Dog-Friendly Beaches in Newquay From October

Short answer: From 1 October the summer dog bans around Newquay end and every council-restricted beach reopens to dogs all day, until the restrictions return in May or July. Here's which beaches that affects, and the ones that never closed.

The short version

Newquay has more beaches than any town in Cornwall, and from 1 October the ones that carried summer bans — Fistral above all — reopen to dogs all day. Combined with the beaches that never closed, that's a different, better town for a dog in autumn.

How the rules work

Cornwall Council's seasonal order covers 46 beaches. On most of them dogs are banned between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August; on the Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches the ban runs longer, 15 May to 30 September. Outside those dates and times there are no council restrictions at all. Hundreds of other Cornish beaches are never restricted. A few privately owned beaches set their own rules, and signs at the beach entrance are always the final word — the official list is on Cornwall Council's dogs-on-beaches page.

Beaches that reopen to dogs from 1 October

• Fistral — the big surf beach, a Blue Flag beach with the longer summer ban (15 May–30 Sept). From 1 October it's all yours — the surfers won't mind, but keep out of their lines.
• Porth — the sheltered, shallow beach on the town's east side, on the council's summer list; wide flat sand at low tide.
• Crantock — the National Trust beach across the Gannel, dunes and river — restricted in summer, superb in autumn.

Beaches that were open all along

• Watergate Bay — two miles of open sand and never on the restricted list — the classic Newquay dog beach in any season.
• Holywell Bay — huge dunes, sea caves at low tide, and dog-friendly year-round.
• Towan — the town beach right under the centre, dog-friendly and easy for a quick run.
• Lusty Glaze — privately run, with its own dog bar — its rules are its own, so check.

Winter beach manners

The autumn beach is shared with surfers, swimmers, families and seabirds, and the summer rules only come back if it goes badly. Pick up every time, keep dogs away from anyone who hasn't invited them, and put leads on near seals or roosting birds — grey seals haul out on quieter beaches through autumn and winter, and a dog on a seal beach ends badly for both. Fistral has strong rips: a dog that loves the water needs a lead when the surf is big.

Make a day of it

Our quiet dog beaches guide covers the escape routes, and SeaSpray at Fistral has a doggy menu for afterwards. The county-wide picture is in our guide to Cornwall's beaches reopening to dogs.

Rules, hours and programmes are the owners' to change — check the signs on the day or the official page before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.