The Ruff Guide

Walks, stays, and places your dog will love.

Recent Posts

  • A weekend in Buxton

    After our absolutely glorious week in Tenby, I was excited for more for more dog-friendly staycations. Some people are creatures of habit and return to the same place every year… but that is not our style. Our little pack is firmly in the “new adventure, new snacks, new smells” category.

    So by September, the itch for another escape was back with a vengeance. That’s when I stumbled across Buxton.

    I’ve always wanted to visit Bath, the Royal Crescent, the spa culture, the whole “Regency vibes but with central heating” thing and I still do. But Buxton felt like Bath’s charming, more affordable cousin who probably owns a National Trust membership and a nice wool scarf.

    Naturally, I started my ritual of “hotel hunting with forensic precision” and landed on the Ensana Buxton Crescent. Gorgeous place, spa heaven, and it said it allowed dogs… or so I thought. A bit more digging revealed they only accepted small dogs at the time. Kobe, bless him, is many things, adorable, loyal, lover of treats, occasional chaos gremlin but small? Absolutely not.

    So I sulked briefly, regrouped, and then found The Old Hall Hotel right next door. No mention of dog size restrictions. Booked. Sorted. Happy again. The hotel was lovely, really welcoming, and perfectly placed with a park immediately across the road for Kobe’s morning strut.

    Saturday was spent exploring the town, browsing, wandering, and just following whatever caught our attention. Buxton turned out to have loads of dog-friendly pubs with good food and a warm, relaxed atmosphere, the kind where Kobe can curl under the table like he owns a share in the place.

    After a whole day of exploring, we headed back to the hotel. We’d noticed the Buxton Opera House right next door and thought, “I wonder if anything’s on tonight?” A quick check online…and Russell Kane was performing. And there were a few tickets left! Kobe was well and truly snoozed out after his big day, so we decided to grab the chance.

    We went to the show, laughed our heads off, and came back to find Kobe still fast asleep, legs in the air, living his best relaxed life. Another win!

    I’d never leave him for long, you have to really know your dog. Kobe’s perfectly happy having a nap if he’s had a full day out, but not every dog is like that. If your dog struggles with separation anxiety or might get stressed (or… redecorate the room with their teeth), then it’s better to keep them with you or arrange a sitter/kennels they’re familiar with.

    But for us, Buxton was the perfect balance: plenty of exploring together, and a tiny bonus treat for us too. I absolutely love that we can have little adventures as a trio, and still squeeze in something that feels special for the humans as well. 🐾✨

  • Tenby — the not-so-hidden gem! 🌊🐾

    Tenby — the not-so-hidden gem! 🌊🐾

    After our lovely autumn escape to Filey, I really wanted to try a full proper week away in summer. My parents suggested Tenby and honestly, I’m so glad they did ☀️

    I found a dog-friendly Airbnb right on the seafront near Tenby Castle 🏰. I’d tried to research ahead of time which beaches were dog-friendly (always a gamble), but Tenby really came through. The location was perfect, we had a cosy ground-floor apartment with a kitchen and a shared garden that led straight down to Castle Beach. Literally step-out-the-door-and-sand-between-your-toes levels of perfect 🏖️

    Parking could have been chaos, but our host told us we could unload right outside and then leave the car in the multistorey next to Sainsbury’s for the week (£25, I think it might be £30 now) and it was only a few minutes’ walk away. Stress levels instantly reduced 🙌 (Upper levels for longer stays.)

    The best part? The Castle Beach dog-friendly section was right outside our door, so we could just wander down whenever. And we completely lucked out with the weather. We had a whole sunny week, which in the UK is basically legendary ☀️😄 Kobe was thrilled. The second his paws hit the sand he went full zoomies, rolling, sniffing, chasing his ball, just living his best beach life. Pure joy 🏖🐶

    There was another family staying in one of the other appartments and the mum loved Kobe, but her teenage son absolutely did not. I really tried to show him that Kobe is a gentle lad, but nope, he was keeping his distance. I didn’t want to stress them out, so I just took Kobe to the beach more and gave them their space. You never know someone’s past, so I always want to be respectful 💛

    Meanwhile, a seagull had a nest on the roof… and dive-bombed us twice. Message very much received 🪂🐦 So we grabbed a couple of cold drinks, went down to the beach, sat in the shade of the cliff, and just chilled and people watching, throwing Kobe’s ball. When he eventually got tired he flopped beside us like a happy little sand-covered potato.

    Tesco was a short stroll away (perfect for snack runs 🍓🥤), and most of the pubs were dog-friendly, though it was half term so a bit busy. We were turned away from a couple of restaurants but nothing dramatic, we just wandered on until we found somewhere that felt right. Easy. One pub that I remember well and was super friendly was The Hope & Anchor.

    A highlight was Heatherton World of Activities 🎉 (it had my name in it so obviously it was meant to be). They have a dog agility course and I’ve always wanted to see if Kobe could do the whole Crufts thing. And he was AMAZING. Jumping the jumps and ascending and descending the ramps. Though to be fair… he will do anything for a cube of cheese or a cocktail sausage 🧀🌭😂

    Tenby itself is just stunning, the pastel houses, the harbour, the castle ruins on the headland, the sea that changes colour every day 🌊🎨 It feels like you’re walking around inside a postcard. We did the castle hill walk multiple times.

    All in all, Tenby felt relaxed, welcoming, colourful, and genuinely dog-friendly. Kobe absolutely loved it. And honestly, when he’s happy and snoozing by my feet at the end of the day, I know we picked the right place 🐾💤

    See the Pembrokeshire dog restriction maps for more information:

  • Filey – Our First Proper Dog-Friendly Weekend Away 🐾

    One of the first times we really went away with Kobe (outside of a quick one-night stay during my sister’s lockdown wedding!) was a trip to Filey in October. Back when my sister got married, I was absolutely stressed about leaving Kobe alone in a strange place. I’d never crate trained him, he was still young, and I just didn’t know how he’d react. I remember doing everything I possibly could to prevent any chaos, like I took him for a long walk before leaving, made sure he had belly full of food, scatter of toys and chews… and I’d already made peace with the fact that if he chewed a chair leg or the sofa, I’d just have to pay for it. 😅

    Thankfully, he surprised me. No damage. No fuss. That tiny success was the confidence boost I needed to think, yes… we can do this.

    So, I wanted somewhere quiet, dog-friendly, and relaxed for our first proper trip. I ended up finding a lovely apartment at The Bay Filey Holiday Village. They have loads of options — little houses, apartments, lodges — and there’s a pub and a pool on-site. The pub was dog-friendly (win!) but honestly the biggest selling point was how close it is to the huge, gorgeous Filey beach. You just wander down and suddenly it’s sea, sky, and miles of sand. Perfect.

    Kobe absolutely loved it. We spent our mornings walking along the beach, where Kobe could chase his ball and sniffing absolutely everything. We wandered up to the Beach Cafe and shared a sausage sandwich (he was thrilled with this new tradition, obviously). We also did a little drive to Scarborough’s South Beach, and visited Filey Bird Garden & Animal Park, where Kobe was convinced the goats were his potential new best friends.

    It all just felt easy. He settled, he had fun, and I realised how much joy there is in taking him somewhere new — as long as he gets a few sausages along the way. 🥰

    It was our first real weekend away together… and it was such a success. Filey will always feel special for that reason. If you’re looking for somewhere chilled, dog-friendly, and perfect for beach dogs? Filey is such a lovely pick.

    Kobe-approved ✅
    Sausage-stop-friendly ✅
    Beach for days ✅

  • Welcome to The Ruff Guide!

    Welcome to The Ruff Guide!

    If you’ve ever tried to plan a day out, weekend away, or holiday with your dog, you’ll know the struggle:
    “Can they actually go in there?”
    “Is this walk safe off lead?”
    “Do they allow dogs inside, or is it just outside seating?”

    That’s where The Ruff Guide comes in. 🐶✨

    This site is all about discovering genuinely dog-friendly places — not just the ones that say “dogs allowed” but actually mean your best friend is welcome.

    What You’ll Find Here

    • Walks with safe spots to run and explore
    • Pubs, cafes, and restaurants that actually welcome dogs inside
    • Stays and hotels that don’t just tolerate dogs, but love them
    • Travel tips for exploring new places with your furry side-kick
    • And the occasional dog-friendly adventure or hidden gem

    Why I’m Doing This

    I love going out and discovering new places and I love doing it with my dog.
    But it can be a pain figuring out:

    • Where dogs are actually welcome
    • Which routes avoid livestock
    • Where there’s water access
    • Which places have outdoor seating that’s actually sheltered (hello, UK weather ☔)

    So instead of constantly searching, asking around, and guessing…
    I’m collecting the good stuff here.
    Tested. Tried. Kobe-approved. 🐾

    What to Expect Next

    New posts will start appearing soon, including:

    • Dog-friendly walks with clear route tips
    • Honest reviews of pubs and cafes
    • Travel ideas ranging from day trips to mini-breaks
    • And eventually… an interactive map 🗺️ (I’m working on it!)

    If you’d like to follow along, bookmark the site or just check in whenever you’re planning your next outing.

    Thanks for being here and give your dog a head scratch from me. 💛

    Heather & Kobe
    The Ruff Guide