Dogs love the beach - lots of space to run around, lots of interesting smells and water to play in. All that fresh air is great for us too. Heres a round up of three of our local dog friendly beaches.

Exmouth (50 minutes drive) is a great seaside town with distinct areas – the area by the quay is great for up market eateries and shops, the section nearest town has all the usual family friendly beach shops, cafes and entertainments and then at the furthest end of the beach it is quieter and great for beach walks. Dogs are allowed on the whole beach from 30th of September to the 1st of May. They are allowed on the last stretch of beach at the very end of Queens Drive all year round. There are lots of signposts to tell you which part it is.

Blue Anchor in West Somerset is 40 minutes away and has a beautiful sand and shingle beach along its miles of curved shoreline. Its gradient is shallow so at low tide there is a huge expanse of sand, meaning there’s plenty of room to stretch your legs whilst you look out to the views of Wales. There is free parking by the beach, or you could get the West Somerset Railway from Bishops Lydeard to this destination. Cafe, shop, pubs and toilets nearby. Dogs allowed off lead all year round.

Budleigh Salterton beach in South Devon is 50 minutes away and is a long pebble beach extending for 2.5 miles along the Jurassic Coast. Beach side cafes, shops, pubs and toilets nearby. Sections of Budleigh Salterton Beach are dog friendly all year round with restrictions during the summer months on the main beach.