Sandyhills – Solway Sands, Sea Arch and a Dog-Friendly Inn
A few hours.
The route
Sandyhills is a sheltered bay on the Solway coast, held between wooded hills, and when the tide drops it turns into a vast spread of sand that dogs love.
Walk the shore to the Needle's Eye sea arch, then drive round to Kippford for lunch at the Anchor, a waterside inn where dogs are welcome by the fire.
Before you go
Ring the Anchor in Kippford on 01556 510 500 to book a table for about 12.15pm, say you're bringing a dog, and check it's serving that day: food is from noon, and its winter hours can vary.
The day
Sandyhills
A morning on the sand with the dog, out along a wide Solway bay as the tide drops. Then on round the coast to a little sailing village for a warm lunch by the water.
About three hoursAbout 2 miles on foot
Sandyhills Beach
An attraction
At Sandyhills, on the A710 coast road, the car park sits right behind the beach. It's a pay car park in season, paid at the barrier, with a few free 30-minute spaces. Dogs are welcome on the sand all year, and when the tide goes out the bay drains into a huge stretch of sand for them to run on. In the bird nesting season, keep the dog on a lead where the signs ask. At low tide, walk west along the shore towards Portling. The Needle's Eye sea arch and Piper's Cave, a natural cave later dug deeper by copper miners, are a short walk along the beach. Check the tide times for Sandyhills before you go, and turn back as soon as the tide turns, as it comes in fast over the flats. The beach toilets open only from April to September; out of season, the council's toilets in Kippford are open all day.
8 min by car
The Anchor
Lunch
Drive 8 minutes west to Kippford and the Anchor, an inn on the village front looking over the Urr estuary, with a log fire in its little bar in winter. Dogs are welcome in the bar and snug, and it's family friendly, with a kids' menu. Food is served from noon, with soup, Cullen skink, beer-battered fish and chips and steak and Guinness pie. Winter hours can vary, so ring 01556 510 500 to book and to check before you set off.
If it rains
Sandyhills is open to the weather: on a wet morning keep the beach walk short and go on early to the Anchor, where the dog can dry off by the fire.