I was asked by Dogs Invited to share some of my UK travels with my dog. I love to getaway at the weekend whenever I can. Sometimes my nearly grown-up children come with me sometimes they don’t. One constant is my faithful 4 legged companion. So to me, it’s important that we are both welcomed wherever we go. I went on a short break to see how dog friendly Tenby really is.
I have asked to remain anonymous for this blog. Just so you know enough about me to get a feel of things from my perspective, I’m male mid-50s. My hound is a 6-year-old Labrador cross, so medium-sized and very sociable! This blog is entirely my own opinion but it is always best to check beforehand if places are dog friendly.
Dog Friendly Tenby
Tenby, or to give it its Welsh name, Dinbych-y-pysgod, is a beautiful seaside town in Pembrokeshire. It’s only about an hour’s drive from home so isn’t too far in the car for us. It’s also always been a favourite of ours!
We stayed in a static caravan at a park situated just outside of Tenby – Kiln Park Holiday Centre. The caravan we stayed in was adequate and I have stayed here on a few occasions. This is mainly due to the fact that there’s plenty of walking in and around the campsite. My only gripe is that the caravan park does not allow dogs into the on-site bar area. You’re allowed them onto the outside terrace area, but not much fun if it’s raining or chilly. Some of the statics allow dogs. You will notice that with the tourer caravans there are plenty of owners who bring their dogs with them. There is always plenty of good canine company in the park areas for you and your dog.
Walking out of the holiday park you can either go for a walk through some woods or if you choose to (and why wouldn’t you) there is a glorious beach about 5 minutes gentle walk away. I would recommend you check on the Pembrokeshire website to see when dogs are allowed on beaches. When we visited in October, all was good. As a city person, being able to walk along the beach and seeing my faithful companion having such a great time playing on the beach and in the sea, is a great heartwarming experience! So yes, the beaches are great and who cares about the weather!
Inside Tenby
Once you get into Tenby, what may surprise you, if you’ve not been before, is the number of dogs. Let’s admit you’d like to hope this is a sign of a good dog-friendly town, right?
On the whole, I have to say I found Tenby to be dog friendly. There were water bowls outside some of the shops (and some of the houses in town too). I also found many of the smaller independent shops to be welcoming towards dogs and their owners. As expected some of the larger shops were ‘guide dogs only’. Personally, I don’t visit somewhere like Tenby to go shopping in a national chain store anyway.
Dog Friendly Pubs in Tenby
Pubs…now we’re talking! I enjoy a good pint and being able to take my dog with me makes it doubly enjoyable. From what I found (and talking to other dog owners), Tenby doesn’t disappoint! Ok, it depends on what you like in a pub, but on our break, we found these pubs hit the spot.
The Tenby House Hotel was very welcoming. Some nice old-fashioned comfy seating, good ale, and a relaxed dog-friendly atmosphere. The Buccaneer is a smallish food type pub and only allowed in the covered beer garden. Not completely ideal but at least the beer garden is covered and has patio heaters.
My favourite on our trip was The Crown Inn, tucked away down a side street (Lower Frog Street). It is a pretty basic pub, I don’t think they serve any food, but extremely welcoming. Dogs are welcome in the bar area and there are some good well-priced drinks. This pub reminds me of what pubs used to be like – pool table, TV, and not many frills. However, there are good staff, clean toilets, and some good real ale. It was nice to see other dog owners had discovered this little gem too!
Things To Do Around Tenby
Days out and about aren’t a problem in Tenby if you have a dog. You can walk for miles with plenty of tea shops and cafes to feel welcome with a dog. Worth a visit is the RNLI lifeboat station in Tenby. So if you’ve got a young active family, Heatherton World of Activities, welcome dogs, so it’s perfect for a dog and child-friendly day out! If you fancy a boat trip with your dog, take them over to Caldey Island for a day out too.
A most enjoyable few days away in Tenby which on the whole we found to be dog friendly. I did however notice that some irresponsible dog owners are still not picking up after their dogs. If we want places like Tenby to stay dog friendly we need to ensure we do everything we can not to upset non-dog owners. Besides, you’re never far from a bin in Tenby!
Dog Friendly Holidays
For a selection of dog friendly holiday properties in the Tenby area, please go to the Dogs Invited website