Dog friendly holidays in the Channel Islands

Looking for a coastal summer break where you can take your dogs? A holiday in the Channel Islands is somewhere different for most.  Regular ferries run from Poole and Portsmouth on the English south coast to the various Channel Islands. This is the easiest way to take a car and dogs. Book a pets-welcome self-catering accommodation on one of the islands and spend a happy week exploring to your heart’s content.

Book pet-friendly self-catering cottages in the Channel islands

Although small in stature, The Channel Islands are big in history and rich in glorious coastlines. Brilliantly unique, the five islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Herm and Alderney are the most southerly of the British Isles and are situated just off the more exotic shores of France. The most positive reason for this is a real plus for British holiday makers: The Channel Islands are officially the sunniest place in the whole of Britain! So, what are you waiting for? Pack up your favourite sunglasses, your factor 50 and come get that lovely golden tan you’d only think you’d get in sunny Spain! The Channel Islands are a walkers’ paradise. With many a sandy beach to chase the delighted dog or grasslands to play hide and seek in with the kids, you’ll never be more in your family element. Rock climbers also take note! In Jersey and Guernsey, the largest of the islands, the rugged rock formations along the sea cliffs are perfect for you wild thrill seekers. One of these adrenaline filled routes has been labelled Rat Up A Drainpipe and is one of the hardest climbs found in Guernsey’s Sunset Bay. Try at your peril! Caving and abseiling are also popular in these parts and can be easily accessed on any of the islands. If you’re more into your history, you might also like to know that during the second world war, The Channel Islands were the only British soil to be occupied by the Nazis and some of its things to see like the secret war tunnels at Castle Cornet in Jersey are still visible to the general public today.

A charming range of cottages are available on the island that you most desire to stay on. If it’s complete peace and tranquillity that you want to take away from the experience, the smaller but equally as delightful islands like Sark, Herm and bird watching paradise Alderney are perfect to stay on. Measuring just a mile and a half long and half a mile wide, Herm is the ideal island for anyone wanting to get away from their overly stressful job and cluttered city life. On your arrival, the worries of going out and shopping for food will also evaporate into thin air as your favourite groceries can be pre-ordered before your visit and will be in turn delivered straight to your cottage doorstep. All you need to do is to store your food away in your modern, fully furnished kitchen. Coupled with stunning sea views and scintillating sunsets, you will never get such a good night’s sleep, as you awake from a much-needed lie in, in your spacious double bedroom. And then how about heading out into your large private garden terrace, apt for romantic brunches and fresh sea air a plenty before heading out into the town with the pet pooch and joining in its array of activities? Island life can provide the best of memories, and why not start them right here on the soft, white beaches of Belvoir Bay with a cone of chips and a famous Herm Ice Cream?

If you want a bit more hustle and bustle from your stay on The Channel Islands, then Jersey or Guernsey is just the ticket. Jersey, in particular is an island that can give you and your family as much excitement as it would in any other holiday destination. Littered with fun filled activities, you can gain a fistful of children respect points with a trip to popular family attraction aMaizin! Adventure Park. Situated just outside the well-known parish town of St Peter, the park contains indoor and outdoor activities such as go karts, tobogganing and even tractor rides! After all this excitement, a meal fit for a king should be on the menu….and in Jersey, this is the norm. Bursting with the finest eating experiences like fresh oysters, you’ll again feel you were in Southern Europe as you eat your local lobster and Jersey royals in the warm night air whilst watching the calming English Channel waters lap up against the harbour walls. And how about an evening walk to work off your satisfied stomach? Well, in Jersey, there’s miles of unspoilt coastline to wander down like St Ouens Bay, on the west side of the island. Awash with surfers in the day, the undisturbed sunsets are the talk of the town. Even your normally excitable pet pooch will leave his beloved ball and gaze in wonder at the incredibly vibrant colours in the night sky.

Like with Herm, the very best accommodation in the larger islands are extremely easy to find. How about checking out a clifftop cottage in Guernsey where you can gaze at the incredible sea views on your very own patio terrace with a glass of Sommelier wine in hand, or if it’s too cold, straight from your comfortable living room fitted with a wood burning stove fireplace. Your exhausted dog will also have pride of place in your perfect countryside cottage as he sleeps by your weary feet, dreaming happily of the days many amazing adventures.

The Channel Islands are a world away from any other place on Earth. Not only are they unique in their independence, but they have their very own dialect; a mix of the French and English languages. Money is also different on the island, in that they print their own money but the English pound is also accepted. These are just a few interesting quirks for you and your family to discover; so, come on, take the plunge and find out much more!