Dog-friendly Cornwall.

Three miles of sand, dogs allowed year-round, and enough space at low tide to lose sight of every other person on the beach. Perranporth is the beach that dog owners in Cornwall tell other dog owners about. The main stretch runs from the town north to Ligger Point, and there is no seasonal ban on any of it — your dog can run from October to October without restriction. At low tide the sand is firm enough for a proper sprint. At high tide it contracts but remains generous. The surf can be big on this coast, so keep an eye on dogs that swim — the rip currents are real. The Watering Hole, halfway along the beach, is one of the few bars in Britain built directly on the sand, and it’s dog-friendly.

Eighteen miles of flat, traffic-free trail along a disused railway line from Padstow to Bodmin, and the most civilised dog walk in Cornwall. The section from Padstow to Wadebridge — five and a half miles, mostly running along the Camel Estuary — is the one to do. The surface is compacted stone dust, level enough for a pushchair, and shaded by woodland for much of its length. Dogs can be off-lead for most of the route, though you’ll want to leash up at the Padstow and Wadebridge ends where it gets busy. The estuary at low tide is a wading paradise for water-loving dogs. There are pubs at both ends and a camel-side cafe at the Borough Arms halfway along.

A thatched thirteenth-century pub built on a pontoon over Restronguet Creek, and the single best dog-friendly pub in Cornwall — a claim I’m prepared to defend. The Pandora is the kind of place that has a dog water bowl by the door, treats behind the bar, and a flagstone floor that has survived seven centuries of muddy boots and wet spaniels. The setting is the thing: the pub sits at the water’s edge on a tidal creek, and in summer you can sit on the pontoon with a pint and watch the sailing dinghies while your dog dries off from the creek. The food is proper pub food — fish pie, local crab, Cornish beef — and the walk along the creek from Mylor Bridge to the Pandora is a mile and a half of quiet waterside path that works as a pre-lunch stroll.

The most beautiful cove in Cornwall, and dogs are allowed on the beach year-round. That combination is rare enough to justify the drive to the Lizard. Kynance is National Trust land — the walk down from the car park takes ten minutes on a steep path, and the beach reveals itself in stages: first the serpentine sea stacks, then the white sand, then the water, which is an improbable shade of turquoise caused by the geology underfoot. Dogs must be on leads on the path and near the cliffs, but the beach itself is open. At low tide the caves and rock pools behind the stacks are accessible, and your dog will investigate every one of them. The NT cafe at the top serves cream teas. Come early or late in summer — the car park fills by 10am on sunny days.