Meet Louis.
We brought Louis home in the April of 2007 and, if it isn't too much of a cliche, he changed our lives. We knew from the moment we collected him when, instead of cowering in the backseat of the car, he rode with his 7 week old paws on the dashboard and chewed my husband's chin, that life with him would be interesting and sure enough it has been.
Louis has, quite literally,
done it all. If there is a dog dragging a boat by its mooring rope along an estuary, that'll be Louis. If you notice a dog swimming amongst an amused kayaking class on a river, that's Louis. A sudden shriek in the woods during your daily walk? That'll be Louis discovering none-to-sensitively a young couple lying supposedly hidden in the tall grass meadow. Stealing the sandwiches from the middle of a riverside picnic? Chasing seagulls along the Pembrokeshire coastal path to within a claw's length of a death plummet (an Italian tourist told us, with great disdain,
"Your dog - it is stupid." We didn't disagree.) And then there was that memorable time on the moor when the rumble of thunder turned out to be the rumble of fast approaching hooves as
someone delivered a herd of wild ponies to us. All Louis. Many memorable apologies have been required.
In fact, it was when we first saw him surfing in the waves on a Welsh beach that we realised his huge potential for both joy and for near disaster (he is breathing yet). Louis
loves beaches; undoubtedly he can smell the sea getting closer and his vocal whimpering intensifies as the beach comes into view. Once on the shore he is the chaser of other dogs, a stealer of footballs, a digger of huge (treacherous?) pits, a climber of cliffs, a drinker of sea-water (the effects of this are best left undescribed) and an avid swimmer and surfer. There is nothing our daft dog likes more than flinging himself into a huge breaking wave.
There have been times when we have been on holiday without the dog - a trip to Scotland one year which was really very peaceful (!) But, although many aspects of the trip were unarguably easier (not having to fit quite so much stuff in the car for one), it wasn't many hours before we found ourselves saying,
"Louis would have loved this." There was a pervading sense of there being
something missing, an odd stillness on the peripheries of our vision, and the place where we missed him most was always the beach. Other dogs charged about with untold joy and abandonment and suddenly that beach seemed incomplete to us. True, there was a lot less sand in the car
(and tent - ugg gritty sleeping bags) and no-one misses the smell of salty damp dog. But slightly reluctantly, as a person who came to dog-ownership a bit later in life, I have now accepted that holidays with dogs are my happiest holidays. Even if they
are punctuated by at least two Louis-triggered disasters to keep us all from relaxing completely.
Campsite Chatter's latest camping specialism
Campsites near dog friendly beaches is for people like me: I want to be able to take my dog onto the beach with the rest of the family so that we can have a
full family day. These dog friendly beaches are friendly all-year-round, so even in the summer months there is no need to check signs or get your compass out to work out which end of the beach permits dogs; stay on one of these campsites near dog friendly beaches and there is
absolutely no reason to have to sit with your dog in the dunes as he looks down longingly at the potential fun.
If your dog needs an early morning run, a mid-morning stretch of the legs, followed by another run in the middle of the day, some exercise mid-afternoon before another stroll before bed to be tired enough to
sit then
Dog friendly holidays, Padstow, Cornwall will provide great camping for you. There are countless fabulous, vast yellow sandy beaches, connected by the celebrated South West Coastal Path and ideal for family days at the beach -
all welcoming dogs.
If your dog is a bit more sedate and can cope with a seaside-town-and-beach combi experience
(count Louis out on this one - the mind boggles) then
Dog Friendly holidays, North Yorkshire might offer some inspiration. With the coastal path running along this coast and many other shorter trails around towns and villages on the North Yorkshire Coast, you will be spoilt for choice.
We've all heard of Pembrokeshire but have you considered camping or caravanning in its neighbouring county, Ceredigion? The stretch of coastline from Cardigan to Aberaeron offers an authentic Welsh holiday in beautiful surroundings with many great dog-friendly beaches to explore. These
Campsites near dog friendly beaches in Ceredigion, Wales will place you within easy reach of not one, not two but a week's worth of dog-friendly beaches to enjoy.
