Hayling Island, Hampshire - Dog friendly weekend break

If you are looking to take a break from your busy city lifestyle or just want to escape to another tranquil space this is a dog-friendly area and dog-friendly house rental on the south coast of England.

We booked a two-night stay at the delightful dog-friendly Whitecaps holiday rental house located on Hayling Island in Hampshire with family which of course includes Yianni and Yoko. This dog-friendly three bedroom, detached house is located on a private estate which was built in the 1930’s that is only two minutes’ walk away from the beautiful dog-friendly Hayling beach.

This stunning dog-friendly holiday rental has a two-story living space and an amazing rooftop terrace that offered us even more space and superb views.

Dog bed travel mattressPictured: Molly & Stitch Sweet Dreams dog bed - the travel mattress

The ground floor has three bedrooms and the bathroom – One twin room with two single beds, one twin bedroom with a bunk-bed and the main bedroom has a double bed (all of which are extremely comfortable!) Also if you are going with your dogs and they stay in a crate at night there is more than enough space for you to bring it with you for them to stay in.

Off from the main bedroom is a large enclosed grass garden so that your dogs can do their thing and run and play around. The all-white sleek bathroom has a heavenly walk-in shower and a lovely bath to soak in and wash all of your worries away.

The second floor has a large open plan kitchen, diner and living space with a cosy wood burning fireplace for those cooler days and evenings. The kitchen is kitted out with all you need for a self-catering house rental – even tea, coffee and sugar; you just need to remember the milk! There is a local shop roughly 5 minutes’ walk down the road from you if you forget.

Leading off from the fabulous open living space is a large balcony with seating, overlooking on to the Sandy Point Nature Reserve and the Chichester harbour. The balcony front is glass so Yanni and Yoko loved looking out at the views to offer and the birds flying through the trees. As well as the stunning views, you are able to see into the grass garden below in case your dogs are busy playing and you want to stay chilled out on the balcony.

The sun shining through the large glass doors and windows makes the space feel even more tranquil and open. If there is a chill in the air you have the wood burning fireplace to roar while you snuggle up on the comfy sofas.

places to go with your dog

I must say as someone who has a slight fear of heights (I attempted a high rope tree experience and froze with fear as soon as I got up there, so slight fear may be an understatement!) we were able to sit on the roof terrace to eat our breakfast in the morning sun and top up our tan in what is likely to be the last of Britain’s sunshine on the sun loungers. Yianni and Yoko loved the space and would go there a few times to bask in the sunshine too.

dog friendly holidays

In between enjoying this beautiful house, we, of course, had to visit the beach especially as it was only a two-minute walk away! The beautiful unspoilt beach stretches for three miles and is completely dog-friendly except between May 1st and September 30th when there is a certain area’s which are closed to dog walking.

As soon as we walked onto the beach we were shown what this walk would have to offer - boats of different sizes and speeds across the shoreline and further out to sea leaving you with the wonder of where they were heading, dogs running in and out of the water enjoying the coolness of the sea water and people of all ages walking and enjoying the sights to offer.

where can i take my dog on holidayPictured: Cloud 7 Central Park saddle brown leather dog harness

The beach is mostly made up with pebbles with sandy parts in between. The large boulders give the beach extra character as well as fun for the dogs! Yianni and several other dogs enjoyed climbing over and through them like it was a maze. Along the promenade are different style houses that just add to the character of the beautiful area. Some even gave me the feeling of being on the French coast.

What I was shocked by most is how clear the sea water was! The water was choppy in parts due to the boats coming in and out of the harbour but this only added to the charm of the beach. As we were walking we met some friendly people fishing from the shore and spoke about the beauty of the area and how they love to fish on the beach.

The only slight downside to this beach is that there were not any cafes to stop for a cup of tea, water for the dogs and take in the view. We had our Travel Wags walker’s bag with us so water for the dogs was not a problem.

dog friendly beachesPictured: Yoko wearing Mister Woof Felix Dog Harness & Yianni wearing Cloud7 Central Park Saddle Brown Leather Dog Harness

The locals we spoke to told us that there is a lovely café and bar off from the beach which is roughly a three-minute walk if we wanted to go somewhere. As we were staying so close to the beach we chose to go back and eat lunch out on the terrace, so the dogs could have a rest before we headed back out to watch the sunset at the beach.

Located on the estate we were staying in there is a large playing green where we met several dogs for Yianni and Yoko to run and play around with on our way back (because the two hour walk we had just been on was not long enough when the opportunity comes up to play with other dogs!) Also on the estate is a tennis court, children’s swing set which you can use during your stay.

So would we visit Hayling Island again? Yes without a doubt!

Would we stay again at dog-friendly Whitecaps? Yes, no question!

If you have visited Hayling Island and have any recommendations or if you have any recommendations of dog-friendly stays that can’t be missed please share with us below.

Love from the Aurora Pets Team x

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