Dog friendly holidays in Scotland - Capercaillie Escapes

Man’s best friend, our loyal companion – just because we want a nice holiday it doesn’t mean our family dog has to miss out.

There are plenty of opportunities for dog friendly holidays in Scotland and it offers a perfect way to keep everyone together and get out and explore the great outdoors.   We find that the worry for dog owners is often finding suitable accommodation happy to house our four-legged friends.  The good news is that with the ‘stay-cation’ more popular than ever before we’re finding more and more great self-catering, guest houses and hotels happy to take the ‘whole’ family.

You may find there is a small charge per dog, but normally we have found this to be reasonable and
simply covers the extra time spent to clean the room.  Some will also ask for your dog to be crated whilst in the room overnight or if being left alone in the room at all, and again we’ve found this to be pretty reasonable and keeps them from getting their teeth into any appetising wooden chairs, plump cushions or bed legs (that’s certainly one of our Hugo’s favourite pastimes!)

The other great advantage of bringing the dog with you on holiday is that wherever you are you’re bound to meet a great bunch of people through all the introductions that your dog eagerly makes on your behalf while out on ‘walkies’!  When it comes to tiring your pooch out for the day well there are just so many fantastic trails to explore, rivers and lochs to jump and splash in, beaches to gallop around on and muddy puddles to roll about in.  We don’t know about you, but we also love to find a wee pub, simple cafe or country inn with outdoor seating en-route happy to serve us lunch or a cuppa.  In our case, again it’s often Hugo (our 7 month old black labrador) who gets the friendliest welcome and hosts are more than happy to bring over a bowl of water and sometimes a wee treat to keep him happy.

To help you get out and about exploring on foot with your dog here are our current Top 5 recommended walks with the dog around Scotland:

1. Fife Coastal Trail – 117 miles of fantastic diverse coastline, you’ll find sandy beaches, rocky plateaus, rugged cliffs, pretty villages and plenty of wildlife enroute
2. Oldshoremore Beach – deserted stretch of beautiful remote beach and crystal waters backed by mighty machair in the Scottish Highlands
3. Loch Leven (Kinross) – an excellent 12 mile circular heritage trail which includes a RSPB Nature Reserve and lots of good spots for picnics and a paddle on the small sandy beach by Burleigh Sands
4. Loch An Eilean (Cairngorms) – a well-marked 4.5 mile circular forest trail around the banks of this pretty loch in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park
5. Loch Maree Trail – from the Forestry Commission car park at Slattadale on the banks of Loch Maree you can enjoy spectacular views to Slioch and follow low level or higher level paths on the western bank of the loch through ancient woodland – a superb linear 5 mile route takes you all the way to Poolewe in the north

When it comes to accommodation there are increasingly great options no matter what standard or type of accommodation you are looking for as part of your escape to Scotland.

A few favourites welcoming dog-friendly holidays include;

Trigony House Hotel – Dumfries & Galloway                            Auchteralyth Steadings – Perthshire

Eilean Iarmain Hotel – Isle of Skye                                             Airds Hotel – Argyll & Bute

The Piersland – Ayrshire (perfect if you’re looking to take your pooch for a few holes of golf at Troon!)

Conusg B&B – Isle of Skye                                                           The Pier House – Argyll & Bute

The Cluny Bank – Morayshire                                                       Greystones B&B – Cairngorms

Coul House Hotel – Ross-shire                                                     Gleneagles Golf Resort & Spa – Perthshire

Nearby all of these great places to stay we have recommendations for local pubs and places to eat accepting dogs too – for our guests travelling in Scotland these can be included included our tailored itinerary materials, simply taking any hassle out of searching around for somewhere after a good walk and the stomach is already rumbling.

Climate wise – will he be OK in the heat?

Well let’s be honest, it’s unlikely he’s going to overheat up here in the north, but if the sun does shine he’ll be delighted to cool off in the sea or a local loch.  If it’s snowing or pouring with rain, he’s probably going to love that too.  Just make sure you bring along a couple of old towels for the boot!

With tail wagging and nose sniffing you know you’ve got a happy dog!

Scotland makes for a great holiday in the outdoors and it doesn’t have to be strenuous either.  With lots of ideas and experience, we would love to help you plan your holiday here in Scotland.  If the dog-friendly holiday appeals to you but you’re not quite sure where to start or would simply like some inspirations then please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to start creating a tailored trip just for you.  Equally, if you know or find a walk that you love, let us know, there are lots out there!