The UK's Gorgeous Beaches Are Finally Done Cracking Down On Dog Walkers

It's been a scorcher of a summer in the U.K., with the Met Office already pegging it as the hottest summer since 1884. That's made it a bumper year for the beaches of Old Blighty — statistics reported by Retail Destination show that visitation in seaside towns was up close to 50% on key bank holiday weekends. So it seems like everyone's been out enjoying the lapping waves, building sandcastles, and sunbathing. Well, everyone except the dogs.

Indeed, our four-legged family members have had to endure the usual summertime beach-going ban, which typically lasts from May until the end of September, and applies to many of the region's most iconic sands. However, October 1 marks the end of all that, as about 600 beaches across the nation reopen to welcome pooches for the first time since spring, per The Sun. That should have ears and tails perked up!

According to the Royal Kennel Club, dog beach bans are imposed by local legislation, which varies across the nation — some cover entire beaches, while others only restrict certain areas or times of day. These limits mainly apply to popular beaches, and the majority end at the start of October, meaning stick-throwing and ball-chasing on U.K. sands is very much back on the menu for the fall.

With the lifting of the dog crackdown on beaches at the beginning of October, walkers and their four-legged buddies are once again able to access some of the U.K.'s most enticing sands. Take Bournemouth, England's new hotspot for beach trips, for example. The local council bans dogs from any beaches with Blue Flag status or a Seaside Award between May 1 and September 30, which includes nine separate spots in the area. This includes the pier-topped Bournemouth Beach, the long run of sand and balmy water that fringes the town itself.

Over in Wales, the rugged shorelines of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park count upward of 50 beaches, 10 of which have Blue Flag status. While normally, dogs must be leashed between March 1 and July 31 on public access land in this region, many beaches face partial bans during summer, and two have full restrictions: Whitesands and Tenby North Beach. The latter is a handsome bend of golden powder framed by the historic, multicolored coastal town of Tenby itself.

Meanwhile, the county of Cornwall (often touted as having many U.K. beaches that resemble the Caribbean) has implemented restrictions on dogs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on most of its beaches, with only three destinations that have 24-hour bans. While a lot of these shores are restricted from May through September, some bans are only active between July and August. For example, Polzeath Beach is a surf mecca where dog walkers are banned for the standard five months, while Porthpean Beach's shimmering white sands and turquoise waters lined by cliffs are only off-limits during the hotter summer season.