Woodbury Common

Marines

 

 

Exmouth Beach

We are lucky enough to have a long 2 mile stretch of white sandy beach joining the River Exe on our doorstep in Exmouth in Devon. Its dog friendly, with dogs being allowed off lead at either end at Orcome Point (East by Bumble & Sea) and the other end near Morton Crescent (West by Rockfish) during the summer months and allowing dogs along the entire stretch throughout the rest of the year.

Every footway to the beach has a sign stating dog allowance for reference. It is quite busy for sunbathers in the summer and there are a lot of locals with dogs who visit daily for their dogs to swim or play ball, mainly at the beginning or end of the day to avoid the height of the sun, busy crowds, kids, picnics and bbq's.

The landscape at the main beach changes daily with the tides, sometimes quite drastically and can expose rockpools, pipework and the county council drainage soakaways which look like large concrete underground silos. The dunes and sandbanks are forever changing and we have an offshore sandbank in low tide which can be reached by paddle board and lots of kitesurfers can be spotted near this area on windy days. Recently a cricket match was played on the sandbank and just across the water Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve can be seen. If you're lucky you'll spot Cormorants fishing.  

Sometimes the beach has a lot of seaweed washed up with that there is more likely crustaceans and crabs, I would avoid walking dogs on here then as many dogs ingest mulloscs and bits of dead crab and have stomach issues, there's also palm oil to watch out for as this is also sometimes ingested causing intestinal complaints, vomiting and diarrhoea. Some mistakingly blame the pollution situation for their unwell dogs as washed up inestables and pollution both coincide with choppier tides.  
South West Water has a sewerage overflow outfall pipe occasionally discharging into the sea at the RNLI Lifeboat Station in Exmouth and especially after heavy rainfalls. Bathing and dog swimming after a discharge should be avoided to prevent sickness. It’s usually safe again after a few days or less (unless there’s another), as the pollution dissipation is dependent on the length of the discharge and the timing of incoming and outgoing tides. 
You can pick up water quality alerts on the Safer Seas app.
I always check the water is safe and check the tide height before taking any dogs on beach walks. 

Walking round the rock face on the beach at Orcombe point can cut you you off when the tide comes back in and you should steer clear of the cliff face to avoid falling rocks and cliff falls. The walk down to Sandy Bay beach is lovely at low tide and you can visit the dog friendly half mile privately owned beach and holiday park and restaurant, this is publicly accessible by walking the beach or coast path. Parking at Sandy Bay is for holiday makers only. 
There’s also the lovely Bumble and Sea to grab a takeaway coffee on your way back onto Exmouth Beach and a lovely walk up the ramps to Exmouth’s Geoneedle and fields overlooking the beach where svndart can sometimes be spotted. 

Exmouth is extremely dog friendly, you will find that your dog is welcome around town, shops, pubs and where you find ice cream you'll likely find doggy ice cream too. 

We also have pirates Cove, Shelly Beach and the duckpond to

walk the dog ons, or Paddleboard with!

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Shelly Beach

I like to walk from Pirates Cove to Shelly beach and the duck pond on the Exe estuary at low tide as it’s quiet whilst avoiding the birds in the local nature reserve in the winter. The overwintering birds are present from September to February and the site is managed by Wild East Devon. Watch out for that sticky estuary mud and finish off with a run through on the grassy field at the Imperial Recreation Ground. 

 

 

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The Maer

There is also The Maer across from the main beach which is another great place for dog walking with conservation areas, it’s another of Wild East Devons Nature Reserves. With sand dunes and long and short grass and sand to run across, it’s perfect for meeting new doggy friends but again beware of picnics and bbqs.

The walkway behind The Maer has lots of squirrels and birds.

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Cycle Paths 

Castle Lane 

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