We were recently invited along to stay in the newly renovated luxury dog friendly apartments in Lynmouth, North Devon.
The we stayed in Harbour Rest, an apartment sleeping six which overlooked Lynmouth Harbour.
On our first evening we were treated to a dog afternoon tea alongside the other canine influencers provided by the local dog emporium – The Lyn Valley Dog House. As the sun set on the decking of the apartment above the dogs enjoyed gingerbread men, scones, donuts and even tea! All made specifically for dogs, with ingredients safe for them. The human’s had drinks and nibbles were provided by The Ancient Mariner which is down in the Harbour.
The dogs all received a welcome pack which is included when you book a dog friendly stay. This included treats and chews from The Lyn Valley Dog House and an illustrated map of Lynmouth and Lynton for you to explore. Caricaturist Joseph Witchall came along to draw the dogs, although local to Lynmouth he can create artwork of your dogs from just £11 and post them all over the U.K.
With a bit of time before the sun set we took the dogs down to the harbour to run off the last of their energy from the car journey. From the apartments it’s about a 15 minute walk downhill to the sea. Although rocky there’s so much space on the beach or alongside the river which leads to the sea for the dogs to run and paddle.
Day 2
The neighbouring town of Lynton was on our list to visit. From the centre of Lynmouth there was a train straight up the hill, but not just any train! The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is the highest and steepest total water powered railway in the world, and it’s dog friendly! A couple of minutes up the cliff on the train saved our legs from the climb, and it had fantastic views over Lynmouth Harbour.
Once in Lynton there was a selection of cafe’s and independent shops. We of course had to visit The Lyn Valley Dog House in person. It was full of the best accessories for dogs to wear or at home, the best natural chews and treats. Jacquie was in the shop and had so much advice to share, especially the best dog walks in the area. I bought the dogs the dog tea that they’d drank so eagerly the night before and we went on our way to do a walk Jacquie recommend – Valley of the Rocks.
The Valley of the Rocks walk goes from the centre of Lynton and follows the edge of the coast. The path has excellent views from the edge of the cliff, and you’re surrounded by free ranging goats. Our dogs stayed on lead mainly because of the cliff and any chance Woody would probably take to go and swim in the sea, but also because of the goats going about their business.
As you follow the path around you eventually get to Lynmouth and Lynton Cricket Club which has the best views of the rocks and sea. Next to this is Mother Meldrum’s Tea Garden which is a great stop for lunch or tea and cake before the walk back home. We then walked down the hill from Lynton back into Lynmouth.
You can’t go to the sea side and not have Fish and chips for tea. So that evening as the sunset we sat on the beach and ate fish and chips from The Esplanade Fish Bar on the sea front.
Day 3
Our final morning at Tors Park we made the most of having the view out to the harbour before packing up the car. We couldn’t just go home without one final beach trip though. Woolacombe is just a 30 minute drive away from Tors Park, a long sandy beach where the dogs could run free with the sand between their toes. With plenty of parking we stopped for breakfast at the Porthole and then walked along the beach towards Puttsborough and back. After all the running and paddling the dogs slept all the way home.
We’d definitely recommend booking a dog friendly holiday of your own! Dogs stay free at Tors Park with our code ‘THECOTSWOLDSPANIELS’ torspark.co/thecotswoldspaniels
Tors Park is now closed until New Year 2023 to finish the refurbishments of the other apartments. But you can book your dog friendly break for 2023 now!
Follow the other influencers on Instagram to see what they got up to on their stays:
@thehandsomepugs, @echothewhippet, @dashofsausage, @rosapops and of course @tors_park
Thanks for reading,
Megan, Woody and Wilma x
The Cotswold Spaniels 