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Check the Access Rules Before You Leave the Car Park

Coastal walking in the UK is rarely a simple case of wandering until you feel like stopping. Paths cross farmland, nature reserves, Ministry of Defence land and private estates, and the rules change with the seasons. A route that is open and welcoming in February may be closed to dogs entirely from March to September because of nesting birds, or the landowner may ask that leads stay on through the lambing months.

Before you set off, take five minutes to check:

• Whether dogs are allowed at all, and whether they must be on a lead for the whole stretch.
• Seasonal restrictions on beaches, dunes and clifftop fields.
• Local byelaws, including summer dog bans on some stretches of sand.
• Whether a path is closed for repairs, erosion or recent cliff falls.

Read the notices at the car park and at the start of the path. If a sign contradicts your map or your app, follow the sign. Landowners can change arrangements at short notice, and a small diversion is almost always there for a good reason.

Read Livestock and Wildlife Signs Carefully

Most coastal paths pass through working land. Sheep, cattle, ponies and occasionally goats graze the clifftops, and each requires a different response from you.

• Sheep and lambs: keep your dog on a short lead and give the flock a wide berth. Sheep panic easily, and a dog that merely looks interested can cause a ewe to abort or a lamb to be separated.
• Cattle: walk calmly, do not run, and keep your dog close until you are past. If cattle approach and you feel threatened, releasing the dog so it can get clear is usually safer than being dragged.
• Ponies and wild herds: maintain a good distance. They are not tame, and they can bite or kick when cornered.

Wildlife matters just as much. Ground-nesting birds such as oystercatchers, ringed plovers and skylarks nest on shingle and clifftop grass, and a dog off the path can destroy a clutch in seconds. Seals hauled out on beaches and rocks should be given a wide margin — well over a hundred metres where possible — and dogs kept on a lead. In spring, adders bask on warm paths and rocky banks, so keep your dog from nosing into tussocks and undergrowth.

Respect the Cliff Edge and the Ground Beneath You

The coast path is not a pavement. It is a working footpath that erodes, crumbles and occasionally disappears overnight after winter storms.

Keep your dog on a lead on clifftop sections, even if the path looks wide and steady. Dogs chase gulls, scent trails and each other, and a moment of excitement near an unstable edge can end badly. Stay well back from the rim, never walk out onto grassy promontories that overhang the sea, and keep to the worn line of the path rather than cutting corners.

Underfoot, expect mud, loose shingle, wet rock, steep wooden steps and slippery stone stiles. Check your dog's paws after rocky sections, and be prepared to lift a smaller dog over ladder stiles or through narrow gaps. If a path has collapsed, turn back rather than scramble around it.

Beaches, Tides and Rocky Coves

Sandy beaches feel like freedom, but they carry their own risks. Check tide times before you go, and know the height of the tide that day, not just the hour of high water. Incoming tides move faster than most people expect, particularly across flat estuaries and around headlands, and it is easy to be cut off on a beach that was walkable an hour earlier.

• Avoid soft mud, sinking sand and areas of wet, rippled sand near estuaries.
• Watch for causeways and tidal islands, and never cross if the water is already moving.
• Keep dogs out of freshwater pools that may contain blue-green algae, which is toxic.
• Steer clear of jellyfish washed up on the strandline, and rinse paws afterwards.

If your dog swims, check the sea state and currents first, and be aware that a tired dog can struggle to climb back onto rocks or up a steep shingle beach.

Water, Heat and Long Summer Walks

Coastal paths offer very little shade. On a hot day, the sun reflects off the sea and off pale rock, and a dog that seems fine at the car park can overheat within an hour.

Walk early or late rather than in the middle of the day, and carry water for your dog — roughly a litre for a long summer walk, more in real heat. A collapsible bowl or a bottle with a drinking spout makes it easy to offer small, frequent drinks. Hot sand, shingle and tarmac can burn paw pads, so test the surface with the back of your hand. Watch for heavy panting, drooling and wobbliness, and stop, shade and cool your dog straight away if you see them.

Walk Lightly in the Community You Are Visiting

Coastal villages are small, and the people who live in them deal with the consequences of visitor pressures all year round. Close every gate behind you, keep your dog from chasing livestock or farm dogs, and bag and bin all mess — including in the dunes where it is easily missed. Give other path users space, call your dog back to you when you meet horse riders or families with young children, and keep an eye out for nesting-season signs. Do all that, and you will have a dog who is welcome back on the coast for years to come.