Dog friendly beaches in Looe
Where to take your dog who loves the beach
Though the main beach in Looe does not allow dogs on it at any time of the year, Looe is a fantastic place for bringing your dog if they enjoy the sea, rock pools, digging in the sand or rivers. There is an abundance of beaches to take dogs that are dog friendly all year round.
Here are just a few of our favourites where we often take our dog while we are in Looe, they are all within easy walking distance of Banjo Cottage, and he loves them all equally.
Please note: Looe, and all of Cornwall, is very tidal, so some of these beaches are not accessible during high tide. Make sure you check the tide times before heading off as the sea comes in very quickly.
Dog friendly beaches in Looe
Second Beach
This beach is commonly known as Second Beach. If you are looking out over East Looe beach from the promenade, go to your left all the way to the end and you will see some steps. Go up the steps and you will see Second Beach.
At high tide there is very little space (indeed at very high tides the bottom of the steps are under water). If you go at low tide, this beach is a very long and is full of sandy areas, rocks and rock pools. The whole family can enjoy this beach area as there is something for everyone.
In the cliff face about 200 meters from the steps by Looe, there is a cave that has a tunnel dug in it. Worth a visit and speculate as to what it may have been used for in the past... smuggling??
At low tide it is possible to walk to Plaidy, though there are some steep steps about a kilometer along where you can climb up to the coastal path if you don't fancy the whole walk.
Ensure you are aware of the tide times as it is possible to get cut off in the various coves if the tide comes in.
Looe River by the pier
This area is often over looked but if you are after a small area to quickly let your dog off the lead to have a run about, then at low tide the area to the side of Banjo Pier becomes a lovely area.
It is accessed via the RNLI slipway and the lower the tide the more the area.
At particularly low tides it is possible to walk all the way round Banjo pier from the sea side so you really do get a fish eye view of the pier.
It is amazing to think that the water level changes so much that a few hours after walking on this beach, the Looe fishing fleet will steam out over where you have just walked.
Hannafore Beach - hotel end
On West Looe side of the river is the beautiful Hannafore area which overlooks Looe Island.
As you walk up the road to Hannafore you will see the impressive Hannafore Point Hotel. Opposite this is the start of the Hannafore sea wall and beach.
The sea wall runs all the way along the beach with steps down on to the beach at regular intervals.
This part of the beach has a good mix of fine sand beach, rock areas and rock pools, it is easy to access and walk along when the tide is out and there are often families, with their dogs, sunbathing and enjoying this part of the Looe coastline.
At very low tides, it is possible to walk around the headland from the West Looe side of Looe River and on to this part of Hannafore beach.
Hannafore beach - far end
About half way along the sea wall, the beach changes to be more rocky. At this point there is the Hannafore Kiosk (opposite the tennis courts), which has a wide selection of drinks, snacks and food. It is a lovely place to stop on the walk along Hannafore and is open all year - though closes at 4pm in winter.
The far end of Hannafore beach has more rocks and rock pools. It has a concrete walk way which goes out to sea (which can be seen in the photo) - this gives access to a huge area of rock pools.
If you continue all the way to the end of the sea wall you can go up on to Hannafore road and on to the grass fields that afford excellent views over Looe Island.
If you are feeling energetic you can keep going for about 10km and you will get to Polperro.
Kilminorth Woods beach
Ok, so this isn't a beach in the strictest sense of the word and isn't a place to build sandcastles, but it is a lovely place for dogs.
Kilminorth Woods entrance is found at the far end of Millpool carpark, past the small slipway.
If you enter the woods and stick to the main path that runs along the river bank, you will after about 1km, at low tide, get to this beach. It is a great place for dogs to run into the water or play fetch. There are several picnic benches on the bank where you can sit and watch.
Being a little way out of Looe, this is a very peaceful part of Looe. The bonus of this beach is that you get to walk through woods to get here so your dog gets the best of both worlds.