan Wood is a tangle of twisted oaks, lichened boulders and sea air. Let your dog lead the way along leaf-littered trails that rise through the woods to secret lookouts, where the world falls away and all you hear is wind and wingbeat. It’s shady, steep in parts, and wildly peaceful – a proper West Coast wander that’s perfect for a summer’s day.
Aberffraw Dunes, Anglesey, Snowdonia Coast
This tucked-away beach behind a sleepy Welsh village is a dog-walker’s dream in summer when many of Anglesey’s more popular beaches are busy with buckets and spades. Here your dog can roam free in miles of open sand and endless dunes, chasing the breeze, while you soak up the solitude. It’s peaceful, panoramic and perfectly low-key.
Silecroft Beach & Black Combe, Cumbria
Ready yourself for a full-day doggy adventure from sea to summit. At Silecroft, the wild Cumbrian coast meets the lonely heights of Black Combe, offering a rare double act where you and your dog can race the tide one minute, then climb a mountain the next. The beach is vast and quiet, all shingle stretches and salty breezes, perfect for off-lead zoomies. Then it’s up — a steady, leg-stretching climb to bag views that are worth every step.
Book a Dog Friendly Cottage and Discover Secret Spots this Summer
Ready to stray from the pack this summer? Book your dog-friendly retreat and pack your walking boots and a sense of adventure.
