10 best dog-friendly beaches

For the family pooch

 
Amble Links, Amble, Northumberland

Dogs and children alike will love pootling about the rockpools on this sand, rock and shingle beach backed by cliffs on the northern edge of Druridge Bay. The seven-mile beach is popular with twitchers, too - waders and diving ducks abound in the network of freshwater ponds and habitats created from re-landscaped, open-cast mines inland. To explore the area fully, stay in one of the pet-friendly Welcome Cottages in Amble (0870 197 6420, www.welcomecottages.com): £35 per week booked goes to support the Dogs Trust charity (www.dogstrust.org.uk).

 
For visitor information, call 01665 712313 or see www.alnwick.gov.uk.