Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in New Forest and Dorset

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Dogs at dinner

The bar and the lounge are the norm here and the main dining room is usually a no. Chewton Glen's The Kitchen, South Lawn, Forest Park, the Montagu Arms' Monty's and the Royal Hotel's Conservatory are where the dog gets a table. Balmer Lawn keeps dogs out of Beresfords. Moonfleet Manor keeps them out of the restaurant but has a dog-friendly dining spot in the lounges. Captain's Club has dogs in the bar and on the terrace with a Sir Woofchester's dog menu.

Ponies and the New Forest Code

Ponies, donkeys and cattle roam free across the open forest and through Brockenhurst, Beaulieu and Burley. Keep dogs under close control and don't let them approach or chase animals. Feeding, petting or touching the ponies is banned under a council order, and dog waste goes home with you.

Ground-nesting birds

From March until late August some heathland is signed orange, which means close control and stick to the paths, or red, which means keep out. It applies to signed areas, not the whole forest, and the gravel tracks stay open. At Studland the National Trust asks for leads in the heath and dunes from 1 March to 31 July.

Beaches

From 1 May to 30 September dogs are off the main resort beaches in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and from October to April they're allowed on all of them. Hengistbury Head, Mudeford Sandbank, Friars Cliff between the wave wall and Groyne H4, and Sandbanks to Haven Point take dogs all year. Studland takes dogs all year, off lead from October to April and on a short lead in summer. At Swanage, Central Beach is closed to dogs in summer and Monkey Beach is open all year.

Getting there

From London it's about an hour and a half to two hours by road or rail. South Western Railway runs from Waterloo to Brockenhurst, Bournemouth, Poole and Dorchester, and each passenger can bring two dogs free, on a lead and off the seats. Brockenhurst station is a car-free arrival for THE PIG, Careys Manor, Balmer Lawn and Forest Park. From Ireland, the ferry and a drive is the realistic route with a dog.

Isle of Wight ferries

Red Funnel carries dogs free. On the Southampton to East Cowes car ferries dogs can go on the outside decks and in the North Lounge, a pet lounge with water bowls and a café. The Red Jet to West Cowes takes dogs too. If you're crossing Lymington to Yarmouth with Wightlink, check its current dog rules before you travel.

Leaving the dog in the room

South Lawn, Careys Manor and the Avon Causeway don't allow dogs to be left alone in the room. South Lawn can provide a cage and a paid pet sitter if you ask ahead. THE PIG puts a crate in the room so the dog can settle while you're at dinner, but its house rules are strict, so confirm it when you book. At Summer Lodge, agree times with the Manager on Duty.

Vets

Vets Now runs out-of-hours emergency care at Lynwood Vets, Station Road, Wimborne BH21 1RQ (01202 610853), and at Beech House Veterinary Centre, 64 West End Road, Southampton SO18 6TG (02381 844106). Neither is a round-the-clock hospital, so ring first.

Best walks

Balmer Lawn, the open green by the Lymington River at Brockenhurst, is right outside Balmer Lawn Hotel and about a kilometre from Careys Manor. The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and the Tall Trees Trail at Blackwater are a short drive west of Forest Park. Bolton's Bench, the pony-grazed heath on the edge of Lyndhurst, is about 2 km from Lime Wood. From the Montagu Arms, the riverside path runs about 3 km along the Beaulieu River to Buckler's Hard. On the coast, Keyhaven and Hurst Spit are about 2 km west of South Lawn, Chewton Bunny runs down from Chewton Glen to the sea at Friars Cliff, and the little Wick ferry from Captain's Club crosses the Stour towards Hengistbury Head and Mudeford Sandbank. Further west there's Studland, the Melbury Estate deer park at Evershot on a lead, and the South West Coast Path along the Fleet below Moonfleet Manor with Chesil Beach across the water. On the Isle of Wight, the coastal path along the Undercliff is downhill from Ventnor. Corfe Castle takes dogs on short leads.

When to go

October and April are the easiest months with a dog. Every Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole beach is open to dogs, Studland is off-lead, and the forest is quieter. From May to September the central resort beaches and Swanage Central Beach close to dogs, and Lyme Regis Front Beach has a summer ban too, though there's always a legal dog beach a short drive away. The ground-nesting season on the heath runs from March to late August, so expect leads and closed areas on signed heathland through spring and summer.