Dog friendly beaches in Dorset: Charmouth East, Monmouth Beach, Durdle Door, Kimmeridge and Hengistbury Head allow dogs all year. Every summer ban, by area.
The dog friendly beaches Dorset has to offer are more numerous than the summer signs suggest. The county’s dog bans cover a short list of busy town beaches between 1 May and 30 September. Everywhere else on the Dorset Council coast, from Charmouth East Beach to Kimmeridge Bay and Lulworth, dogs are allowed all year round. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have their own rules, with a summer ban on the award-winning beaches but year-round stretches at Hengistbury Head, Mudeford Sandbank and parts of the Bournemouth seafront.
This page lists every beach, area by area, from Dorset Council’s and BCP Council’s own published lists, checked on 16 October 2026. From 1 October to 30 April, dogs can go on every beach below.
The summer bans in one list
These are the only Dorset beaches where dogs are banned from 1 May to 30 September:
| Council | Beaches with a summer dog ban |
|---|---|
| Dorset Council | Swanage Front Beach; Charmouth West Beach; Lyme Regis Front (Town) Beach; West Bay East and West Beaches; Seatown Beach, Chideock; Weymouth main sandy beach from the dog exercise area at the Pavilion end to Greenhill groyne |
| BCP Council | All Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, except the year-round zones listed below; Highcliffe Beach between groynes H4 and H8 |
Studland is different: dogs are allowed, but must be on a lead on Shell Beach, South Beach, Middle Beach and the southern part of Knoll Beach from 1 May to 30 September.
West Dorset: Bridport, Charmouth and Lyme Regis
| Beach | When dogs are allowed |
|---|---|
| Charmouth East Beach | All year, no restrictions |
| Charmouth West Beach | 1 October to 30 April |
| Lyme Regis Front Beach | 1 October to 30 April |
| Lyme Regis Monmouth Beach | All year |
| Church Cliff Beach, Lyme Regis | All year |
| Seatown Beach, Chideock | 1 October to 30 April |
| Eype Beach | All year |
| West Bay East and West Beaches | 1 October to 30 April; dogs allowed in the port on a lead in summer |
| West Bay, beach beyond the rock groyne west of West Beach | Not restricted |
| Cogden Beach | All year |
| West Bexington | All year, in the designated area |
| Burton Bradstock (Hive Beach) | No council restriction, but the National Trust asks owners not to exercise dogs on the beach from 1 May to 30 September |
Charmouth East Beach is the pick for a summer day with a dog in this stretch: it is the fossil-hunting beach running east from the river mouth towards Golden Cap, and dogs are welcome on it all year. The access road, car parks and footbridge at Charmouth are lead-only. In Lyme Regis, Monmouth Beach to the west of the Cobb is the year-round option; the Marine Parade, harbour and Cobb itself are on-lead areas.
Purbeck: Lulworth, Kimmeridge, Studland and Swanage
| Beach | When dogs are allowed |
|---|---|
| Durdle Door | All year |
| Man O’War Beach | All year |
| Lulworth Cove | All year |
| Worbarrow Bay | All year |
| Kimmeridge Bay | All year |
| Swanage Beach (Front Beach) | 1 October to 30 April |
| Monkey Beach, Swanage (by the old stone quay, near the pier) | All year |
| Studland: Shell, South, Middle and southern Knoll beaches | All year, on a lead from 1 May to 30 September |
Purbeck is the most dog-friendly part of the county, with the biggest-name beaches open to dogs all year. Durdle Door and Man O’War are reached by steep steps and slopes from the Lulworth Estate car park; our guides to Durdle Door, Man O’War Beach and Lulworth Cove cover parking and access. Keep dogs on a lead on the clifftop paths, where the edges are sheer. In Swanage, the Parade and roads down to the beach are on-lead; Monkey Beach by the pier is the year-round spot in town.
Weymouth and Portland
| Beach | When dogs are allowed |
|---|---|
| Weymouth, dog exercise area by the Pavilion | All year |
| Weymouth main sandy beach, Greenhill groyne to the dog exercise area | 1 October to 30 April |
| Weymouth, Greenhill groyne to Overcombe (Preston Beach) | All year |
| Bowleaze Cove | All year |
| Ringstead Beach | All year |
| Church Ope Cove, Portland | All year |
| Chesil Beach, Abbotsbury to the Tank Teeth boundary | All year |
| Chesil Beach, Tank Teeth boundary to the Portland boundary stone | On leads, seaward side only, 1 September to 30 April; no public access the rest of the year |
| The Fleet nature reserve | South West Coast Path only; no access along the shoreline |
Weymouth is the easiest town beach for dog owners in summer, because the dog exercise area at the Pavilion end stays open all year and Preston Beach runs on towards Overcombe. Dogs must be on a lead on the promenade from the Pleasure Pier to Bowleaze, and on the Rodwell Trail. On Chesil, only the Abbotsbury end is open to dogs all year; the middle section has no public access at all from May to August.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
BCP Council bans dogs from all its Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches from 1 May to 30 September. Its list of places where you can walk a dog at any time of year is:
- the western side of Alum Chine to Branksome Chine beach office, Poole;
- Middle Chine to Durley Chine, Bournemouth;
- east of Fisherman’s Walk to Southbourne;
- Hengistbury Head;
- Mudeford Sandbank;
- Gundimore Beach;
- Friars Cliff Beach, only between the wave wall and groyne H4 at Highcliffe;
- the western end of Sandbanks promenade to Haven Point by the chain ferry;
- Hamworthy beach.
From 1 October to 30 April dogs can use every BCP beach, but must be on a lead on promenades, piers, zig zags and footpaths all year. Guide dogs are allowed on all beaches all year when working.
Fines and the rules away from the sand
- Fixed penalty: £100 in the Dorset Council area, reduced to £75 if paid within 14 days. Taking a dog onto a restricted beach in season, failing to pick up, or ignoring a lead requirement can all lead to one.
- Picking up applies everywhere, on every beach and in every season. Not having a bag is not an excuse.
- Lead length: where a lead is required in the Dorset Council area, it must be no longer than two metres.
- Bins: many of the quieter beaches, Durdle Door and Man O’War among them, have no bins on the sand. Bag it and carry it back to the car park.
The rules could change in 2027
Dorset Council’s current dog order runs to 31 December 2026. Officers have recommended keeping every beach restriction, including the 1 May to 30 September dates, in the next order from 1 January 2027, after a consultation that drew 5,013 responses. We reported the beach-by-beach results in our story on the Dorset dog beach ban consultation. We will update this page if the final order changes any of the beaches above.
For more ideas on days out, see things to do in Dorset.
Frequently asked questions
Which beaches in Dorset allow dogs all year round? In the Dorset Council area: Charmouth East Beach, Monmouth Beach and Church Cliff Beach at Lyme Regis, Eype, Cogden, Durdle Door, Man O’War, Lulworth Cove, Worbarrow Bay, Kimmeridge Bay, Monkey Beach in Swanage, Bowleaze Cove, Ringstead, Church Ope Cove, Preston Beach at Weymouth and Chesil Beach at Abbotsbury. In BCP, Hengistbury Head, Mudeford Sandbank and several seafront stretches.
When can dogs go back on Dorset beaches? From 1 October. The summer bans on the restricted beaches run from 1 May to 30 September, so from 1 October to 30 April dogs can use every beach in Dorset.
Are dogs allowed on Weymouth beach? Yes, in the dog exercise area at the Pavilion end and from Greenhill groyne to Overcombe all year. The main sandy beach between them is closed to dogs from 1 May to 30 September.
Can I take my dog to Durdle Door? Yes, all year round. There are no bins on the beach, and dogs should be on a lead on the clifftop paths and steps.
Are dogs allowed on Bournemouth beach in summer? Only in the year-round zones: Middle Chine to Durley Chine, and east of Fisherman’s Walk to Southbourne, plus Hengistbury Head. The rest of Bournemouth’s award beaches ban dogs from 1 May to 30 September.
What is the fine for a dog on a banned beach in Dorset? A £100 fixed penalty in the Dorset Council area, reduced to £75 if paid within 14 days. Refusing to pay can lead to prosecution.
Sources
- Dorset Council, walking dogs on beaches, read 16 October 2026.
- BCP Council, dogs on beaches, read 16 October 2026.
- Dorset Council, draft Dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order 2027 (Appendix B to the Place and Resources Overview Committee report).
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