Dog Walks in Dartmouth
2 walks to explore with your dog in Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is one of the most photogenic towns on the south Devon coast — a medieval port wrapped around a deep-water estuary where the River Dart meets the sea, with pastel-painted merchants' houses stacked up the hillside and the Royal Naval College presiding over everything. For dog owners, it's an unusual base: narrow streets and a busy waterfront that require on-lead manners, balanced by immediate access to both the coast path and the wooded hinterland of Dartmoor just inland.
The Dartmouth to Kingswear passenger ferry runs across the harbour every few minutes and carries dogs for free, which opens up the walking on the eastern side of the estuary without the long drive round. It's also a town with genuinely dog-friendly hospitality — most of the quayside pubs and cafes are happy to seat you with a dog, and the seasonal atmosphere is convivial rather than precious.
Best Dog Walks in Dartmouth
The Dartmouth to Kingswear Castle Walk (5 miles, moderate) is the signature route — across on the ferry, up onto the coast path above Kingswear, and out along the cliffs to the 15th-century castle guarding the river mouth. The going is undulating with some proper climbs, but the estuarine views and the sense of walking a genuine working coast more than repay the effort. For a completely different landscape, the Becky Falls Woodland Walk (2.5 miles, moderate) on the edge of Dartmoor is a shorter but scenic scramble through oak woodland to a dramatic waterfall cascading over mossy granite boulders — a lovely option on a hot day when the shade is welcome. The two walks between them give you the Devon coast and the Dartmoor interior in a single weekend.
Planning Your Visit
Dartmouth's Mayors Avenue car park is the easiest town start; Becky Falls has its own car park just off the B3387 (small entry fee covers parking). The coast path has steep unfenced sections, so keep an eye on dogs that like to range ahead. Becky Falls is on private land but welcomes dogs throughout — the rocks can be slippery for older dogs, so pick your line carefully. After a long day out, The Rock Inn at Haytor Vale is a famously dog-friendly Dartmouth-area pub with flagstones, real ales and proper hearty food, and Dartmouth Riverside Cottage is a reliable rental if you're staying over.
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