Dog Friendly Walks & Beaches in Dorset

A Purbeck classic linking Corfe Castle with the coast at Worth Matravers, with ruins, limestone downland and Chapman's Pool.

A dramatic shingle beach beneath England's most famous natural arch, with year-round dog access and stunning Jurassic Coast scenery.

A climb to the highest point on England's south coast, with Jurassic Coast views in all directions and dramatic cliff edges.

A year round, off lead rocky bay with world class rock pools, fossil ledges and a properly wild atmosphere.

A classic Dorset walk from sandy beach to the dramatic chalk stacks of Old Harry Rocks, with big coastal views throughout.

Rewarding New Forest walking with high off-lead potential in the forest sections and outstanding dog-friendly village facilities; free-roaming ponies and cattle require attention.

A Dorset hillfort walk across one of England's finest Neolithic causewayed enclosures, with wide views over the vale.

A downland circuit from Hardy's Monument with dramatic views over the Chesil Beach and West Dorset coast.

A wild sandy beach below the Hengistbury Head headland with year-round access along the less busy southern shore.

A circular headland walk with harbour, heathland and beach scenery, well-served with facilities and accessible from Bournemouth.

A headland walk connecting Hengistbury Head with Mudeford Sandbank, mixing harbour views with open heathland.

A world-famous horseshoe cove on the Jurassic Coast with year-round dog access, sheltered water and a scenic clifftop path to Durdle Door.

A long sandy spit separating Christchurch Harbour from the sea, with year-round dog access along most of its length and a row of famous beach huts.

A classic Purbeck ridge walk along Nine Barrow Down with sweeping views across the island and Poole Harbour.

A quiet, clear-water shingle beach on the Jurassic Coast with year-round dog access and views across Weymouth Bay to Portland.

A serious Jurassic Coast walk with significant elevation changes and big cliff views, quieter than the headline stretches.

A Purbeck downland walk with views towards Corfe Castle, quiet and open with a National Trust feel throughout.

Four miles of sandy beach backed by dunes and heathland, with year round access and off lead freedom outside summer months.

The quieter, dog-friendly end of Swanage's award-winning sandy bay with year-round access, calm water and views to the Isle of Wight.

A remote, unspoilt bay within the Lulworth Ranges reached via the abandoned village of Tyneham, with year-round off-lead access when ranges are open.

A heathland walk through one of Dorset's important lowland heath sites, with varied terrain and year-round interest.

A gentle river valley walk following the Avon through watermeadows and quiet villages near Christchurch.

A pine-wooded chine leading to a broad sandy beach at Branksome Dene, with a peaceful walk through the valley even when the beach itself is restricted.

A quieter stretch below the Canford Cliffs with year-round access beyond the signed restricted areas, reached via chine paths.

A remote and beautiful cove on the Isle of Purbeck, reached by a challenging walk and rewarding fossil hunters and dogs with year-round freedom.

A long, varied shoreline with year round access on the east beach and excellent fossil hunting at low tide.

A wild and dramatic shingle beach at the Portland end of Chesil Bank, with year-round dog access and a powerful sense of coastal solitude.

A sheltered and secluded cove on Portland reached through a medieval churchyard, with year-round dog access and fascinating rock pools.

A sandy and shingle beach below the cliffs at Highcliffe with castle views and reasonable off-season access.

A stunning Jurassic Coast beach with reliable off season access and a dog friendly cafe right on the shoreline.

A quiet West Dorset valley walk following the River Brit to the historic Mangerton Mill.

A Dorset heath and forest walk following the River Piddle through Puddletown Forest near the Hardy Country.

A flat, easy nature reserve walk with estuary views and marshland habitat, ideal for a short, calm outing near Christchurch.

A riverside section of the Stour Valley Path through the quiet Blackmore Vale, with Sturminster Mill as a highlight.

A gentle riverside walk following the Stour Valley with watermeadow views and a relaxed profile suited to easy outings.

The eastern, quieter end of Boscombe's sandy bay with seasonal restrictions but good autumn and winter access from a well-served resort town.

One of England's finest sandy beaches on the Poole Harbour peninsula, with exceptional water quality and facilities, but a May to September dog ban.

A quiet, atmospheric shingle beach beneath Golden Cap, best visited outside the summer restriction period.

A clean sandy beach in a suburban stretch of Bournemouth's seafront, popular with families in summer but good for dogs in the off-season.

A lively harbour beach with dramatic cliffs and year round access on the third beach, but significant summer restrictions on the main sections.

A classic sandy beach with designated year round dog areas and wide open space outside the summer restriction months.