We've recently returned from a short holiday in Kingswear, Devon, and thought I'd mention how dog-friendly it is. We stopped at a property on the upper reaches of Kingswear and were blessed with fantastic views across the river to the town of Dartmouth on the other side. On the downside, the house was built into the side of a very steep hill (necessitating a safety rail for descending safely from the roadside entrance to the house!) and the garden was not secured by any form of fencing, just the odd bush here and there. As a consequence we didn't feel safe letting Harvey run free (which was a shame) because there was a sheer drop at the bottom of the garden and if that didn't injure him there was then the prospect of being able to get out on to the main road through Kingswear - not ideal at all. So, just because a property is described as being dog-friendly don't take their word for it - ask questions! We've obviously just been lucky with previous properties we have stayed at but we wouldn't use this one again (not if taking Harvey anyway). On the plus side, pretty much everybody, everywhere seemed to like dogs Harvey got to experience regular trips on the ferry crossing the river Dart (no charge for dogs as the ferry staff often told me with a smile!) - usually sitting with his head poked through the railings so that he could watch what was going on along the river. I wish I had photos of him doing this but I was too busy making sure he didn't decide to test the waters : He also had a trip up the river to visit Agatha Christie's house (OH is the AC fan, not Harv ). Two things to watch out for if you consider this: First, there are some steep and slippy metal stairs on the boat that need to be navigated in addition to some steep concrete steps at the dock on arrival - Harvey doesn't yet do stairs one at time in a sedate manner, he has to rush up all of them at once Second, the pricing is very misleading - you pay £8 each in Dartmouth but then when you arrive you find that that was only for the (brief) boat trip and you then have to pay another £10 to gain access to the house and grounds! Smegging National Trust - I should have known better! We managed to eat and drink at a number of places and all were very welcoming to people with dogs. The ones that I recall were: The Steam Packet Inn (Kingswear) - we only drank here rather than had a meal but the staff made a fuss of Harvey and brought dog biscuits for him The Dartmouth Arms (Dartmouth) - lovely food and drink for us, dog bowl of water and free dog biscuits for Harv plus a good tummy rub from the barmaid (for Harvey before you ask! ) The Floating Bridge Inn (Dartmouth) - very good food and drink for us, dog biscuits for Harv Spinning Wheel Cafe (Dartmouth) - ok coffee and cake, dog biscuits for Harv Cafe Alf Resco (Dartmouth) - nice food for us, cooked sausage for Harv! There are also some dog-friendly beaches around the area - do check before going though as some prohibit dogs between May and September. We went to North Sands beach at Salcombe and Harv had a great time. Harv seems unimpressed with the Royal Naval College in the background: Harv plays with his wire ball - shortly afterwards he waded out to sea and dropped it - it sank! He was not at all happy about this state of affairs and investigated whether dogs can swim underwater (they can't!) At the end of a tiring day you can't beat a quick 40 winks on the floor while the humans stare at the funny picture box thing.
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon What a lovely holiday I'd also recommend the National Trust property, Coleton Fishacre, where dogs are allowed in the garden and on the walking trails. It's on the Kingswear side.
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon Great write up and pics of the lovely Harv! We used to go to Dartmouth a lot when we were younger and thought sailing was fun. Haven't been with a dog - might do now though. [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=8089.msg114196#msg114196 date=1412201976] Cafe Alf Resco (Dartmouth) - nice food for us, cooked sausage for Harv! [/quote] Cafe Alf Resco does the best sailing breakfasts! Glad to hear they love dogs.
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon Lovely photos. Sounds like a very successful holiday for all concerned 8) Mira wants to go to the sausage cafe
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon Great photos and yes, South Hams is a lovely area , we occasionally go to North Sands Salcombe , a great beach for a blast , glad that you had a wonderful time and so lucky with this fabulous weather too x
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon Sounds great. I love how somehowehe has "missed" sleeping on the designated towel
Re: Kingswear & Dartmouth, Devon [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=8089.msg114416#msg114416 date=1412287449] Sounds great. I love how somehowehe has "missed" sleeping on the designated towel [/quote] Yes, funny how they (I'm assuming Harv is not alone in this!) manage that isn't it?
