HOLIDAYS WITH MAN’S
BEST FRIEND
Dear Readers,
Here we are
again. It’s Sunday afternoon, and
really, the best time to think about holidays and travel, lying on your sofa,
dreaming of your next trip. Picture the
scene: there you are, on your sofa, and
guess what? Lying next to you is your
best friend. Cat or dog (or hamster,
rat, gerbil, goldfish…we digress). You’re
thinking of your next trip, when they snuggle into you as if to say; “and me?” The question is: can we really leave them behind? Is it fair?
What are your thoughts, dear Readers?
Until relatively
recently, your Hapless Blogger wasn’t a great animal person: having been brought up with cats, who as we
all know are hugely independent, and sometimes grace you with their presence,
others, not. I was forced to take on a
dog. Not just any dog. A big, very needy dog. Suddenly poof! Independence gone! And since this dog was so needy, kennels was not
an option. And since this dog was so
big, neither were relatives. So what do
you do? Not go on holiday ever
again? Nope, you take them with you.
Today, we’re
exploring the options for you and your best friend, be it to remain in the UK
(no pun intended) or to take him abroad with you. Now, dear Readers, a little disclaimer here
as your Hapless Blogger isn’t entirely sure on the new rules for pet passports,
having just Brexited, but we’ll update the details when we have them.
Let’s stay in
the UK for a moment. Interestingly
enough, pet-friendly holidays have grown exponentially over the past few years. As the demand for more and more pet-friendly
accommodation has increased, and with the advent of Air BnB and Home Away (et
al) the opportunities for pet-friendly accommodation has grown. Some of the loveliest options, however, are
and have been for a long time, offered by the caravan industry. Now, dear Readers, we’re not talking about a
tin box on Camber Sands anymore, no no, we’re talking about a luxury lodge
overlooking a gloriously deserted beach, with a hot tub, watching dolphins. Pardon me?
I hear you cry. Yes indeed, and
you can bring your dog! Although I’m not
so sure he’d enjoy the hot tub…
One such
place in the UK is Fishguard Bay Resort (www.fishguardbay.com). Ok, it’s a bit a trek to get there (and don’t
forget to plan stops, because as we all know, having a dog is a bit like having
a child: they need loo stops, and often
a bit of a walk to stretch their legs).
This place is found in the far reaches of West Wales. The Fishguard bit gives you a clue, I
guess. However, once there (beware of
the narrow lane down to it) you will be glad you traversed the country (just
don’t do it on a Bank Holiday weekend).
Honestly, Readers, if you ever wanted to really get away from it all,
and take Fido with you, this is the place.
You come round the bend at the top of the lane, and there before you
lies the most idyllic site, surrounded as if a peninsular with the bluest sea
you’ll ever see from these shores.
Once in, if
you haven’t experienced one yet, Readers, you have to have a look: these luxury lodges are something else. More like luxury apartments, they have
wrap-around decking with gates and fencing so that Fido can’t escape, and hot
tubs built into them. In you go to your
luxury apartment, where although some argue it’s basically two caravans knocked
together, quite frankly, dear Readers, who cares? It’s beautiful. Sympathetically designed with the sea in
mind, each lodge is dressed just as you would dress your own home by the sea (https://www.therange.co.uk/). All you need to do for Fido is bring his
bedding.
The reason,
to be honest, we picked this one to talk about is also the scenery. One of the objects of bringing Fido with you
is to take him, and you, for lovely long walks.
You see, even if it’s just you and Fido, you both benefit hugely from
the fresh, sea air and exercise. It’s
right on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, and from the resort you can walk down to
a little beach. If you’re lucky enough,
you’ll see dolphins right from your lodge.
What a sight to see them frolicking in their natural environment. Fortunately, following the theme of
dog-friendly holidays, you’ll find this whole area geared up to such. Apart from High Season, the beaches are all
dog-friendly (in High Season, you can take them to either end), quiet and
clean. If you really want to treat Fido,
you can take him for a doggy ice-cream (dog friendly, not dog-flavoured,
clearly). You’ll find beautiful
ice-cream parlours all over the vicinity, thanks to the close Welsh-Italian
roots. For a Monday to Friday in May you’re
looking at about £350.
Another great
spot is Aberdunant Hall (www.aberdunant.com). This is just a bit further up the country,
towards the picturesque Porthmadog in North Wales. The owners are dog-lovers themselves, and actively
encourage dog-loving owners and visitors to the site. The place itself is out of this world, with
the most beautiful restaurant and excellent food. It is an excellent base for all those magnificent
dog-walks to be found in North Wales, along with the most magnificent beaches. As their blog points out, especially going
on holiday with your best friend, it really is much easier to say in the UK,
not just because your best friend might get stressed out with the travelling
and possibly quarantine, but also because he needs his suitcase too, and it’s a
lot easier to just bung it all in the car!
For a Monday to Friday in May you’re looking at about £378.
If you didn’t
fancy Wales, but still wanted a beautiful beach for you and your best friend to
enjoy, then why not pop to Par Sands in Cornwall (www.parkleisureholidays.co.uk)? This real treat of a location has the aforementioned
luxury lodges, and is right on a beautiful, quiet, Cornish sandy beach. Indeed, those Daphne Du Maurier fans will
relish the fact that several of her books were based in this area, as she
stayed for a large period of her life on the Menabilly estate, and this is
where she took inspiration for probably one of her most famous: Rebecca, and one of your Hapless Blogger’s
favourites, My Cousin Rachel. The beach is utterly dog-friendly and simply
ideal. If you wanted to stay there with
your best friend Monday to Friday in May, you’re looking at about £280.
However, the
time has come, dear Readers, to leave these fair shores. Now, as we mentioned earlier, we’re going to
have to put a little disclaimer on this one, as we don’t know what’s going to
happen in terms of pet passports but for the moment, it’s been very easy to
apply for one. You even have to take his
picture bless him. For the interests of
stress-levels, we’re not suggesting you take him on a plane. As a dog-lover myself (now) dear Readers, it’s
not fair, I don’t think, unless you really have to, to put him through sitting
in a cage in the hold of a plane. For UK
airlines, unless they are a guide dog, they can’t sit with you and I don’t know
about yours, but mine has separation anxiety and screams the place down when
left alone, so all I can imagine him doing is screaming his way over the
Atlantic or wherever, and that would be no fun for anyone. Having said that, there are times when you
need to transport your pet on an aeroplane, and during the course of our research,
we came across a company called PetAir (www.petair.com)
who will do everything for you, including collecting your pet from your home,
booking his flights, sorting his documentation, taking him to the airport and
checking him in, making sure he’s safe in his custom carrier in the hold and
ensuring his safe passage the other side.
However, dear Readers, things can happen, so as another disclaimer, I
would say only if you’re moving, not just for a holiday.
However, once
you have got his passport, when not leap in the car and nip on the Eurotunnel
or ferry to Europe? What fun! Although mark you, on ferry journeys (apart
from www.balearia.com) you still have to
house him in kennels if it’s overnight, so for very sensitive friends, it’s
still better to either take a short trip from say Dover to Calais, or to
drive). Your Hapless Blogger’s best
friends take their best friend skiing every year, driving through France to Switzerland. Another wonderful way to holiday with your
best friend, without traumatising him or leaving him behind.
To
summarise? With such lovely choice in
the UK, perhaps it’s less stressful for your best friend (and you) to
staycation? Although, from personal
experience, taking your dog to Europe is as rewarding for you as it is for him.
