Swanage

Merlin & Pals Travel Dog Blog

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Everyone I speak to has glowing things to say about Swanage. A nostalgic look in their eyes and a knowing smile.

And yet, it took me years to understand what it was they were talking about until this year. Where I’ve been drawn back this Summer multiple times to get my own “Swanage-fix”.

Travelling to Swanage as a moody teenager with my parents never left me with the best experience. One, I was usually in back pain by the time we’d done the ferry and drive, something I carried round with me almost constantly before I was diagnosed with Fibro and ME. Tacky shops with plastic buckets and postcards comes to mind. And yet this is the exact opposite viewpoint of virtually everyone I spoke to about the place. And only now I see why…

Tes on North Beach (on-lead beach) in Swanage

In the summer and when you have a dog, Swanage does take a little planning to get the best experience. Most dogs want to have a run and be walked and the beach in the town of Swanage is not dog friendly between May-October. Stressy dog is a stressy-me! My dog’s needs are very important to me. But I am told that if you walk far enough along the bay in Swanage, you do come to a dog friendly part called North Beach which is privately owned or there is a tiny Monkey Beach in front of The Pier restaurant.

An update from Sammie Kendall on our group:

So we finally found North Beach in Swanage - not “particularly” dog friendly but there are a few sections they can go on if they are on lead May - October at least ❤️ Tesla shares her opinion about not being able to chase her 🥎 on the beach.

I would consider taking a walk before you arrive at Swanage to some of the beautiful places along the road. If you’re coming from Studland Ferry the Shell Bay beach immediately off the ferry is stunning and has a feeling of calm and sanctuary. Dogs are allowed on-lead during the Summer and off lead in the Autumn and Winter months but I find once you walk past the initial crowds, the stretch of beach is empty and obliging whatever time of year. If you’re approaching Swanage from Wareham, Wareham Forest is fab for a walk and Corfe Castle surrounding countryside is beautiful as you drop into Swanage.

The Shell Bay walk stretches the legs of both dog and human and it means by the time we reach Swanage, your dog is satisfied and their edginess of excitement has been rounded off. There are toilets at the National Trust car park at Shell Bay and disabled blue badge parking is free which is unusual for most car parks these days. Obviously as a National Trust member your parking is included in membership. The only thing to be mindful of is that the only bins for poo bags sit in the car park and there is nothing once you cross over the board walk to the beach.

I’ve seen a deer in the marshy area before the beach which made the experience even more magical and the dunes on the beach provide little coves to rest and meditate if this is something you enjoy.

Did you know that Shell Bay restaurant is dog friendly? It is the best restaurant I have been to in Dorset. The stunning views and fine cuisine with other dogs scattered around the minimalist restaurant brings many happy memories. Reminding me that I’d like to book again. We met the ex-footballer and manager Harry Rednapp and his beautiful wife at Shell Bay one evening as well as being told another time that Roger Moore’s “love child” had the party table in the corner. How true that is I don’t know but there always seems to be happy people dining there whether celebrity or not.

Other walk locations en-route to Swanage include Corfe Castle surrounding walks, Arne Nature Reserve (on-lead), Durlston Country Park and Harry Rocks cliff walk. As well as the beaches further down from Shell Bay like Knoll. Each with their own cafes. Discover these walks on our BEST DORSET DOG WALKS DIRECTORY

The drive to Swanage is beautiful and reminds me of the countryside around Cornwall. My sat nav takes me a back road route into Swanage. It’s the Station route in, I didn’t recognise where I was. I remember thinking to myself as I parked outside a book shop that this was such a vibrant place with great vibes. I must find out the name of the village… only to feel red faced when I realised it was Swanage. I used our DORSET DOGS DOG FRIENDLY DIRECTORY to find a recommended eatery and chose to visit The Salt Pig Too on Station Road. I had seen someone recommend it on our Dog Friendly Dorset Facebook group. It doesn’t have views as it’s a windowless eatery apart from the table right at the back, but the food is absolutely delicious and I’d definitely recommend the BBQ if you arrive at the right time. The chefs are very accommodating if you, like me, have restrictions on what you can eat. And they have a specialist butchery at the front. It’s odd to talk about toilets but actually I find they can make or break a place. And the toilet here has a large enough area for your dog to be comfortable to sit and wait should you need to take them with you.

The secret I will share with you, is to leave the restaurant via the back door as it takes you into a hidden part of Swanage and the famous Lucy’s Farm shop of the artist’s crafts. There’s also a tucked-away eatery called Java Cafe that seems very popular and I’m yet to try, also dog friendly. The polish vegetable shop in this quarter of Swanage is a must to visit even just for the giant cauliflowers. There’s also a chocolate cafe that I’d be very interested to got to if I can tear myself away from the food at Salt Pig Too. Behind this little back alley of shops and back onto the High Street you’ll find Love Cake Cafe which has a reputation that journeys all the way down the Dorset coastline. And you’ll see why when you see those cakes! And a couple of gluten free options too which is unusual. I’m yet to have breakfast here and you do need to book at the weekend!

If cake doesn’t take your fancy, Fortes Ice-cream parlour has some very enticing flavours including Ferrero Rocher ice-cream… And it is located back on the waterfront on Institute Road.

There are so many shops and eateries in Swanage to visit and I have so many more to explore. But since my “discovery” of how wonderful Swanage is, my eyes now also drift off into nostalgia land when I talk about it, I share with you the best of my experiences so far. And I cannot wait to visit around Autumn and Christmas time and tap into a more of the ‘locals’ experience of the place.

A wonderful activity to do, that I have yet to try, but you can see how much fun Tes the spaniel is having in the gallery below - is to book the steam train from Swanage www.swanagerailway.co.uk/tickets You can follow Tes on insta @ess_fur_baby and Merlin @merlinandnicky

Thank you to all of Merlin’s pals who have contributed to this blog with pictures or insights x

Visit more places around the South of England with Merlin and I over the coming months PLACES TO VISIT

Do also consider purchasing our not-for-profit Portable Dog First Aid Kit from our SHOP for your own travels, it has come in so useful for me and my dog as well as the amazing vet taught Dog First Aid course that we offer. To find our more: www.dorsetdogs.com/dog-first-aid