Pet-Friendly Holidays: The UK’s Top Spots

With 86% of dog owners taking their four-legged friends on holiday, it’s no secret that Brits love their pets. But this year, recent pet travel policy changes and rising fuel costs are hiking up flight ticket prices, making trips abroad extra expensive. So, with pet-travel search terms, such as “pet-friendly holiday homes uk”, up 20% between April and May alone, it seems a staycation is a popular choice for many pet-owners this year. So, here at Buzz Bingo, we’ve ranked the best spots in the UK for an all-around pet-accessible holiday.

We analysed the top 20 most populated UK cities, and assessed each city across six key indicators: the number of pet-friendly pubs and restaurants (via TripAdvisor), available hiking trails (via AllTrails), picnic and open green spaces, number of beaches and pet-friendly accommodation options (via Airbnb and Booking.com). Cities were scored and ranked based on their combined performance across all five criteria.

Top 20 pet-friendly UK holiday spots 

Perhaps surprisingly, given its lack of coastline and reputation as a busy urban metropolis, London ranks as the ultimate destination for a pet-friendly holiday in the UK, with a score of 73. With over 3,000 green spaces, including iconic spots like Richmond Park, 218 hiking trails and 1,224 pet-friendly pubs and restaurants, the capital offers an unrivalled variety of options. 

Bristol and Edinburgh follow in second and third place, both benefiting from coastal access, Edinburgh's Portobello Beach a worthy highlight, alongside strong scores across trails and pet-friendly accommodation.  Plymouth rounds out the top four, proving that coastal access is hugely important for a pet-friendly break, with Bovisand Bay offering dogs plenty of room to roam.

Please note: It’s always advisable to check individual policies in advance, as some locations may have restrictions on dogs; however, most green areas and beaches are expected to be dog-friendly and welcome pets.

Mark Fletcher, our Head of Brand here at Buzz Bingo, noted:

“More Brits than ever are refusing to leave their pets behind when they go on holiday, but not every destination is as welcoming as it looks. We wanted to let the data speak, identifying the UK cities that genuinely offer the best experience for a pet-friendly holiday, from trails and beaches to welcoming pubs and places to stay.”

Interested in reading about our other recent studies? You can view our latest study into Britain’s garden feuds, or how about looking into five top tips to support bees for World Bee Day?

Methodology: Researchers at Buzz Bingo identified the 20 most populated cities in the UK and assessed each one across six key indicators to determine the most pet-friendly holiday destinations. For each city, data was collected, from the number of pet-friendly pubs and restaurants (via TripAdvisor), available hiking trails (via AllTrails), picnic areas and open green spaces, accessible beaches, and pet-friendly accommodation options (via Airbnb and Booking.com). These metrics were weighted by importance to generate an overall index score, with pet-friendly accommodation carrying the most weight at 35%, followed by pet-friendly pubs and restaurants (25%), hiking trails (20%), green spaces (15%) and beaches (5%).