8 Pet-Friendly Staycation Spots in the UK for Tail-Wagging Breaks

Nothing lifts a staycation like bringing the dog along. Across the country, more and more places are making space not just for guests, but for their four-legged companions too, welcoming muddy paws, wagging tails and all. Windswept coastal paths, sun-dappled forest trails and pub gardens with bowls by the bench show just how richly the UK caters to dogs and their humans.

This blog post highlights eight of the best pet-friendly staycation spots for dog-friendly getaways, from Cumbria’s lakeside steamers to Norfolk’s tide-washed beaches and the heathered glens of the Highlands. Together we’ll sniff out panoramic trails, paw-friendly pubs and heart-warming hospitality. Continue reading and discover a treasure trove of panoramic hikes, fireside pub corners and canine-adored hotels poised to turn your next break into a shared memory you and your pup will chase for years to come.

Lake District, Cumbria

What Makes It Paw-fect

Set against craggy peaks and mirror-still water, Ullswater offers some of the Lake District’s most dramatic scenery while remaining noticeably quieter than Windermere or Ambleside. Ullswater ‘Steamers’ welcome four-legged passengers on deck, so you can thread together lake cruises and fell footpaths with a single ticket and no kennelling stress. On shore, the Ullswater Way and sign-posted classics such as Aira Force to Gowbarrow include some mostly stock-free sections, meaning fewer gate scrambles and occasional off-lead stretches for energetic pups, though leads may still be needed near grazing areas.

Dog-friendly cafés cluster at Glenridding, Pooley Bridge, and Howtown, and many local inns provide water bowls, treats, and tiled floors perfect for muddy paws after a day on the fells. With everything from waterside campsites to cosy cottages explicitly accepting pets, it’s easy to base yourself close to the start of every walk.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  The Inn On The Lake – Fifteen dog-friendly rooms overlook Ullswater. Beds, bowls and treats wait on arrival, and dogs are welcome in The Orangery and the Ramblers Bar. The hotel’s 15 acres of lawns roll down to three private jetties, so the morning stroll starts by the water with no roads to cross. £10 per pet per night covers up to two dogs of any size. Bowls and beds supplied on request.
•  Swan Hotel & Spa – Six ground-floor Fabulous dog-friendly rooms with hardwood floors and the riverside Nest cottages welcome up to two dogs each. Every canine guest receives a welcome pack containing a bowl, blanket, towel and treat at check-in. A section of the West Windermere Way footpath starts beside the hotel car park, providing an easy riverside walk. The surcharge is £25 per dog, per night.
•  Langdale Chase Hotel – Up to two pets of any size stay for £10 each per night and can roam private lake-edge lawns before curling up in the snug bar. Several dog-friendly bedrooms open directly onto terraces or balconies for quick garden access.

View all dog-friendly hotels in the Lake District

The Cotswolds

What Makes It Paw-fect

Known for golden-stone villages, artisan food markets and broad vistas, the Cotswolds pair rural tranquillity with quick access from London and the Midlands, making it ideal for a fuss-free, pet-friendly escape. Networks of largely stile‑free footpaths ripple across gentle pastures, making it easy to find safe, off‑lead stretches. Broadway’s 500-acre Farncombe Estate alone packs in meadow rambles, bluebell woods and way-marked routes, with hotel boot rooms handing out printed trail maps, towels and dog biscuits.

Many village pubs along the Cotswold Way keep water bowls by the door and store muddy boots and paws by the fire, while converted barns and honey-stone cottages frequently waive extra pet fees. From Broadway Tower’s hilltop viewpoint to the café-lined streets of Chipping Campden, every stop offers easy parking and short links back to green lanes, letting you combine sightseeing with relaxed roaming.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  The Fish Hotel – One medium or two small dogs (over one year old) stay for £30 per stay and are supplied with a bed, bowls, towel and treats. A self-service “Dunk-Your-Dog” bath sits by the boot room and 500 acres of private trails start outside. Dogs are welcome in the bar but not the Hook restaurant.
•  The Lygon Arms - an Iconic Luxury Hotel – Courtyard wash station plus beds, bowls and Lily’s Kitchen treats in every dog room. Up to two dogs, any size, £30 each per stay. Muddy paws are hosed off outside before settling in the lounges or bar.
•  Ellenborough Park – Fifteenth-century manor wrapped in 90 acres of lawns and paddocks on the Cotswold Way. Eight ground-floor rooms take up to two dogs (£30 each per night). Bowls, beds and Le Chameau treats await, muddy paws can be hosed at the outdoor “Paw Spa”, and dogs may join meals in the relaxed Horse Box Brasserie or on the sun-trap terrace.

View all dog-friendly hotels in the Cotswolds

Cornwall

What Makes It Paw-fect

Cornwall blends wild Atlantic beaches, tiny fishing harbours and a mild climate, making it a perennial favourite for outdoor breaks that let both people and pets stretch their legs every day. All 630 miles of the South West Coast Path welcome dogs provided they stay clear of livestock, delivering sea-spray cliffs, secret coves and blossom-lined hedgerows in one continuous, way-marked ribbon. Watergate Bay’s two-mile sweep stays lead-free year-round, perfect for dawn sprints and sunset paddles, and neighbouring cafés rinse sandy paws and serve canine treats alongside pasties.

Many local surf schools in Cornwall recommend using a dog life jacket for water activities, helping adventurous pups join paddle‑boarding sessions safely. Inland, Cardinham Woods boasts shady, tree‑lined, way‑marked trails, a DIY dog‑wash station by the car park, and streams perfect for cooling off on hot days. Meanwhile, numerous pubs and coastal lodges provide enclosed dog‑friendly spaces, dedicated rinse‑off facilities, and often welcome dogs without extra fees.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  Talland Bay Hotel, Looe – Every room is dog-friendly. £15 per pet per night covers a welcome pack with blanket, bowls and treats, plus dogs may join owners for every meal in the conservatory. Sub-tropical gardens have waste-bag stations and private steps to the cove.
•  The Headland Hotel and Spa – Victorian five-star icon perched above dog-friendly Fistral Beach. Up to two dogs per room (for a small fee per dog per night) are greeted with blankets, bowls, treats and bags. Dogs can dine beside owners in The Terrace and Ballroom, and lawns meet the Coast Path for dawn-to-dusk beach walks.
•  Fowey Hall Hotel – Up to two dogs per room for £25 each per night receive a bowl, bed, tennis ball and treats on arrival. “À La Bark” in-room menu and Waggy Tails Tea are available, and dogs can dine with owners in the Morning Room Restaurant.

View all dog-friendly hotels in Cornwall

Norfolk Coast

What Makes It Paw-fect

Big skies, sweeping dunes and vast tidal flats stretch along Norfolk’s north coast, where bird reserves sit beside centuries-old fishing villages. Holkham and Brancaster beaches roll out for miles, and even in summer the main sands stay dog-friendly, as long as you keep clear of nesting zones posted at the entrances. Out of season you can have dune-backed horizons almost to yourself, perfect for zoomies.

Behind the ridges, the Norfolk Coast Path threads through shady pinewoods and salt-marsh boardwalks, giving paws a break from hot sand. Wells-next-the-Sea and Burnham Market pubs leave water bowls by the door, and many cottages waive extra pet fees or provide enclosed courtyards for sandy shake-offs.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  Victoria – Ten dog-friendly rooms (main building only) welcome pets for £10 per dog per night. Fenced exercise paddock sits by the car park and dogs are allowed in all dining areas and bar. A side gate opens straight onto Holkham’s vast beach.
•  Titchwell Manor Hotel – Ground-floor courtyard rooms with wooden floors take up to two dogs (£15 each per night) and supply beds, bowls, towels and personalised treat bags, plus a map of circular marsh walks to Brancaster. Dogs are welcome in the bar, casual lounge (Eating Rooms), and terrace.
•  The Lifeboat Inn – Several coastal-inspired bedrooms accept dogs for £25 per night. Canine guests enjoy the Sandy Paws Stay perks: a comfy bed, towel and water bowl for use during the stay, plus a special dog menu featuring healthy snacks and cooked sausages. Staff keep treats handy and can suggest the best local walks straight from the door.

View all dog-friendly hotels in Norfolk

Peak District, Derbyshire

What Makes It Paw-fect

Britain’s first national park blends gritstone edges, green moors and chocolate-box villages at the very centre of England, ranking among the UK’s top pet-friendly staycation spots. The Mam Tor circular is an “easy” 2.6-mile loop with stone pitching all the way, so small dogs and kids reach summit views without scrambling. From Castleton, traffic-free lanes link straight into limestone dales such as Cavedale and Winnats Pass, meaning you can avoid road walking entirely.

Many villages—Bakewell, Youlgreave, Hartington—have dales starting behind the pub car park, complete with stile-free gates and clear signposts. Farmers often fence stock fields, letting confident owners unclip leads, and tap-water refill stations appear at major car parks. Some dog-friendly tea rooms may even serve paw-print biscuits alongside the famous pies.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  Losehill House Hotel & Spa – Dogs are welcome in the designated dog-friendly rooms and throughout the hotel’s grounds for a £20 surcharge per dog. Four-legged companions can roam outside with you, but to keep shared spaces comfortable for all guests they’re not permitted in any public areas, including the main lounge and restaurant.
•  Biggin Hall Country House Hotel – Courtyard and garden rooms waive all pet fees. Dogs of all sizes are welcome but must stay out of the main house. Footpaths link straight from the eight-acre grounds to the Tissington Trail.
•  Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa – Garden-Wing and Courtyard rooms come with comfy beds, bowls and homemade treats. The 35-acre grounds link to walks along the Chesterfield Canal, and the “Pampered Pooch Experience” offers off-site walks, grooming and photo updates through a local sitter.

View all dog-friendly hotels in Derbyshire

Scottish Highlands & Cairngorms

What Makes It Paw-fect

Lochs mirrored by ancient Caledonian pine, heather plateaux and snow-capped peaks give this vast region a sense of wild freedom hard to match elsewhere in Britain. Scotland’s right-to-roam laws open almost every glen and hill, so route-planning is limited only by energy levels and weather. The Cairngorms National Park publishes a map of dog-friendly cafés, vets and low-level trails, including Loch an Eilein’s pine-sheltered loop and the Old Logging Way cycle path.

In Wester Ross, way-marked circuits skirt Beinn Eighe’s lower slopes and hug the shores of Loch Maree, with clear signage on where ground-nesting birds need peace. Many Highland bothies welcome well-behaved dogs, and local inns provide drying rooms plus tins of free shortbread-shaped treats for weary walkers.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  Shieldaig Lodge Hotel – On a 26,000-acre estate by Loch Gairloch. Up to two dogs in select rooms receive beds, treats and a “Hound Bag”. Dogs can join estate walks, sea-kayaking or falconry, and towels and a boot room wait for muddy paws.
•  Balmoral Arms – Up to two dogs are welcome in select guestrooms for £25 per dog, per night. They receive water bowls, cosy rugs and a locally made Wow Dog “Beer Bones” treat on arrival. Dogs can relax with you in the residents’ lounge and in the dedicated dog-friendly dining area of The Ghillies Bar. Staff can point you towards riverside and woodland walks along the River Dee right outside the inn.
•  Monachyle Mhor Hotel – Three Courtyard bedrooms are dog-friendly, welcoming up to two pets for about £20 per dog, per night. Canine guests receive beds, towels and treats, and they’re allowed in the bar, living room and lounge, with a lochside wood-fired sauna just outside for post-walk warm-ups.

View all dog-friendly hotels in the Scottish Highlands

Snowdonia (Eryri), Wales

What Makes It Paw-fect

Craggy peaks, crystal corrie lakes and pockets of ancient oak woodland shape Wales’s great mountain playground, threaded with narrow-gauge railways and clusters of slate-roofed villages that hum with outdoor energy. The Snowdon Ranger Path climbs the national park’s high point on steadier gradients than more crowded routes, giving steady-paced paws less strain and more sniffs of heather on the way. Quiet lay-bys near Llyn Cwellyn avoid the ticketed summit car parks, and the stone track keeps muddy splashes to a minimum.

When mountain weather closes in, broad forest trails around Lake Vyrnwy provide soft-ground circuits beneath sheltering conifers, with waterfalls to paddle in and dog-friendly cafés dishing out Welsh cakes at the visitor centre. Many B&Bs across Betws-y-Coed and Beddgelert supply drying rooms, towels and treats, while local buses accept dogs free, so you can stitch together linear walks without doubling back.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa – Dog-friendly rooms cost £15 per dog per night and include access to complimentary heated kennels if you prefer not to share your room. Four‑legged guests can join owners in the hotel’s reception area and on the terrace after days on the 12‑mile reservoir circuit, but they are not permitted inside the main lounges.
•  Plas Weunydd – All accommodations (hotel rooms, safari tents, and shepherds’ huts) welcome dogs for a £20 per stay cleaning fee. You can bring up to two dogs per unit, and each set-up includes bowls and treats. It’s also located right by Zip World Llechwedd quarry, so pups get direct access to nearby walking trails.
•  Trefeddian Hotel – First-, second- and third-floor bedrooms accept up to two dogs for £15 each per night. Pets are welcome in the study and on the sea-view terrace, and a garden gate opens onto Aberdyfi’s year-round dog-friendly sands.

View all dog-friendly hotels in Wales

Yorkshire Dales

What Makes It Paw-fect

Rolling green fells, dry-stone walls and limestone scars meet bustling market towns where the scent of Wensleydale cheese drifts from shop doors. Bolton Abbey opens most riverside and woodland trails to four-legged explorers, and the famous stepping stones across the Wharfe let confident pups splash alongside you. Away from livestock, wide grassy banks invite off-lead zooms, and estate cafés hand out dog biscuits with tea.

A short drive north, Malham Cove and Gordale Scar link in a classic 4-mile circuit: stone-paved paths skirt grazing meadows, stiles have built-in dog gates, and cool streams line the route for drinking stops. Many pubs in Grassington, Settle and Hawes welcome muddy paws by the hearth, often without extra pet charges, and DalesBus services carry dogs so one-way rambles are easy to plan.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay

•  The Devonshire Arms Hotel at Bolton Abbey – All room types welcome up to two dogs for £20 a night, with food-and-water bowls provided. Upgrade to the Canine Retreat package for a treat-filled welcome pack and towel, or add a miniature four-poster dog bed for £35. Dogs can join you in the Brasserie, residents’ lounge and terrace, but not in the Burlington fine-dining room. Staff can recommend estate and riverside walks starting at the door. After muddy outings, use the heated outdoor dog-wash to clean paws before settling back in.
•  The Traddock – Up to two dogs are welcome in any bedroom for £10 per dog, per night. They can settle on a lead in the lounges and the characterful bar (where meals can be served) but must stay out of the two formal dining rooms. Outdoor wash stations and loaner towels are on hand for muddy paws after romps on the hotel’s lawns or the limestone-pavement trails of the surrounding Yorkshire Dales that begin right outside the gate.
•  Low Mill Guesthouse – One well-behaved dog of any size is welcome (limit one) for a flat £10 charge per stay, and assistance dogs stay free. Dogs must skip the dining room at breakfast, but they’re welcome in your room and can potter around the riverside garden that borders the River Bain, with footpaths into the Dales starting right outside. After muddy walks, the hosts will happily dry boots (and paws) using their drying facilities before everyone settles back indoors.

View all dog-friendly hotels in Yorkshire

Leash clips, trail maps and treat tins at the door—these pet-friendly staycation spots show UK stays are increasingly built around the happiness of both hounds and humans. With dog-wash stations by the boot room, livestock-free routes from the doorstep and pub lounges where water bowls sit by the hearth, the hotels above prove that a thoughtful welcome turns a simple break into a tail-thumping triumph.

Which getaway will set your dog’s tail wagging first? Explore our Dog-Friendly collection to browse every option, or jump straight into the details that matter most: stays where dogs stay free, properties with a dedicated dog play area, and breaks offering dog-sitting when you need a moment to toast the sunset hands-free.

View all dog-friendly hotels in the UK

Don't forget to follow us on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | LinkedIn | Pinterest