Pubs

Dog-friendly pubs in the UK

A good dog-friendly pub is the making of a dog holiday — the warm end to a cold walk, the place the dog flops under the table while you get the round in. But "dog-friendly" hides a lot of variation: some pubs mean the whole place, some mean the bar but not where you eat, some mean the garden and nothing more. This guide states which, pub by pub, so you're not stood in the porch in the rain working it out.

Each regional guide leads with the pubs that take dogs throughout, notes what's laid on and whether there are dog-friendly rooms, and links each pub to the nearest walk, beach and cottages. Three regions so far, with more as their guides ship.

Where to look

Dog-friendly pubs by region

Each regional guide lists verified dog-friendly pubs with where dogs are actually allowed, what's provided, the food, and which take dogs overnight.

Cornwall

12 dog-friendly places

Lake District

10 dog-friendly places

Yorkshire Dales

10 dog-friendly places

Pubs that take dogs anywhere

Dogs throughout

The Old Success Inn

Sennen Cove, Penwith

Dogs throughout

The Cornish Arms

St Merryn, near Padstow

Dogs throughout

The Oystercatcher

Polzeath

Village inn with brewery under the Old Man of Coniston

Dogs throughout

The Black Bull Inn

Coniston

Dogs throughout

The Dog and Gun

Keswick

Dogs throughout

Tweedies Bar

Grasmere

Dogs throughout

Tan Hill Inn

Tan Hill, Swaledale

Georgian coaching inn at Buckden, Upper Wharfedale

Dogs throughout

The Buck Inn

Buckden, Upper Wharfedale

Heritage gas-lit pub at Appletreewick, Wharfedale

Dogs throughout

The Craven Arms

Appletreewick, Wharfedale

How to read a pub's dog policy

First, the reassuring bit: there's no law banning dogs from UK pubs — it's the landlord's call, and most country pubs welcome them. Beyond that, four phrases come up again and again on pub websites, and they mean genuinely different things.

"Dogs welcome throughout." The best — dogs anywhere, including where you eat. The locals' pubs and walkers' inns most often do this.

"Dogs in the bar." Common and usually fine — you eat in the bar rather than the restaurant, where dogs are most relaxed anyway. Book a bar table and say you have a dog.

"Dogs in the garden." A fair-weather welcome only. Useless in a downpour, so check before you rely on it for a winter walk's end.

"Dog-friendly rooms." Means overnight stays, often for a small charge — but check it covers the bar too, as the two aren't always the same. And confirm directly, because dog policies change when a pub changes hands more often than the website gets updated.

Frequently asked questions

What does "dog-friendly pub" actually mean?

Less than you'd hope, on its own — it can mean dogs throughout, dogs in the bar but not the restaurant, or dogs in the garden only. The difference decides your whole evening, especially in bad weather. That's why every pub in our guides is tagged with where dogs are actually allowed, rather than just a blanket label. Always worth a quick confirmation too, as policies change with new owners.

Can I bring my dog into the restaurant area, not just the bar?

Sometimes — and it's the single most useful thing to check. Many pubs that welcome dogs keep them out of the formal dining room, so you eat in the bar instead, which is usually no hardship. The pubs we tag 'dogs throughout' let you eat with your dog anywhere. If a pub is bar-only or bar-and-garden, book a bar table and mention the dog so they don't seat you in a dog-free zone.

Are dogs allowed in pub bedrooms for an overnight stay?

Often, at the coaching inns and walkers' hotels — frequently for a small per-dog charge, sometimes with towels and bowls laid on. It varies pub to pub and a few welcome dogs in the bar but not the rooms, so we note which pubs take dogs overnight. An inn that's dog-friendly in both the bar and the rooms makes a tidy base; for more space, see our dog-friendly cottages guide.

About the author

Rachel Polden

Rachel writes about dog-friendly UK travel from mid-Devon, where she lives with two retired racing greyhounds, Fern and Maisie. A former commissioning editor at a travel magazine, she now spends her time pacing coast paths and pub gardens, paying close attention to the small print of who is and isn't actually welcome.