Dog-Friendly Beach ~ Camber Sands

Sandy got the all clear, on Saturday, for off lead walks without the ‘cone of shame’, as her dew claw removal wound was healing well. She had a lot of pent-up energy after 10 days of lead walks only, so we checked the weather forecast (no rain!) and decided to head down to a dog-friendly beach on Sunday, to give her a good run around.

Camber Sands is in East Sussex, east of the historic town Rye and less than two hours drive from London. It is an unusual beach in Sussex because it is, as the name suggests, sand! Most of the beaches in Sussex are shingle or pebbles and Camber has the only sand dunes in East Sussex. The sand dunes are big and you have to clamber over them to get to the beach, which is about 2 miles long and when the tide is out it becomes even bigger!

Dog-Friendly Zones

Dogs are allowed on this lovely beach, but there are restrictions between 1 May and 30 September. In certain zoned areas no dogs are allowed. In all the car parks there are large, clear signs showing the Zones and the entrance over the dunes have Zone signs too. However, head for the western, quieter end, Zone A & B and you can let your dog off lead all year round. Don’t worry, you won’t be short of beach space to let your dog have a good old run around, especially if the tide is out!

Parking Near the Beach

There are 3 car parks in Camber which during the summer months, are pay on entry with various time options from one hour to all day parking. We parked in the Western Car Park which is perfect for Zone A & B. We were told that in the summer months, you need to get to Camber early to find a parking space, Camber isn’t a big place and the narrow roads quickly become blocked with people trying to find a space.

Surprisingly, for the end of July, the beach was remarkably quiet. Although it wasn’t raining and the sun was shining, once we’d clambered over the dunes we were hit by very strong winds, which were whipping up the sand and carrying our voices out to sea!

It was lovely to let the dogs have a run around and the wind blow the July cobwebs away. Strangely, I always feel energised and happy when I am by the sea, I can’t wait for us to head down there again.

Dog-Friendly Pub Lunch ~ The Owl

Hubby pre-booked a table for lunch in a pub, not far from the beach, ‘The Owl Camber‘. Pre-booking in summer is a must, especially places that allow dogs inside instead of making you sit outside (fine if it’s not raining, but when can you guarantee that in the UK?).

Pub lunches can be a bit hit and miss. Lots of pubs have upped their game to serve freshly cooked food, but there are still some out there which leave you disappointed. The Owl is not one of them. It’s not a huge pub, has a small car park and outside eating area with a mixture of day trippers, holiday makers and locals enjoying a friendly atmosphere and warm welcome from the owners and staff.

The Food

The staff offer table service with a menu, and daily changing specials, of locally sources meats, fish and vegetables, all cooked fresh to order. Not surprisingly, fish features strongly on the menu. We also noticed, locally brewed ciders and ales.

Hubby ordered the Salt & Pepper Squid for starters, followed by Moules Mariniere as a main course. I chose the Roasted Pepper, with Pea & Mint Risotto.

The squid was delicious, I tried one, it was cooked perfectly, seasoned well with a lovely after taste and really tender, wish I’d picked it as well, but I was saving myself for dessert!

We both enjoyed our main course, the risotto was perfectly cooked and tasted delicious. I really liked the idea of serving it in a roasted pepper, it felt very healthy! Hubby scoffed the moules mariniere and raved about the bread.

We decided to share a dessert and chose one of the specials, a Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart with ice cream, oh it was yummy and we didn’t take long to scoff the lot!

A Perfect Dog-Friendly Day

All in all, a great find, a really lovely pub, with a great, friendly atmosphere and delicious food, what more could you ask for but a dog-friendly beach and pub? Sounds like a perfect day to me.

Don’t forget to book a table and let us know what you think.  🙂

Links:

Camber Sands Beach Information

The Owl Camber