Dog Friendly New Forest - Places to Stay, Visit, Walk and Eat With Your Dog

We love to take our dachshund Rocky to explore new places when we can. It’s great to be able to go on a holiday or short break to other places in the UK and know that you are able to take your dog with you without worrying about what you will be able to do or where you will be able to go when you get there.

This summer we took a trip to the New Forest and our dachsie came along for the journey. As always, I did a lot of research ahead of the trip to make sure we had the lowdown on all of the dog friendly places we could go and eat

Disclaimer: all information about dog friendly venues was correct as of summer 2022, always check for dog friendliness with the venue before travelling. All recommendations are personal from our own experience and not sponsored in any way.

Staying in Milford on Sea

We booked a boutique self-catering cottage for two adults called “The Little Gatehouse” that also accepted a small dog, through New Forest Escapes. There were a range of different properties available catering to different sized groups and the team at New Forest Escapes were also really helpful when we spoke to them on the phone, offering to provide information about the local area and where it was good to visit with our dog. We chose to stay in the coastal town of Milford on Sea as we had read that the area was particularly dog-friendly, including the beach.

This location provided the best of both worlds: being right near the sea for exploring the coast, and only a short drive to get into the forest and heathland for great dog walking options.

The beach itself is dog-friendly all year round, which is unusual as many beaches we have visited in the past have had restrictions during the summer months, so it was great to know we were free to explore on the beach and take Rocky with us. There is quite an extensive beachfront at Milford on Sea, with a pebble beach at Hurst Road and also further beach at Hordle Cliff, where you can also go for a lovely walk along the clifftop past the colourful beach huts. The coast here is also really close to the Isle of Wight, with stunning views on a clear day of the Needles visible from the shoreline.

Dog-friendly things to do near Milford on Sea

Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is a really interesting English Heritage site, originally built between 1541 and 1544 as an artillery fort by Henry VIII, and is situated at the end of Hurst Spit. There is no direct vehicle access to the site, with visitors either able to catch a ferry from Keyhaven, or take a walk (approximately 2 miles) along the spit from Milford on Sea. We chose to walk along the beach with our dog, but this was hard going, so not for the faint hearted! This route did however afford us with stunning views over the Keyhaven and Pennington marshes.

Well behaved dogs on a short lead are really welcome at Hurst Castle, with no areas off limits to our four legged friends, so it was wonderful to be able to take him round with us on our visit. Dogs are also allowed to ride on the ferry over from Keyhaven.

Parts of the castle were unfortunately closed during our visit due to needing urgent restoration and protection from coastal erosion, which was underway, however there was still plenty to see and the entrance fee has also been reduced while the repairs are underway.

Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

For nature and garden lovers, Exbury Gardens offers a brilliant day out and is dog friendly too. A short drive from Southampton, the gardens have a stunning mixture of landscaped woodland, herbaceous, contemporary, formal and wildflower gardens. Dogs must be kept on a short lead and you must clean up after them, but otherwise they are welcome throughout - including on the miniature steam railway that runs throughout the grounds.

Lepe Country Park

Lepe was a short drive away from Exbury near Beaulieu, so we visited on the same day as the gardens. The beach at Lepe is only dog friendly for part of the year (dogs not permitted between April and September) however the country park offers plenty of other dog walking routes, with great views out over the sea.

New Forest walks for small dogs

If you’re looking for somewhere in the UK to visit for great walks, the New Forest certainly ticks those boxes. There are over 130 designated forestry car parking areas throughout the New Forest, so you are almost guaranteed to be able to find the nearest one on your route, park up and have a stunning walk. However there were a few walks during our stay that we particularly enjoyed and that were suitable for a small dog like our dachshund.

Tall Trees Trail

One of our favourite “easy” walks on our trip was the Tall Trees at Blackwater Arboretum. Parking was at Blackwater Car Park, just off Rhinefield Ornamental Drive in Brockenhurst. There were a couple of flat, easy routes at this location, with the trail we took being approximately 1.5 miles in length. Although a small area, this trail contains some incredible trees from different places in the world, including impressive conifers from the 1850s and some two incredible giant redwoods.

Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

Bolderwood is close to Blackwater, with access found at Bolderwood Arboretum, Ornamental Drive. There is a purpose built deer-viewing platform just a short walk from the car park which overlooks a large meadow, and if you’re lucky enough you may spot some deer. There were also a few short way-marked trails that can be started from this parking area too.

Whitefield Moor and Ober Water Loop

We parked at Whitefield Moor, where there are a couple of short trail options that take you past Ober Water, however this can also be started from the Ober Water parking area too. This was a lovely, easy walk, on a mixture of gravel track, with some picturesque sections by the water and finishing up across the heath. We were lucky enough to see several New Forest ponies grazing while we were there.

Dog-friendly places to eat in Milford on Sea

Although our cottage was self-catering, we did choose to eat out most of the time we were there, just using the cottage as a base. As we were staying in Milford on Sea, most of the places we chose to eat out were in or around this area too and we didn’t venture much further out.

Some of the dog-friendly restaurants and pubs we visited included:

The Lighthouse, Milford on Sea

The Lighthouse is a lovely little venue right on the seafront at the end of Hurst Road in Milford on Sea, a relaxed seaside bar and restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating areas. They were very dog friendly, providing treats and water for our dog. We chose to sit in the outdoor area as this gave us a bit more space for our dog to relax, and it was nice to be able to enjoy the last of the evening sun with a view of the sea. The cocktails were also good too, if that’s your sort of thing!

The Lazy Lion, Milford on Sea

Situated on the High Street in Milford on Sea, The Lazy Lion is a friendly restaurant where we made to feel really welcome with our dog. They seated us in a quiet location within the restaurant, in a corner to give our dog some space, which was appreciated given that he can be quite a nervous dachshund in unfamiliar surroundings and when it’s noisy.

The Gun Inn, Keyhaven

The Gun Inn in Keyhaven was another great dog friendly pub, just a short drive from the centre of Milford on Sea. The food at this pub was on the pricier side of those we visited while in the area, but they use seasonal, quality produce so it felt worth the money spent. We ordered a side of truffle mac and cheese which was to die for! They were also very welcoming to us with our dog too.

The Royal Oak, Downton

On the evening we dined in The Royal Oak Downton, almost every other table inside also had a dog with them, which is so rare to see when you’re out and about, and made us feel even more welcome with our pup. This is a traditional country pub on the edge of the New Forest, offering a good selection of freshly cooked, classic pub food and the service was excellent. We really enjoyed our meal here and would definitely have gone again had we been in the area for any more days.

Overall, the coastal area of the New Forest around Milford on Sea was an excellent place to visit with a dog, and we really enjoyed our holiday with our dachshund. So many places are dog friendly, so it’s the perfect place to visit in the UK with your four-legged friends.