Dog Friendly holidays

Useful Information for Dog Owners

For those of you who may not have been to Norfolk or Wells before, the area is very dog friendly.  Large expanses of sandy beaches (restrictions may apply in popular areas for the main summer season), lots of open spaces and miles of footpaths and bridleways to explore.

Dog friendly beach guides:

Visit Norfolk – guide to dog friendly beaches

Dogs’ Holiday Guide to Norfolk

Wells/Holkham beach:-It is requested that you keep your dog on a lead or under close control on Holkham Beach and be aware that there are some restrictions for dogs on Wells Beach.  There is a ‘Dogs not allowed’ sign on the walkway next to the Café but this refers only to the portion of the beach between the steps at the west end of the car park and the old lifeboat house (see diagram below). There’s miles of beach and pinewoods to explore to the left. Some areas may be roped off if terns are nesting or if seal pups are ashore, but otherwise it’s doggie-heaven. Most dog-people use the steps at the far end of the car-park near the lake.

The Cafe by Wells beach is extremely dog friendly and includes a ‘wash n wag’ facility so you can hose off your dog to remove sea water/sand/mud or whatever else they may have rolled in!!!!

Wagtails has numerous maps and details of walks for your use while on holiday.  There is a circular walk from the bungalow of approx 1½ miles, mainly off road for that early morning/evening walk.  The Wells/Holkham  Pinewoods is a particularly pleasant walk if you fancied a change from the beach and Stiffkey beach (approx 10 mins drive away) is a particularly exciting walk for dogs (although can be very muddy!!)

Our Dogs

We had a white lurcher called Harry who we sadly lost in July 2013 aged 13½. We very quickly realised that we needed another hound to complete our family. We spent a few weeks trawling the local dog rescue centres and came home with a black 5 year old lurcher called Stretch. Within weeks he made himself at home, living up to his name by stretching out on the sofa and generally taking over our lives.

In 2015, we made the decision to ‘adopt’ a pal for Stretchy and began once again checking the local rescue centres. A few weeks later we were fortunate enough to come across an 11 week old puppy, that we called Boycie. Unfortunately in late 2016 Stretchy became very poorly and so we are now back to one. Our settee is only just big enough and our lawn will never be the same again!!! (anyone with lurchers or greyhounds will totally understand). Being part of the family, Boycie will always be included when holidaying in the UK. We are sure you have the same problem as us, namely trying to find somewhere that welcomes you and your dog.

Dogs at Wagtails

Unlike many other properties we do NOT make any additional charges for your dogs at Wagtails – (named after the bird although we’re sure there have been some very waggy tails of the other kind at the property since we started in 1998). For the comfort of our guests we feel that the bungalow & garden is really only suitable for a maximum of 2 dogs.

PLEASE NOTE: we are unable to accommodate dogs under 6 months old.

The majority of our guests value this policy and we are keen to continue with it.
We have a very limited time to ensure Wagtails is ready between lettings and would therefore ask, if you are a pet owner and are not willing to ensure the property is fur and poop free after your stay, that you look elsewhere for your holiday – thank you

At the property you will find a box especially for your pooch – normally this will include throws, spare towels to dry muddy paws, water/food bowls, spare lead, dog toys, treats etc – it can change from week to week as previous dog owners do tend to add to the box and of course some of the toys may get mislaid on the beach!!! Quite simply whatever is in the box please feel free to use during your stay. We also include dog tags that can be clipped to your dogs collar saying they are on holiday and giving our contact number.

Rear Garden

The dog friendly rear garden at Wagtails is fully enclosed with a 6ft high close boarded fence. There is access to the rear garden via a side gate (also 6ft) plus through the garage to save traipsing through the property after those muddy/wet walks. We also have an outside tap, just inside the garage, if required.

Doggy Rules

All we ask is that you clean up after your dog – both inside and out. Bags are provided if you haven’t brought your own.

Although we would prefer dogs not to snooze on the sofas we realise that if that’s what they do at home it’s unrealistic to change their habits just because they’re on holiday.  If this is the case we would ask that you use the covers/towels provided. We do request, however, that your dog is NOT allowed on the beds (Wells’ mud has a habit of leaving its mark).

Leaving your dog alone in the property – we would prefer this isn’t done unless you are very confident that your dog will settle. If you know they can be destructive or reactive when they are left alone, or they suffer from separation anxiety, please do not leave them unsupervised for any period. It’s just not fair on your dog (or on us if they cause damage!).
Guests will be held responsible for any damage or additional cleaning caused by their dog(s).

And finally….. if you get home and find you have some lovely photos of your dog enjoying its holiday, we would love a copy, alternatively add it to our facebook page: